Monster's Ball is a 2001 American romantic drama film directed by Marc Forster and written by Milo Addica and Will Rokos. The film stars Billy Bob Thornton as a racist prison-guard, Halle Berry as a woman whose husband is on death row, and Heath Ledger as Thornton's son. Berry won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance.

Plot[link]

Hank Grotowski (Billy Bob Thornton), a widower, and his son, Sonny (Heath Ledger), are corrections officers in the local prison. They reside in Louisiana with Hank's ailing father, Buck (Peter Boyle), an unwavering racist whose wife committed suicide. Hank's hateful attitude toward others, strongly influenced by his father, extends to his son, and members of the neighboring community.

As Hank and Sonny assist in the execution of convicted murderer Lawrence Musgrove (Sean Combs), the proceedings prove too intense for Sonny, who collapses and then begins to vomit as he is leading Lawrence to the electric chair. Hank beats up Sonny in the jail's bathroom afterwards. Some time later, Hank drags Sonny out of bed and tells him to get out of the house. Unable to cope with the estrangement, Sonny grabs a gun. The confrontation ends in their living room with Hank at gunpoint, lying on the carpet, and Sonny in Buck's customary chair. Sonny asks his father, "You hate me, don't you?" After his father calmly confirms that he does and always has, Sonny responds, "Well, I always loved you," and then shoots himself in the heart. Hank subsequently buries Sonny in the back garden, quits his job at the prison, burns his uniform in the backyard, and locks the door of Sonny's room up tightly. Buck calls him a quitter.

During the years of Lawrence's imprisonment, his wife, Leticia (Halle Berry), has been struggling while raising their son, Tyrell (Coronji Calhoun), who has inherited his father's artistic talent, but is also morbidly obese. Along with her domestic problems, Leticia struggles financially, leading to the loss of the family car and, worse, an eviction notice on her house. In desperate need of money, Leticia takes a job at a diner frequented by Hank. One rainy night, Leticia and Tyrell are walking down a soaked highway when Tyrell is struck by a car. Leticia is left helpless on the side of the road, grasping her son and calling out to passing motorists, all of whom drive past. Hank happens to be driving along and sees Leticia cradling her mortally injured son. He initially drives past, like the cars before him, but then turns around, picks Leticia and Tyrell up, and takes them to a hospital, but Tyrell dies upon arrival and Hank lends his shoulder for Leticia to cry on. At the suggestion of the authorities at the hospital, he drives her home. A few days later, Hank gives Leticia a ride home from the diner and after they begin talking in the car and discover the common loss of their sons, she invites him in and they drown their grief with alcohol. They begin a relationship initially based on sex and relief from loneliness but which later becomes emotionally supportive. Hank finds out that Leticia is Lawrence's widow, but he does not tell her that he participated in her husband's execution.

Leticia stops by Hank's home with a present for him. Hank is not home, but Buck is. Buck insults Leticia using raw racist language and implying that Hank is only involved with her because he wants to have sex with a black woman; she responds by rejecting Hank. This incident proves to be the last straw for Hank and he decides to send his father to a nursing home; it is implied that Hank will cut him out of his life as well. Leticia is evicted from her home for non-payment of rent and Hank invites her to move in with him. She agrees and later discovers Hank's involvement in her husband's death while he is gone but is there waiting for him when he returns from town with ice cream. The film ends with them eating ice cream together on the front porch.

Cast[link]

• Billy Bob Thornton as Hank Grotowski
• Halle Berry as Leticia Musgrove
• Heath Ledger as Sonny Grotowski
• Peter Boyle as Buck Grotowski
• Sean Combs as Lawrence Musgrove
• Mos Def as Ryrus Cooper
• Coronji Calhoun as Tyrell Musgrove
• Charles Cowan, Jr. as Willie Cooper

Development[link]

The film was produced by Lionsgate and Lee Daniels Entertainment. The title comes from a custom in medieval England of referring to prisoners awaiting execution as "monsters". The night before their execution, their jailers would hold a farewell feast known as a "monster's ball."

Louisiana State Penitentiary served as a filming location.

The prison scenes in Monster's Ball were filmed in Louisiana State Penitentiary in West Feliciana Parish, Louisiana.

Angela Bassett was originally scripted to play Leticia but later turned down the lead role because of the script's sexual content.

