James Woods: filmography and personal life of the actor (photo)

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Today the hero of our story will be a famous film and television actor from the United States - James Woods. Most viewers around the world are familiar with his roles in such films as Once Upon a Time in America, Salvador, Cop, Chaplin, Break Through, The Specialist and many others.

James Woods: photo, biography

The future Hollywood celebrity was born on April 18, 1947 in the American town of Vernal, located in Utah. The head of the family was a professional soldier. Largely due to this, the boy was brought up in strictness, which resulted in not only excellent grades at school, but also complexes, childhood fears and self-doubt. Woods' desire to achieve success, first in science, and then in the acting field, is largely due to the desire to overcome his own, as it seemed to him, inferiority and demonstrate to the people around him his superiority over them.

So, after graduating from school in 1965 with an honors student, young James entered the Massachusetts Institute of Technology on the facultypolitical science. However, four years later, Woods dropped out and moved to New York to try his hand at acting. First, he honed his skills in various not very famous theaters, and then, thanks to his talent, he got into the main Broadway troupe.

Movie debut

The young actor first appeared on the big screen in 1972. His film debut was immediately two films directed by E. Kazan - "Guests" and "Hickey and God". The excellent work of young Woods was quickly noticed, and the very next year he took part in the filming of the series "Police Officer" (1973-1978), as well as the films "Meeting of Two Hearts" and "Police Story". Since 1974, the actor began to work in the popular project "Detective Rockford's File".

James Woods, whose filmography was constantly updated with new pictures, was gaining popularity. Thus, the audience annually had the opportunity to see their new idol both on large screens and on TV. So, in 1975, such films as "Welcome Back, Kotter", "Night Moves" and "Distance" were released. The following year, Woods starred in the films Alex and the Gypsy and The Family. This was followed by the participation of James in the film "Raid on Entebbe" (1977). Despite the fact that the actor got mostly minor roles, he invariably attracted the attention of the audience with his great game.

As for his work on television, in the 70s, James was remembered by the public thanks to his work in the mini-series "Holocaust" in 1978. The following year, Woods again appeared on the big screen, playingcruel psychopath - the killer of policemen in the film "The Onion Field". His partners on the set in this project were actors such as John Savage, Priscilla Pointer and Franklin Seals.

1980s

James Woods, whose films invariably attracted the attention of the viewer, despite the fact that for the most part the actor played minor roles, regularly continued to appear on the screen. The real success to the hero of our story came in the 80s. So, in 1981, he starred in two films - "Black Ball" and "Witness". The first tape did not receive great success at the box office, but the second project turned out to be a real masterpiece. In 1985, the thriller Witness was nominated for the prestigious Oscar in the Best Picture category. In addition, this picture was included in the list of the most passionate American films of the century according to AFI.

James' next big success was the role of a calculating gangster in the 1984 cult film Once Upon a Time in America directed by Serge Leone. Woods's company on the cast included such stars as Elizabeth McGovern and Robert De Niro. The picture was nominated for 16 nominations, of which it won 11. In the same year, another film with James appeared at the box office called “Despite Everything”, an adaptation of the novel by Jeffrey Homes.

Continuing career

In 1985, actor James Woods starred in two films at once: "Joshua Then and Now" and in the film adaptation of Stephen King's "Cat's Eye". The next onehis real successful work was the main role in the film directed by Oliver Stone "El Salvador", which tells about the fate of an American journalist who was captured and eventually changed his outlook on things. In the same 1986, Woods won the prestigious Emmy Award for his role in the film The Promise.

James was literally at the pinnacle of success. So, in 1987, he played another outstanding role - in John Flynn's thriller "Bestseller". His partners on the set in this project were Victoria Tennan and Brian Dennehy. This was followed by the participation of the actor in such films as "Cop" (1988), "Shattered Image" (1988), "Kinship Ties" (1989), "Believing in the Truth" (1989) and "My name is Bill B" (1989). Thanks to his latest work, James Woods won an Emmy Award.

1990s

James Woods, whose filmography already included a number of outstanding works, appreciated by both the audience and film critics, continued his successful career. In 1990, a picture with his participation “Women and Men - Stories of Seduction” was released. In this project, Woods worked in the company of Melanie Griffith, Beau Bridges, Ray Liotta and Dominic Hawksley.

The following year, a comedy thriller called "Ahead" was released. This film was well received by the audience. This was followed by the participation of the actor in the film "Boys" in 1991. However, this picture went unnoticed.

Very fruitful for Woods was 1992. He took part in the work on the painting "Chaplin". The main role in this project was played by the inimitable Robert Downey Jr. This was followed by such films with the participation of James, such as "Fair Talk", "Fight in Diggstown". Another big success for Woods was his role in the 1994 film The Specialist. Also, the actor often appeared on TV screens. So, in 1993-1995, he starred in the TV series Fallen Angels, and from 1994 to 2008 periodically appeared in episodes of ER.

2000s

James Woods continued to act actively with the beginning of the new millennium. So, in 2001, he played the lead role in the drama Dirty Shots. This was followed by the projects "Strong Woman" and the comedy "Scary Movie-2". The next appearance of the actor on the big screens was in the film "John Q" (2002) by Nick Cassavetes. In subsequent years, James Woods starred in such films as "The Story of a Girl" (2003), "Northfolk" (2003), "End Game" (2006), "Shark" (2006) and others. In addition, the actor took part in the dubbing of the popular animated series Family Guy.

Recent works

In 2011, James Woods reappeared on the big screen in the acclaimed film Straw Dogs. The year 2013 was also very fruitful for the actor, during which three films with his participation were released at once: "Storming the White House", "Jobs: Empire of Seduction" and "Ray Donovan". Loyal fans of the hero of our story sincerely hope that in the near future their idol will again please the audience with new interesting roles both on the big screen and on television.

James Woods: personal life

The actor has always been very popular with women. However, for some reason, he was not particularly attracted to a serious relationship. Despite this, during his long life, James was officially married twice, but both marriages eventually fell apart. His first wife in 1980 was the actress Katherine Morrison. The couple divorced three years later. In 1989, Woods also married his colleague in the acting department, Sarah Owen. However, this union lasted a little over a year and ended in divorce.