Academy Award-nominated and Emmy Award-winning actor Woodrow Tracy Harrelson was born on July 23, 1961 in Midland, Texas, to Diane Lou (Oswald) and Charles Harrelson. He grew up in Lebanon, Ohio, where his mother was from. After receiving degrees in theater arts and English from Hanover College in southern Indiana, he had a brief stint in New York theater. He was soon cast as Woody on TV series Cheers (1982), which wound up being one of the most-popular TV shows ever and also earned Harrelson an Emmy for his performance in 1989.

While he dabbled in film during his time on Cheers (1982), that area of his career didn't fully take off until towards the end of the show's run. In 1991, Doc Hollywood (1991) gave him his first widely-seen movie role, and he followed that up with White Men Can't Jump (1992), Indecent Proposal (1993) and Natural Born Killers (1994). More recently, Harrelson was seen in No Country for Old Men (2007), Zombieland (2009), 2012 (2009), and Friends with Benefits (2011), along with the acclaimed HBO movie Game Change (2012).

In 2011, Harrelson snagged the coveted role of fan-favorite drunk Haymitch Abernathy in the big-screen adaptation of The Hunger Games (2012), which ended up being one of the highest-grossing movies ever at the domestic box office. Harrelson is set to reprise that role for the sequels, which are scheduled for release in November 2013, 2014 and 2015. Harrelson has received two Academy Award nominations, first for his role as controversial Hustler founder Larry Flynt in The People vs. Larry Flynt (1996) and then for a role in The Messenger (2009). He also received Golden Globe nominations for both of these parts. In 2016, he had a stand-out role as a wise teacher in the teen drama The Edge of Seventeen (2016).

Harrelson was briefly married to Nancy Simon in the 80s, and later married his former assistant, Laura Louie, with whom he has three daughters.

Woody Harrelson at an event for Seven Pounds (2008)

Upgrade membership to get access to client roster details.

Upgrade to see how you're connected to other professionals through your credits.

Upgrade membership to unlock contact and representation information.

Upgrade membership to unlock box office data.

Upgrade membership to add and manage your images.

Select your profession and Known For titles

Access full contact and representation details

Find the right people with Discover advanced search

View contact info and get hired with IMDbPro

Add your primary image and get discovered

Find contact info for agents and management

View connections to industry professionals

See who's working on in-development titles

Upgrade your membership to view client lists.

Upgrade membership to access historical STARmeter charts for yourself and other professionals.

Get insights on who this person is frequently credited with.

Upgrade membership to add and manage demo reels.

Woody Harrelson and Robert Redford in Indecent Proposal (1993)

Demi Moore, Woody Harrelson, and Billy Bob Thornton in Indecent Proposal (1993)

Woody Harrelson and Billy Bob Thornton in Indecent Proposal (1993)

Morgan Freeman and Woody Harrelson in Now You See Me: Now You Don't (2025)

Woody Harrelson and Finn Cole in Last Breath (2025)

Woody Harrelson, Mark Bonnar, Simu Liu, and Finn Cole in Last Breath (2025)

Woody Harrelson, Riz Khan, Mark Bonnar, Brett Murray, Aldo Silvio, Claudiu Baciu, Simu Liu, Finn Cole, Kevin Naudi, and Nick Biadon in Last Breath (2025)

Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson in True Detective (2014)

Woody Harrelson in The People vs. Larry Flynt (1996)

Woody Harrelson and Juliette Lewis in Natural Born Killers (1994)

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Woody Harrelson, Frances McDormand, and Sam Rockwell in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017)

Everything We Know About 'Venom: Let There Be Carnage'

Will a Venom & Spider-Man Crossover Cause Maximum Carnage?

Woody Harrelson(I)

Woody Harrelson(I)

Known for

Credits summary

Photos1092

Videos229

STARmeter

Contacts