Reception[link]

The film received mostly positive reviews. Review website Rotten Tomatoes reported that 120 of the 141 reviews they tallied were positive. This resulted in a score of 85% and a certification of "Fresh".^[1]

Roger Ebert gave the film four stars and stated that, "The movie has the complexity of great fiction"^[2] listing it as the best film of 2001.

Reviewers also lauded the performance of Coronji Calhoun, who was chosen from an open casting call for the role of Tyrell Musgrove, the ill-fated son of Lawrence and Leticia. "Perhaps one of the most affecting performances of the year was given by a 10-year-old Louisiana fourth-grader who has never acted before or studied the craft," commented Variety reporter Christopher Grove.

Despite the critical acclaim, some activists urged a boycott because of extreme racist ideologies that portray African-American males as criminal or inept and black women as needing a white savior. This was highlighted by the fact that other actresses refused the role based on its plot and sexually explicit scenes.^{[citation needed]} Halle Berry's Oscar win, the first for a black actress in a leading role, angered many African Americans who thought she should have received the prestigious award instead for her performance in "Losing Isaiah". Film critic Esther Iverem of SeeingBlack.com wrote, "Ultimately, Monster's Ball uses the legacy of racism in an unconvincing manner to belittle its impact, and its historical and present-day consequences." ^[3]

Accolades[link]

• Academy Awards
  • Best Actress: Halle Berry (Winner)
  • Best Original Screenplay: Milo Addica & Will Rokos (Nominated)

• BAFTA Awards
  • Best Actress: Halle Berry (Nominated)

• Black Reel Awards
  • Best Actress: Halle Berry (Winner)

• Golden Globes
  • Best Actress in a Drama: Halle Berry (Nominated)

• MTV Movie Awards
  • Best Female Performance: Halle Berry (Nominated)

• National Board of Review
  • Best Actor: Billy Bob Thornton (Winner)
  • Best Actress: Halle Berry (Winner)

• Screen Actors Guild Awards
  • Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role: Halle Berry (Winner)

References[link]

External links[link]

Film portal

• Monster's Ball at the Internet Movie Database
• Monster's Ball at AllRovi
• Monster's Ball at Rotten Tomatoes
• Monster's Ball at Box Office Mojo

This article does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (December 2009)

"Can I Get a Witness" is a 1963 hit song by Marvin Gaye on the Tamla (Motown) label. Written and produced by Motown songwriting and producing team Holland–Dozier–Holland, the song was built among gospel-styled music and heralded Gaye's beginnings in the church with a rhythm and blues/rock and roll setting. The song featured Gaye on piano, playing a boogie pattern, The Funk Brothers, and members of The Supremes in the background accompanying Gaye. The song became a hit in both the U.S. and the United Kingdom, and British musicians Lulu, Dusty Springfield, The Rolling Stones, Sam Brown and Steampacket (which featured a very young Rod Stewart) recorded cover versions of the song. Gaye's version peaked at #22 on the Hot 100 chart and its title soon became a catchphrase. Lee Michaels' 1971 version reached #39 on the Hot 100; both his and Gaye's versions peaked during Christmas week.

In popular culture[link]

• Gaye's recording is featured in the 1999 biographical film The Hurricane.

Personnel[link]

• Lead vocals by Marvin Gaye
• Background vocals by The Supremes: Diana Ross, Florence Ballard, and Mary Wilson
• Instrumentation by The Funk Brothers

Halle Berry
Berry in February 2007
Born	Maria Halle Berry (1966-08-14) August 14, 1966 (age 45) Cleveland, Ohio, United States
Occupation	Actress, former model
Years active	1989–present
Spouse	David Justice (m. 1992–1997) «start: (1992)–end+1: (1998)»"Marriage: David Justice to Halle Berry" Location: (linkback:http://en-wiki.pop.wn.com/index.php/Halle_Berry) Eric Benét (m. 2001–2005) «start: (2001)–end+1: (2006)»"Marriage: Eric Benét to Halle Berry" Location: (linkback:http://en-wiki.pop.wn.com/index.php/Halle_Berry)
Partner	Gabriel Aubry (2005–10) Olivier Martinez (2010–present)
Children	Nahla Ariela Aubry

Halle Berry ( /ˈhæli ˈbɛri/; born August 14, 1966^[1]) is an American actress and a former fashion model. Berry received an Emmy, Golden Globe, SAG, and an NAACP Image Award for Introducing Dorothy Dandridge^[2] and won an Academy Award for Best Actress and was nominated for a BAFTA Award in 2001 for her performance in Monster's Ball, becoming the first and, as of 2012, only woman of African American descent to have won the award for Best Actress. She is one of the most highly paid actresses in Hollywood and also a Revlon spokesmodel.^[3][4] She has been involved in the production side of several of the films in which she performed.

