Biography for
Billy Bob Thornton More at IMDbPro »

Date of Birth

4 August 1955, Hot Springs, Arkansas, USA

Birth Name

William Robert Thornton

Height

6' (1.83 m)

Mini Biography

William Robert (Billy Bob) Thornton was born in Hot Springs, Arkansas on August 4, 1955 to William Raymond (Billy Ray) Thornton (educator, high school history teacher, basketball coach; deceased) and Virginia R. Faulkner (psychic). He has three younger brothers, James Donald (Jimmy Don), born in 1958 and now deceased, James (Jim) Bean and John David, born in 1969. He has been married 5 times and has 5 children: daughter Amanda (with Gatlin); sons William and Harry (both with Cherniak); son Maddox, adopted with Angelina Jolie; and daughter Bella with Connie Angland.

Billy Bob began his artistic career as a musician, playing drums and singing in a band called Tres Hombres, which once opened for 'Hank Williams Jr' . In 1981, he moved to Los Angeles with childhood friend Tom Epperson to pursue an acting and writing career. On the side, Billy Bob also sought work as a singer and drummer. He and Epperson tried for years to sell their scripts but no one was buying.

During those rough times, Billy Bob neglected his health and subsequently landed in the hospital with heart problems due to malnutrition. In 1992, Billy Bob starred in One False Move (1992), a movie he co-wrote with Epperson. The team finally received attention because of this work, which was very well received in Hollywood. His popularity increased steadily, especially after Sling Blade (1996) which he wrote, directed and in which he starred.

Billy received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on October 7, 2004.

IMDb Mini Biography By: Sage Giordano

Spouse

Angelina Jolie	(5 May 2000 - 27 May 2003) (divorced)
Pietra Dawn Cherniak	(18 February 1993 - April 1997) (divorced) 2 children
Cynda Williams	(1990 - 1992) (divorced)
Toni Lawrence	(5 April 1986 - 1988) (divorced)
Melissa Lee Gatlin	(1978 - 1980) (divorced) 1 child

Trade Mark

Houston Colt .45's hat.

Trivia

Has numerous tattoos, among them at least 6 on his arms (3 right, 3 left) and on his lower back/hip.

His mother, a psychic, predicted he would work with Burt Reynolds. That prediction came true when, beginning in 1990, he did three episodes of Reynolds' CBS series "Evening Shade" (1990).

4/15/97: Ex-wife Pietra granted a restraining order against Thornton to keep him away from her and their children.

In high school, Thornton played drums in a band called "Stone Cold Fever" and cranked out Creedence Clearwater Revival songs.

He was honored by his hometown, where he's remembered as a milkshake-loving, drum-playing rock 'n' roller. "I had a Tastee-Freez stand before I got into politics," said Mayor Bill Scrimshire, who declared "Billy Bob Thornton Day" Tuesday. "When he was a kid in high school, he used to buy hamburgers and milkshakes from me. He was one of my Tastee-Freez kids."

Gained about 50 pounds for his role as the auto mechanic in U Turn (1997).

He and Dwight Yoakam have their own production company and are looking at producing movies and records together. Yoakam appeared opposite Thornton in Sling Blade (1996).

9/22/00: Was treated for an unspecified "viral infection" at a Los Angeles hospital.

Claimed in a "USA Today" interview that he has an intense phobia of antique furniture. This fear has been seen on screen in both Bandits (2001) and Sling Blade (1996).

3/10/02: Angelina Jolie and Thornton adopted a Cambodian baby boy. Jolie took custody of the baby in Africa, where she was shooting Beyond Borders (2003). Her father, Jon Voight, told reporters at the 3/11 Academy Awards luncheon. Voight said he didn't know whether the couple had picked a name for the child.

Agreed to Ethan Coen and Joel Coen's The Man Who Wasn't There (2001) without reading the script, out of respect for the Coen brothers' talent.

Gave up smoking after completing The Man Who Wasn't There (2001).

Has stated that, of all the characters he has played, the one he enjoyed playing the most was Davy Crockett in The Alamo (2004).

9/04: His fourth child, daughter Bella, with girlfriend Connie Angland, weighed in at 6 lb., 1.5 oz.

