Billy Bob Thornton
Acting · Directing · Writing · Crew
Born August 4, 1955, Hot Springs, Arkansas, USA
Billy Bob Thornton (born August 4, 1955) is an American actor, screenwriter, director and musician. Thornton gained early recognition as a cast member on the CBS sitcom Hearts Afire and in several early 1990s films including On Deadly Ground and Tombstone. In the mid-1990s, after writing, directing, and starring in the independent film Sling Blade, he won an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. He appeared in several major film roles following Sling Blade 's success, including 1998's Armageddon and A Simple Plan. During the late 1990s, Thornton began a career as a singer-songwriter. He has released three albums and was the singer of a blues rock band.
Filmography
- 2026Dernsie: The Amazing Life of Bruce Dern
- 2025If These Walls Could Rock
- 2025The Electric State — Voice (uncredited)
- Landman — Tommy Norris, Executive Producer
- 2023Devil's Peak — Charlie McNeely
- 2022Help Her Live — Thanks
- 2022The Gray Man — Fitzroy
- 2022Walk, Don't Run: The Story of The Ventures
- 1883 — Marshal Jim Courtright
- 2021Hollywood.Con — Boxmaster
- 2020The Ventures: Stars on Guitars
- 2019A Million Little Pieces — Leonard
- Harley Quinn — Billy Bob Thornton (voice)
- 2018London Fields — Samson Young
- 2016Bad Santa 2 — Willie Soke
- Goliath — Billy McBride, Director
- 2016IRON WILL: Veterans Battle with PTSD — Narrator
- 2016The First Boys of Spring
- 2016Whiskey Tango Foxtrot — General Hollanek
- 2015Entourage — Larsen McCredle
- 2015Into the Grizzly Maze — Douglass
- 2015Our Brand Is Crisis — Pat Candy
- 2014Cut Bank — Stan Steeley
- Fargo — Lorne Malvo, Narrator (voice)
- 2014The Judge — Dwight Dickham
- 2013Jayne Mansfield's Car — Skip Caldwell, Director, Screenplay
- 2013Parkland — Forrest Sorrels
- 2012The Baytown Outlaws — Carlos
- 2011Harry Dean Stanton: Crossing Mulholland
- 2011Nashville Rises — Narrator
- 2011Puss in Boots — Jack (voice)
- 2011The King of Luck — Director
- 2011The Smell of Success — Patrick
- 2010Faster — Cop
- 2010Small Town Saturday Night — Thanks
- 2008Eagle Eye — Thomas Morgan
- 2008The Informers — William Sloan
- 2007Mr. Woodcock — Jasper Woodcock
- 2007The Astronaut Farmer — Charles Farmer
- The Big Bang Theory — Oliver Lorvis
- 20062006 St. Louis Cardinals Baseball Heaven: A World Championship Season — Narrator
- 20062006 St. Louis Cardinals: The Official World Series Film — Narrator
- 2006NFL: Favre 4 Ever — Narrator (voice)
- 2006School for Scoundrels — Dr. P
- VH1 Rock Honors
- American Dad! — Billy Bob Thornton (voice)
- 2005Bad News Bears — Morris Buttermaker
- 2005The Ice Harvest — Vic
- 2004Chrystal — Joe
- 2004Friday Night Lights — Coach Gary Gaines
- 2004The Alamo — Davy Crockett
- 2004Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson — Other Voices (voice)
- 2003Bad Santa — Willie
- 2003Intolerable Cruelty — Howard D. Doyle
- 2003Levity — Manuel Jordan
- 2003Love Actually — The US President
- 2003Warren Zevon: Keep Me in Your Heart — Narrator
- 2002The Badge — Sheriff Darl
- 2002Waking Up in Reno — Lonnie Earl Dodd
- 2002Widespread Panic: Panic In the Streets — Director
- 2001Bandits — Terry Lee Collins
- 2001Camouflage — Story, Screenplay
- 2001Daddy and Them — Claude Montgomery, Director, Writer
- 2001Monster's Ball — Hank Grotowski
- 2001The Man Who Wasn't There — Ed Crane
- 2000All the Pretty Horses — Director, Producer
- 2000CatDog and the Great Parent Mystery — Hound Dog McDog / CatDog's Step-father (voice)
- 2000South of Heaven, West of Hell — Brig. Smalls
- 2000The Gift — Screenplay
- 2000The Last Real Cowboys — Tar, Story
- 1999Pushing Tin — Russell Bell
- 1998A Simple Plan — Jacob Mitchell
- 1998Armageddon — Dan Truman