Before becoming an actress, Berry entered several beauty contests, finishing as the 1st runner-up in the Miss USA Pageant (1986), and coming in 6th place in the Miss World Pageant in 1986.^[2] She made her film debut with a small role in 1991's Jungle Fever. This led to starring roles in The Flintstones (1994), Bulworth (1998), X-Men (2000) and its sequels, and as Bond Girl Jinx in Die Another Day (2002). She also won the Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actress in 2005 for Catwoman and accepted the award in person—one of the few performers to do so.^[5]

Early life[link]

Berry was born Maria Halle Berry, though her name was legally changed to Halle Maria Berry in 1971.^[6] Berry's parents selected her middle name from Halle's Department Store, which was then a local landmark in her birthplace of Cleveland, Ohio.^[7] Her mother, Judith Ann (née Hawkins),^[8] who is of European descent, was a psychiatric nurse. Her father, Jerome Jesse Berry, was an African American hospital attendant in the same psychiatric ward where her mother worked; he later became a bus driver.^[7][9] Berry's maternal grandmother, Nellie Dicken, was born in Sawley, Derbyshire, England, while her maternal grandfather, Earl Ellsworth Hawkins, was born in Ohio.^[10] Berry's parents divorced when she was four years old; she and her older sister Heidi^[11] were raised exclusively by her mother.^[7] Berry has said in published reports that she has been estranged from her father since her childhood,^[7][12] noting in 1992, "I haven't heard from him since [he left]. Maybe he's not alive."^[11]

Berry graduated from Bedford High School. She worked in the children's department at Higbee's Department store. She then studied at Cuyahoga Community College. In the 1980s, she entered several beauty contests, winning Miss Teen All-American in 1985 and Miss Ohio USA in 1986.^[2] She was the 1986 Miss USA first runner-up to Christy Fichtner of Texas. In the Miss USA 1986 pageant interview competition, she said she hoped to become an entertainer or to have something to do with the media. Her interview was awarded the highest score by the judges.^[13] She was the first African-American Miss World entrant in 1986, where she finished sixth and Trinidad and Tobago's Giselle Laronde was crowned Miss World.^[14]

Acting career[link]

1989–2002[link]

In the late 1980s, Berry went to Chicago to pursue a modeling career as well as acting.^[15] One of her first acting projects was a television series for local cable by Gordon Lake Productions called Chicago Force. In 1989, Berry moved to New York City to further pursue her acting ambitions. During her early time there she ran out of money and had to live briefly in a homeless shelter.^[15][16][17] Later in 1989, her situation improved and she was cast in the role of model Emily Franklin in the short-lived ABC television series Living Dolls, which was shot in New York and was a spin-off of the hit series Who's the Boss?.^[15] During the taping of which she lapsed into a coma and was diagnosed with diabetes.^[18][19] After the cancellation of Living Dolls, she moved to Los Angeles.^[15] She went on to have a recurring role on the long-running primetime serial Knots Landing. In 1992, Berry was cast as the love interest in the video for R. Kelly's seminal single, Honey Love.^[20][21]

Berry visiting with sailors and Marines during the opening day of Fleet Week New York 2006

Her breakthrough feature film role was in Spike Lee's Jungle Fever, in which she played a drug addict named Vivian.^[7] Her first co-starring role was in the 1991 film Strictly Business. In 1992, Berry portrayed a career woman who falls for Eddie Murphy in the romantic comedy Boomerang. That same year, she caught the public's attention as a headstrong biracial slave in the TV adaptation of Queen: The Story of an American Family, based on the book by Alex Haley. Berry was in the live-action Flintstones movie playing the part of "Sharon Stone", a sultry secretary who seduced Fred Flintstone.^[22]

