Short Biography

Woodrow Tracy "Woody" Harrelson (born July 23, 1961) is an American actor. Harrelson`s breakthrough role came in the television sitcom Cheers as bartender Woody Boyd. Notable film characters include basketball hustler Billy Hoyle in White Men Can`t Jump, bowler Roy Munson in Kingpin, serial killer Mickey Knox in Natural Born Killers, magazine publisher Larry Flynt in The People vs. Larry Flynt, country singer Dusty in A Prairie Home Companion and bounty hunter Carson Wells in No Country for Old Men.

Harrelson is widely known for his work on the NBC sitcom Cheers. He played bartender Woody Boyd, who replaced Coach (played by Nicholas Colasanto, who died in the third season). He joined the cast in season four and lasted eight seasons on the show. For this role, Harrelson has been nominated for five Emmy Awards, winning only one in 1989. His character of Boyd was said to be from Hanover, Indiana, the town where Harrelson attended college. In 1999, Harrelson guest-starred in the Cheers spin-off success Frasier, in which he reprised the role of Woody Boyd. Harrelson was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for this performance. He appeared in several 2001 episodes of Will and Grace as Grace`s new boyfriend. In 1993 he had a starring role opposite Robert Redford and Demi Moore in the drama Indecent Proposal. After that film`s success, Harrelson played Mickey Knox in Oliver Stone`s Natural Born Killers and Dr. Michael Raynolds in the Michael Cimino film The Sunchaser. In 1996, he starred in the comedy Kingpin. Harrelson`s career took off when he starred in the Milos Forman film The People vs. Larry Flynt, in which he played Larry Flynt, a pornographic publisher and founder of Hustler magazine. The film was a success and Harrelson`s performance as Larry Flynt was nominated for a Golden Globe Award and an Academy Award for Best Actor. The Oscar went to Geoffrey Rush for his performance in Shine. After that, Harrelson was cast more serious film roles. He starred in the 1997 war film Welcome to Sarajevo and also in 1997 had a featured role as Sergeant Schumann in Wag the Dog. In 1998, Harrelson starred in the thriller Palmetto and played Sergeant Keck in The Thin Red Line, a war film nominated for seven Academy Awards in 1999.

In 1985, Harrelson married Nancy Simon, daughter of playwright Neil Simon, in Tijuana. The two intended to divorce the following day, but the storefront marriage/divorce parlor was closed when they had returned to it, and the two remained married for ten months.[2]

On December 28, 2008, Harrelson married Laura Louie, his girlfriend since 1990. The couple have three daughters, Deni Montana (born February 28, 1993), Zoe Giordano (born September 22, 1996), and Makani Ravello (born June 3, 2006). When announcing Makani`s birth, the couple referred to the three as their "goddess trilogy". Laura is his former assistant and a co-founder of Yoganics, an organic food delivery service.

Miscellaneous Information

Friends and Family

Owen Wilson [Friend]

Bill Maher [Friend]

Laura Louie (wife)

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