- CatDog — CatDog's Father (voice)
- 1998Homegrown — Jack Marsden
- 1998Primary Colors — Richard Jemmons
- 1997A Gun, a Car, a Blonde — Syd / Monk
- King of the Hill — Boyce Hubert (voice)
- 1997The Apostle — Troublemaker
- 1997U Turn — Darrell
- 1996A Family Thing — Writer
- 1996Don't Look Back — Marshall, Writer, Story
- 1996Sling Blade — Karl Childers, Director, Screenplay, Theatre Play
- 1996The Winner — Jack
- 1995Dead Man — Big George Drakoulious
- 1995Out There — Jailbird
- 1995The Stars Fell on Henrietta — Roy
- 1994Floundering — Gun Clerk
- 1994On Deadly Ground — Homer Carlton
- 1994Some Folks Call It a Sling Blade — Karl Childers, Writer
- 1993Bound by Honor — Lightning
- 1993Grey Knight — Langston
- 1993Indecent Proposal — Day Tripper
- 1993Living and Working in Space: The Countdown Has Begun — Rowdy Udall
- 1993Tombstone — Johnny Tyler
- 1993Trouble Bound — Coldface
- Hearts Afire — Billy Bob Davis
- 1992One False Move — Ray Malcolm, Writer
- 1991For the Boys — Marine Sergeant, Korea
- 1991The Dark Backward — Patron at Sloppy's
- Evening Shade — Alvin
- The Outsiders — Buck Merrill
- 1989Chopper Chicks in Zombietown — Tommy
- 1989Going Overboard — Dave
- 1988South of Reno — Counterman
- 1986Hunter's Blood — Billy Bob
- Matlock — Pawnshop Clerk
- Knots Landing — Timberman
- This Week in Baseball
- Somedays
Appearances as themselves (53)
- 2026Primetime — Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
- 2024Standing on the Shoulders of Kitties — Self
- 2022Immediate Family — Self
- 2020Chuck Leavell: The Tree Man — Self
- 2020Picture Show: A Tribute Celebrating John Prine — Self
- The Kelly Clarkson Show — Self - Guest
- 2019Untouchable — Self (archive footage)
- 2019ZZ Top: That Little Ol' Band from Texas — Self
- 2018Temple of Art — Self
- 2016What Doesn’t Kill Me: The Life and Music of Vic Chesnutt — Self
- Close Up with The Hollywood Reporter — Self
- 2015Drunk Stoned Brilliant Dead — Self - Actor / Director
- The Late Show with Stephen Colbert — Self
- 2015Trailer Park Boys: Drunk, High and Unemployed — Self
- 201421 Years: Richard Linklater — Self - Actor
- Late Night with Seth Meyers — Self, Self - Guest
- The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon — Self - Guest
- Variety Studio: Actors on Actors — Self
- Norm Macdonald Live — Self
- 2013Sport in America: Our Defining Stories — Self
- 2012Basically Frightened: The Musical Madness of Colonel Bruce Hampton — Self
- 2011Dislecksia: The Movie — Self
- 2010Ain't in It for My Health: A Film About Levon Helm — Self
- 2009Levon Helm: Ramble At The Ryman — Self
- 2008Mr. Woodcock: Phys Ed Trauma Tales — Self
- 2008Pick Up the Pace: Making “Mr. Woodcock” — Self
- 2008VH1 Rock Honors: The Who — Self
- 2007Classic Albums: Frank Zappa - Apostrophe (') Over-Nite Sensation — Self
- 2005Mr. Thornton Goes to Hollywood — Self
- The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson — Self
- 2004Sam Peckinpah's West: Legacy of a Hollywood Renegade — Self
- Celebrities Uncensored — Self
- Jimmy Kimmel Live! — Self - Guest
- Real Time with Bill Maher — Self
- CMT Music Awards — Self - Presenter
- HypaSpace — Self
- 2002Making "The Man Who Wasn't There" — Self
- 2000Arista Records' 25th Anniversary Celebration — Self
- The Early Show — Self
- 1998An Alan Smithee Film: Burn, Hollywood, Burn — Self
- Classic Albums — Self
- The View — Self
- The Daily Show — Self
- Inside the Actors Studio — Self
- Late Night with Conan O'Brien — Self - Guest
- The Tonight Show with Jay Leno — Self
- LIVE with Kelly and Mark — Self - Guest
- 1988Roy Orbison and Friends: A Black and White Night — Self - Audience Member
- This Morning — Self - Guest
- Saturday Night Live — Self - Host
- The Oscars — Self
- Today — Self
- Golden Globe Awards — Self - Nominee