Berry tackled a more serious role, playing a former drug addict struggling to regain custody of her son in Losing Isaiah (1995), starring opposite Jessica Lange. She portrayed Sandra Beecher in Race the Sun (1996), which was based on a true story, shot in Australia, and co-starred alongside Kurt Russell in Executive Decision. Beginning in 1996, she was a Revlon spokeswoman for seven years and renewed her contract in 2004.^[4][23]

In 1997, Halle starred alongside Natalie Deselle Reid in the comedy film, B*A*P*S. Although panned by critics, it showed Halle's acting versatility.In 1998, Berry received praise for her role in Bulworth as an intelligent woman raised by activists who gives a politician (Warren Beatty) a new lease on life. The same year, she played the singer Zola Taylor, one of the three wives of pop singer Frankie Lymon, in the biopic Why Do Fools Fall in Love. In the 1999 HBO biopic Introducing Dorothy Dandridge, she portrayed the first black woman to be nominated for a Best Actress Academy Award, and it was to Berry a heart-felt project that she introduced, co-produced and fought intensely for it to come through.^[7] Berry's performance was recognized with several awards, including an Emmy and a Golden Globe.^[2][24]

Berry portrayed the mutant superhero Storm in the film adaptation of the comic book series X-Men (2000) and its sequels, X2: X-Men United (2003) and X-Men: The Last Stand (2006). In 2001, Berry appeared in the film Swordfish, which featured her first nude scene.^[25] At first, she refused to be filmed topless in a sunbathing scene, but she changed her mind when Warner Brothers raised her fee substantially.^[26] The brief flash of her breasts added $500,000 to her fee.^[27] Berry considered these stories to be rumors and was quick to deny them.^[25][28] After turning down numerous roles that required nudity, she said she decided to make Swordfish because her husband, Benét, supported her and encouraged her to take risks.^[29]

In 2001, Berry appeared as Leticia Musgrove, the wife of an executed murderer, in the film Monster's Ball. Her performance was awarded the National Board of Review and the Screen Actors Guild best-actress prizes; in an interesting coincidence she became the first African-American to win the Academy Award for Best Actress (earlier in her career she portrayed Dorothy Dandridge, the first African-American to be nominated for Best Actress, and who was born at the same hospital as Berry, in Cleveland, Ohio).^[30] The NAACP issued the statement: "Congratulations to Halle Berry and Denzel Washington for giving us hope and making us proud. If this is a sign that Hollywood is finally ready to give opportunity and judge performance based on skill and not on skin color then it is a good thing."^[31] Her role also generated controversy. Berry's graphic nude love scene with a racist character played by co-star Billy Bob Thornton was the subject of much media chatter and discussion among African-Americans. Many in the African-American community were critical of Berry for taking the part.^[29] Berry responded: "I don't really see a reason to ever go that far again. That was a unique movie. That scene was special and pivotal and needed to be there, and it would be a really special script that would require something like that again."^[29]

Berry signs autographs for US soldiers in Bosnia-Herzegovina, December 24, 1996

Berry asked for a higher fee for Revlon advertisements after winning the Academy Award, and Ron Perelman, the cosmetics firm's chief, congratulated her, saying how happy he was that she modeled for his company. She replied, "Of course, you'll have to pay me more." Perelman stalked off in a rage.^[32] Her win at the Academy Awards led to two famous "Oscar moments." In accepting her award, she gave an acceptance speech honoring previous black actresses who had never had the opportunity. She said, "This moment is so much bigger than me. This is for every nameless, faceless woman of colour who now has a chance tonight because this door has been opened."^[33] One year later, as she presented the Best Actor award, winner Adrien Brody ran on stage and, instead of giving her the standard peck on the cheek, planted a long kiss on Berry.

