Billy Bob Thornton's Impressive Career In Pictures

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Billy Bob Thornton

Born in Arkansas on August 4, 1955, Billy Bob Thornton started his acting career in the mid-1980s after dropping out of college and moving to Los Angeles. His first film role was a small part in the film South of Reno, then in episode of Matlock, followed by Adam Sandler's debut film Going Overboard.

Thornton is now a recipient of Academy Awards, Emmy Awards, and Golden Globe Awards. Check out more on Billy Bob's well-received career performances!

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'Sling Blade'

Thornton not just starred in, but also wrote and directed the 1996 drama Sling Blade. The film takes place in Arkansas where Thornton plays a mentally disabled young man who just gets released from a psychiatric hospital after murdering his mother and her boyfriend. Sling Blade won two Academy Awards for Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Writing, and Thornton himself was nominated for Best Actor.

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'Primary Colors'

In 1998, Thornton starred alongside Kathy Bates and John Travolta in the political film, Primary Colors. Although the film was directed by the legendary Mike Nichols, it was considered a box office bomb! Nonetheless, Thornton received a Critics' Choice Award for Best Supporting Actor.

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'Armageddon'

The biggest hit of 1998 was the science fiction disaster film, Armageddon, which starred an A-list cast of: Bruce Willis, Ben Affleck, Owen Wilson, Liv Tyler, Michael Clarke Duncan and Steve Buscemi. The film garnered an impressive $553.7 million at the box office!

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'A Simple Plan'

Billy Bob Thornton starred alongside Bill Paxton in the crime drama A Simple Plan (1998). Thornton received both an Academy Award and Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor in a Supporting Role nomination, along with a Critics' Choice Awards win for the same category.

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'Monster's Ball'

At the turn of the century, Billy Bob Thornton continued his career successes. In 2001, he starred in the critically acclaimed Monster's Ball, opposite Halle Berry and Heath Ledger. Berry became the first African-American woman to win the Oscar for Best Actress for her performance, while Thornton was recognized as Best Actor from the National Board of Review.

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'Friday Night Lights'

If you're looking for something a little less dramatic and something more for the family, Friday Night Lights is the best movie for that! The 2004 sports drama includes Thornton as "Coach Gary Gaines", along with Magnum P.I'.s Jay Hernandez, Connie Britton and Tim McGraw. The film was also turned into a television series, which also gained a lot of positive attention!

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'Fargo'

Thornton also appeared in the Emmy-winning series, Fargo! While he only appeared in the first season of the series, Thornton's role received positive reviews, including receiving an Emmy nomination himself for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie. The drama anthology series takes place in the midwest of the U.S., and has won 51 of its 226 award nominations!

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'Bad Santa'

In an opposite role from his normal drama-based films, Thornton took on playing not just Santa, but a naughty Santa in the raunchy comedy Bad Santa. For one drunk scene of the movie, he admitted to EW magazine that he had drank A LOT to portray this scene accurately:

“I drank about three glasses of red wine for breakfast… Then I switched over to vodka and cranberry juice, and then I had a few Bud Lights. By the time I got to that scene there, I barely knew I was in a movie.”

His role was reprised for the 2016 sequel, Bad Santa 2.

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'Goliath'

Billy Bob's newest project is in the Amazon Prime series 'Goliath', where he plays a not-so-successful lawyer but seeks to redeem his name. The show was released in 2016 and released it's fourth and final season in 2020! In 2017, Thornton won the Golden Globe for Best Actor – Television Series Drama for his performance.

Billy Bob Thornton is one of the most recognized actors of our time. The multi-award-winning actor has a long list of films, shows, and even albums on his Hollywood resumé throughout his 40-year long career!

Movies With Billy Bob Thornton: His Career In Pictures

While Thornton notoriously made headlines in his 20-year age gap relationship with Angelina Jolie in the early 2000s, the actor tries to not let that overshadow his successful career. Thornton has actually been praised for both his acting and directorial skills since the '90s.

His first critically acclaimed film was in the 1992 movie One False Move, which he even co-wrote. This was then followed by the Oscar-winning film, Sling Blade.

Today, you can check out Billy Bob in the Amazon Prime series Goliath. In his private life, Thornton can be seen on the red carpet with his wife of six years, Connie Angland, whom they have a child together with.

Check out more on Billy Bob Thornton's career highlights!