Billy Bob Thornton (born August 4, 1955) is an American
actor,
director,
musician,
playwright and
screenwriter. His rise to fame began in the mid-1990s, after writing, directing, and starring in the film
Sling Blade, for which he won an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay.
Early life
Thornton was born in
Hot Springs, Arkansas,
the son of Virginia Roberta (
née Faulkner), an alleged
psychic, and William Raymond (Billy Ray) Thornton (November 1929 - August 1974), a high-school history teacher and
basketball coach.
He is the oldest of three brothers, the others are Jimmy Don Thornton (April 1958 - October 1988)
[Social Security Death Index] and John David Thornton (born 1969). Thornton lived in both
Alpine, Arkansas and
Malvern, Arkansas during his childhood, and also spent time with his grandfather, Otis Thornton, a
forest ranger, in a small shack in the
woods. He was raised a
Methodist,
in an extended family in a shack that had neither electricity nor plumbing. Thornton graduated high school in 1973.
[Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture] A good high school
baseball player, he tried out for the
Kansas City Royals, but was let go after an injury.
After a short period laying
asphalt for the
Arkansas State Transportation Department, he attended
Henderson State University, in
Arkadelphia, Arkansas, to pursue studies in
psychology, but dropped out after two semesters.