2002–present[link]

Berry in Hamburg in 2004

As Bond girl Giacinta 'Jinx' Johnson in the 2002 blockbuster Die Another Day, Berry recreated a scene from Dr. No, emerging from the surf to be greeted by James Bond as Ursula Andress had 40 years earlier.^[34] Lindy Hemming, costume designer on Die Another Day, had insisted that Berry wear a bikini and knife as an homage.^[35] Berry has said of the scene: "It's splashy", "exciting", "sexy", "provocative" and "it will keep me still out there after winning an Oscar."^[29] The bikini scene was shot in Cadiz; the location was reportedly cold and windy, and footage has been released of Berry wrapped in thick towels in between takes to avoid catching a chill.^[36] According to a ITV news poll, Jinx was voted the fourth toughest girl on screen of all time.^[37] Berry was hurt during filming when debris from a smoke grenade flew into her eye. It was removed in a 30-minute operation.^[38]

After Berry won the Academy Award, rewrites were commissioned to give her more screentime for X2.^[39]

In November 2003, she starred in the psychological thriller Gothika opposite Robert Downey Jr., during which she broke her arm in a scene with Downey, who twisted her arm too hard. Production was halted for eight weeks.^[40] It was a moderate hit at the United States box office, taking in $60 million; it earned another $80 million abroad.^[41] Berry appeared in the Limp Bizkit music video for Behind Blue Eyes for the motion picture soundtrack for the film. The same year, she was named #1 in FHM's 100 Sexiest Women in the World poll.^[42]

Berry received $12.5 million for the title role in the film Catwoman,^[41] a $100 million movie; it grossed $17 million on its first weekend.^[43] She was awarded a "worst actress" Razzie award in 2005 for this role. She appeared at the ceremony to accept the award in person (making her the third person, and second actor, to ever do so)^[44] with a sense of humor, considering it an experience of the "rock bottom" in order to be "at the top".^[5] Holding the Academy Award in one hand and the Razzie in the other she said, "I never in my life thought that I would be here, winning a Razzie. It's not like I ever aspired to be here, but thank you. When I was a kid, my mother told me that if you could not be a good loser, then there's no way you could be a good winner."^[30] The Fund for Animals praised Berry's compassion towards cats and for squelching rumors that she was keeping a Bengal tiger from the sets of Catwoman as a "pet."^[45]

Berry next appeared in the Oprah Winfrey-produced ABC TV movie Their Eyes Were Watching God (2005), an adaptation of Zora Neale Hurston's novel, in which Berry portrayed Janie Crawford, a free-spirited woman whose unconventional sexual mores upset her 1920s contemporaries in a small community. She was nominated for an Emmy for this TV film. Meanwhile, she voiced the character of Cappy, one of the many mechanical beings in the animated feature Robots (2005).^[46]

Berry on the red carpet of Robots

In 2006, Berry, Pierce Brosnan, Cindy Crawford, Jane Seymour, Dick Van Dyke, Tea Leoni, and Daryl Hannah successfully fought the Cabrillo Port Liquefied Natural Gas facility that was proposed off the coast of Malibu.^[47] Berry said, "I care about the air we breathe, I care about the marine life and the ecosystem of the ocean."^[48] In May 2007, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed the facility.^[49] Hasty Pudding Theatricals gave her its 2006 Woman of The Year award.^[50]

Berry is involved in production of films and television. She served as executive producer on Introducing Dorothy Dandridge in 1999, and Lackawanna Blues in 2005. Berry both produced and starred in the thriller Perfect Stranger with Bruce Willis and in Things We Lost in the Fire with Benicio del Toro, the first film in which she worked with a female director, Danish Susanne Bier, a new feeling of "thinking the same way", which she appreciated.^[51] Berry then starred in the film Frankie and Alice, in which she plays Frankie Murdoch, a young multiracial American women with dissociative identity disorder struggling against her alter personality to retain her true self. She was awarded the African-American Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress and also was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama.

Berry is one of the highest-paid actresses in Hollywood, earning $10 million per film.^[3] In July 2007, she topped In Touch magazine's list of the world's most fabulous 40-something celebrities. On April 3, 2007, she was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in front of the Kodak Theatre at 6801 Hollywood Boulevard for her contributions to the film industry.^[52][53] As of 2011, Berry's worldwide box office gross has been more than 2.7 billion US$. In 2011, she appeared in New Year's Eve, and is playing one of the leads in the film Cloud Atlas, which is expected to be released in October 2012.^[54] Berry has served for many years as the face of Revlon cosmetics and also as the face of Versace. The Coty Inc. fragrance company signed Berry to market her debut fragrance in March 2008. Berry was delighted, saying that she had created her own fragrances at home by mixing scents.^[55]

Berry at the 2003 Comic-Con International in San Diego, CA

Personal life[link]