Has four children: Amanda (born late 1970s), William (born 1993), Harry James (born 1994), and Bella (born September 2004).

10/7/04: Received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

His father is of Irish ancestry, while his mother is half Choctaw Indian and half Italian.

Owns a penthouse in Paris.

Cousin of wrestlers Terry Funk and Dory Funk Jr..

His character Willie from Bad Santa (2003) is reenacted by Eminem in the music video for Eminem's hit song "Just Lose It".

In an interview, Thornton talked about his struggling actor years. At one point he was so poor all he could afford to eat were potatoes, which he would grill until they stuck to the pan. This consumption led to myocarditis, which led to an intense pain in his chest since he didn't have any potassium in his system. He was treated at a hospital, thanks to a kind doctor who was from Arkansas, his home state. At the time Thornton had no medical insurance and has remained grateful for the doctor's treatment.

Ex-son-in-law of Marc Lawrence and Fanya Foss.

Ex-son-in-law of Jon Voight.

Is a supporter of Liverpool Football Club (soccer team).

His paternal grandfather, Otis Thornton, with whom he spent time in his childhood on a small shack in the woods, was a forest ranger.

Born to William Raymond (Billy Ray) Thornton, a high school history teacher and basketball coach, and his wife Virginia R. Faulkner, a psychic.

2006: Narrated the St. Louis Cardinals World Series DVD.

In his contract for each film he does, there is a provision that states a list of demands. One of them includes a television with a satellite hook-up to watch the St. Louis Cardinals when they are in season.

Brad Pitt is the adoptive father of Thornton's son Maddox with Angelina Jolie. Maddox's last name is Jolie-Pitt and Thornton is no longer involved in raising the child.

In Armageddon (1998/I) he was the NASA flight director. In The Astronaut Farmer (2006) he was a former astronaut who went up against NASA.

Nephew of professional wrestler Dory Funk Sr..

Has a variety of phobias. Antiques (anything before 1950 or so), Benjamin Disraeli's hair, dust, castles, germs, Komodo dragons, clowns, flying and certain silverware, ("I can use silverware from Sears, but not real silverware, like that heavy, ornate, clunky stuff. Same with plates. I can't use those fancy ones with the flowers on it and everything - no way. Sometimes at home I just eat off of paper plates with plastic forks and knives.").

In 2007, Forbes Magazine estimated his earnings for the year at $20 million.

December 2007 - According to Forbes, for each dollar he got paid, Thornton's movies averaged $10 of gross income.

Was contacted about inducting his cousins the Funk brothers into the WWE Hall of fame but declined the offer.

He was inducted into the Texas Film Hall of Fame in March 2009 in Austin, Tx.

Personal Quotes

[on his Academy Award nomination for Best Actor (Sling Blade (1996)] Getting the nomination is like gravy. Winning would be like whatever is better than gravy.

I was the fattest baby in Clark County, Arkansas. They put me in the newspaper. It was like a prize turnip.

Acting is playing--it's actually going out on a playground with the other kids and being in the game, and I need that. Writing satisfies that part of myself that longs to sit in my room and dream.

I can't sit through plays and musical theatre. I just want to run up onstage and mess up their hair and turn over the furniture.

It's not that I don't understand it. But people think if you speak with an English accent it somehow makes you smarter.

I've been married five times, and people think that's some bizarre thing, yet I've got buddies who refuse to get married and have sex with 15 people a week. I'm like, "Which is better?" At least I was trying.

People think the hard thing for an actor is crying and screaming, but that's easy. What's hard is a character who never tips his hand, who toes the line all the time. The hard stuff is never telling yourself, "Hey, I better do something here."

(2007) I am fairly embraced by the Hollywood community, and I love making movies and I love acting, but I'm not real crazy about the Hollywood system. So the fact that they embrace me is a shock to me because I tell them to kiss my ass all the time. I don't understand why they haven't thrown me out on my ear. The other thing is I don't participate much. I have very few friends within the movie community. I hang out with some guys I've known forever. They're all broke and eat me out of house and home. But I stay home mostly and I don't go to the parties. Maybe that preserves me.

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