[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/woody_harrelson_8.jpg]]

->''"When I was younger, I wanted to be a cop. Then I watched 'Series/TheWildWildWest', and so I wanted to be in the Secret Service like James West. At some point I realized, 'That guy is not in the Secret Service. He's an actor.' That sounds like a good idea too."''

Woodrow Tracy "Woody" Harrelson (born July 23, 1961 in Midland, Texas) is an American actor, activist from Texas, and "[[Film/ThisIsTheEnd inbred hempseed]]". His StarMakingRole came in the television sitcom ''Series/{{Cheers}}'' as bartender [[TheDanza Woody Boyd]].

Some notable film characters include basketball hustler Billy Hoyle in ''Film/WhiteMenCantJump'', a crippled bowler in ''Film/{{Kingpin}}'', serial killer Mickey Knox in ''Film/NaturalBornKillers'', magazine publisher Larry Flynt in ''Film/ThePeopleVsLarryFlynt'', country singer Dusty in ''Film/APrairieHomeCompanion'', bounty hunter Carson Wells in ''Film/NoCountryForOldMen'', zombie killer Tallahassee in ''Film/{{Zombieland}}'', blind piano player/meat salesman Ezra Turner in ''Film/SevenPounds'', conspiracy nut Charlie Frost in ''Film/TwoThousandTwelve'', a mentally-challenged superhero [[ProtagonistTitle named Defendor]] in ''Film/{{Defendor}}'', Cpt. Tony Stone in ''Film/TheMessenger2009'', Haymitch Abernathy in ''Film/TheHungerGames'', and Merritt [=McKinney=] in ''Film/NowYouSeeMe''.

For ''The People vs. Larry Flynt'' and ''The Messenger'', Harrelson earned UsefulNotes/AcademyAward nominations for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor, respectively.

In 2014, he starred in the {{Creator/HBO}} crime drama ''Series/TrueDetective'' with Creator/MatthewMcConaughey.

His younger brother, Brett Harrelson, is an actor in his own right.
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!He appeared in
* ''Series/{{Cheers}}'' (1985-1993)
* ''[[Film/Wildcats1986 Wildcats]]'' (1986)
* ''Film/LAStory'' (1991)
* ''Film/DocHollywood'' (1991)
* ''Film/WhiteMenCantJump'' (1992)
* ''Film/IndecentProposal'' (1993)
* ''Film/NaturalBornKillers'' (1994)
* ''Film/MoneyTrain'' (1995)
* ''Film/ThePeopleVsLarryFlynt'' (1996)
* ''Film/{{Kingpin}}'' (1996)
* ''Film/WagTheDog'' (1997)
* ''Film/WelcomeToSarajevo'' (1997)
* ''Film/TheThinRedLine'' (1998)
* ''Series/{{Frasier}}'' (1999)
* ''Film/AustinPowersTheSpyWhoShaggedMe'' (1999)
* ''Film/{{Scorched}}'' (2003)
* ''Film/AngerManagement'' (2003)
* ''Film/AfterTheSunset'' (2004)
* ''Film/NorthCountry'' (2005)
* ''Film/APrairieHomeCompanion'' (2006)
* ''Literature/AScannerDarkly'' (2006)
* ''WesternAnimation/FreeJimmy'' (2006)
* ''Film/NoCountryForOldMen'' (2007)
* ''Film/BattleInSeattle'' (2007)
* ''Film/SemiPro'' (2008)
* ''Film/{{Transsiberian}}'' (2008)
* ''Film/SevenPounds'' (2008)
* ''[[Film/TheMessenger2009 The Messenger]]'' (2009)
* ''Film/{{Defendor}}'' (2009)
* ''Film/{{Zombieland}}'' (2009)
** ''Film/ZombielandDoubleTap'' (2019)
* ''Film/TwoThousandTwelve'' (2009)
* ''Film/{{Bunraku}}'' (2010)
* ''Film/FriendsWithBenefits'' (2011)
* ''Film/GameChange'' (2012)
* ''Film/TheHungerGames'' (2012)
* ''Film/SevenPsychopaths'' (2012)
* ''Film/NowYouSeeMe'' (2013)
* ''Film/TheHungerGamesCatchingFire'' (2013)
* ''Film/OutOfTheFurnace'' (2013)
* ''WesternAnimation/FreeBirds'' (2013) (voice)
* ''Series/TrueDetective'' (2014)
* ''Film/TheHungerGamesMockingjay'' (2014, 2015)
* ''ComicBook/{{Wilson}}'' (2017)
* ''Film/WarForThePlanetOfTheApes'' (2017)
* ''Film/ThreeBillboardsOutsideEbbingMissouri'' (2017)
* ''Film/{{LBJ}}'' (2017)
* ''[[Film/{{Solo}} Solo: A Star Wars Story]]'' (2018)
* Film/SonysSpiderManUniverse as [[Characters/MarvelComicsCletusKasady Cletus Kasady]] / [[Characters/MarvelComicsCarnage Carnage]]
** ''Film/{{Venom|2018}}'' (2018)
** ''Film/VenomLetThereBeCarnage'' (2021)
* ''Film/TheHighwaymen'' (2019)
* ''Film/{{Midway|2019}}'' (2019)
* ''Film/{{Kate}}'' (2021)
* ''Series/CurbYourEnthusiasm'' (2021)
* ''WesternAnimation/TheFreakBrothers'' (2021)
* ''Film/TriangleOfSadness'' (2022)
* ''Film/{{Champions|2023}}'' (2023)
* ''Series/WhiteHousePlumbers'' (2023)
* ''Film/{{Fly Me to the Moon|2024}}'' (2024)
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!Tropes

* BaldOfEvil: He's bald and plays a lot of untrustworthy or villainous characters.
* ChronicallyKilledActor: Starting with ''Film/WagTheDog'', [[https://cinemorgue.fandom.com/wiki/Woody_Harrelson he's had a dozen deaths by gunshot (plus two by explosion, one by heart attack, and one by devoured head)]].
* DeepSouth: Harrelson's a born-and-bred Texan, and his characters run the gamut of Southern stereotypes; from well-meaning bumpkin [[Series/{{Cheers}} Woody Boyd]] to AxCrazy JerkWithAHeartOfGold [[Film/{{Zombieland}} Tallahassee]] to psychotic {{serial killer}}s [[Film/NaturalBornKillers Mickey Knox]] and [[Film/Venom2018 Cletus Kasady]].
* GranolaGuy: He's a well-known vegan and animal rights activist as well as an environmentalist and a supporter of drug reform.
* NotEvenBotheringWithTheAccent: Tends to keep his natural Texas accent, no matter the role and even when playing real-life non-Texans.
* TheStoner: The man enjoys his weed.
* ThoseTwoActors: Being in the industry [[TheSeventies for so long]], he co-starred with many actors and actresses more than once.
** He seems to like to work with Creator/MatthewMcConaughey; it helps that they both look alike, as they played brothers quite convincingly in ''Film/EdTV''.
** He's been in three films with fellow Texan Creator/TommyLeeJones.
* TypeCasting: Since his CareerResurrection, has notably played quite a few grizzled mentor figures.
* TheUnintelligible: Not really, but Woody has a tendency to mumble his lines, which has led to people thinking of him as this.
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