Berry at the 83rd Academy Awards, February 27, 2011

Berry has been married twice. Her first marriage was to former baseball player David Justice, from 1993^[56] to 1996. Their divorce was finalized in 1997.^[57] Berry has stated publicly that she was so depressed after her breakup with Justice that she considered taking her own life,^[58] but she could not bear the thought of her mother finding her body.^[59]

Berry was married to Eric Benét from early 2001 to 2005.^[29][60] Berry credited Benét with support after she was involved in a February 2000 traffic collision, in which she left the scene of the accident. Some in the media complained that her misdemeanor hit and run charge was preferential treatment;^[61][62] she had also been the driver in an alleged hit and run incident three years earlier in which no charges were filed.^[63] The incident became fodder for comedians. Berry pleaded no contest, did community service, paid a fine and was placed on three years' probation.^[64] A civil lawsuit was settled out of court.^[65][66] While married to Benét, Berry adopted his daughter, India.^[60] The divorce was finalized in January 2005.^[67]

In November 2005, Berry began dating French-Canadian model Gabriel Aubry. The couple met at a Versace photoshoot.^[68] Berry gave birth to a girl named Nahla Ariela Aubry on March 16, 2008, at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.^[69] Nahla means "honeybee" in Arabic; Ariela is Hebrew for "lion for God".^[70] On April 30, 2010, Berry and Aubry announced their separation.^[71] Aubry filed documents with the Los Angeles Superior Court on December 30, 2010, asking the court to formally recognize his paternity and grant a court order giving him and Berry joint legal and physical custody over their daughter.^[72][73]

Berry has been dating actor Olivier Martinez since 2010.^[74] Martinez confirmed their engagement in March 2012.^[75]

In the media[link]

Berry took part in a nearly 2000-house party cell-phone bank campaign for Barack Obama in February 2008.^[76]

In October 2008, Berry was named Esquire magazine's "Sexiest Woman Alive", about which she stated "I don't know exactly what it means, but being 42 and having just had a baby, I think I'll take it.^[77][78] Men's Health ranked her at No. 35 on their "100 Hottest Women of All-Time" list.^[79]

In 2009, she was voted #23 on Empire's 100 Sexiest Film Stars.^[80]

Also in 2009, the 'rapper' Hurricane Chris released a song entitled "Halle Berry (She's Fine)," extolling Berry's sex appeal.

Filmography[link]

Awards[link]

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• Banting, Erinn. Halle Berry, Weigl Publishers, 2005 – ISBN 1-59036-333-7
• Gogerly, Liz. Halle Berry, Raintree, 2005 – ISBN 1-4109-1085-7
• Naden, Corinne J. Halle Berry, Sagebrush Education Resources, 2001 – ISBN 0-613-86157-4
• O'Brien, Daniel. Halle Berry, Reynolds & Hearn, 2003 – ISBN 1-903111-38-2
• Sanello, Frank. Halle Berry: A Stormy Life, Virgin Books, 2003 – ISBN 1-85227-092-6
• Schuman, Michael A. Halle Berry: Beauty Is Not Just Physical, Enslow, 2006 – ISBN 0-7660-2467-9

External links[link]

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Halle Berry

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Halle Berry

• Halle Berry at the Internet Movie Database
• Halle Berry at AllRovi
• Works by or about Halle Berry in libraries (WorldCat catalog)

Look up Regis Kelly in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Regis Kelly may refer to:

• Regis B. Kelly, director of the California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences (QB3)
• Regis "Pep" Kelly, ice hockey player

See also[link]

• Live with Kelly, the American talk show (formerly known as "Live with Regis and Kelly")

This disambiguation page lists articles about people with the same name. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

Billy Bob Thornton
Thornton in February 2012
Born	(1955-08-04) August 4, 1955 (age 56) Hot Springs, Arkansas, U.S.
Occupation	Actor, screenwriter, director, musician
Years active	1986–present
Spouse	Melissa Lee Gatlin (1978–1980; 1 child) Toni Lawrence (1986–1988) Cynda Williams (1990–1992) Pietra Dawn Cherniak (1993–1997; 2 children) Angelina Jolie (2000–2003)
Partner	Connie Angland (2003–present; 1 child)

Billy Bob Thornton^[1][2][3] (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 in a blues rock band.