Billy Bob Thornton is an American actor, filmmaker, singer, songwriter, and musician.
Thornton had his first break when he co-wrote and starred in the 1992 thriller One False Move, and received international attention after writing, directing, and starring in the independent drama film Sling Blade, for which he won an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor. He appeared in several major film roles in the 1990s following Sling Blade, including Oliver Stone's neo-noir U Turn, political drama Primary Colors, science fiction disaster film Armageddon, the highest-grossing film of that year, and the crime drama A Simple Plan, which earned him his third Oscar nomination.
In the 2000s, Thornton achieved further success in starring dramas Monster's Ball, The Man Who Wasn't There, and Friday Night Lights; comedies Bandits, Intolerable Cruelty, and Bad Santa; and action films Eagle Eye and Faster.