Billy Bob Thornton

Billy Bob Thornton is an Academy Award–winning actor, writer and director. Thornton was born in Hot Springs, Arkansas, and raised in a working-class family. While he spent his childhood moving around Arkansas, he attended Malvern High School and later enrolled at Henderson State University, where he studied psychology before leaving college to pursue music and acting.

He moved to Los Angeles in the early 1980s and worked a series of odd jobs while auditioning. His first big screen appearance came in 1986 with Hunter’s Blood, while his breakthrough followed a decade later after he wrote, directed and starred in Sling Blade (1996). The film earned him an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay and a Best Actor nomination, establishing him as a major creative Hollywood force.

Thornton established himself as a versatile actor with appearances in films like Armageddon (1998), Monster’s Ball (2001), Bad Santa (2003) and Friday Night Lights (2004). On television, he earned critical acclaim for his role as Lorne Malvo on Fargo, which won him a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film. He later starred in Goliath from 2016 to 2021, earning a Primetime Emmy Award, and has continued working steadily in film and television while also maintaining a career as a musician. In 2024, he joined the cast of the Paramount+ western drama Landman.

Thornton has been married six times, including to Cynda Williams from 1990 to 1992. He later wed Angelina Jolie from 2000 to 2003. He has three children from previous relationships: Amanda (born in 1979), William (born in 1993) and Harry James (born in 1994). He entered a relationship with Connie Angland in 2003, and the pair welcomed daughter Bella the following year. They confirmed their marriage in 2014.