Woodrow Tracy Harrelson is an American actor, playwright, and activist born on July 23, 1961, in Midland, Texas. He broke out as bartender Woody Boyd on the NBC sitcom Cheers, a role he played from 1985 to 1993. That part earned him a Primetime Emmy Award and set up a film career that later brought three Academy Award nominations for The People vs. Larry Flynt, The Messenger, and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. He played Haymitch Abernathy in The Hunger Games and Detective Marty Hart in True Detective.
He is married to Laura Louie, and the couple has three daughters. They split their time around Maui, Hawaii. In 2026, Harrelson remains active, with new film and television projects and a career honor from the Sarajevo Film Festival.
Who Is Woody Harrelson? (Quick Facts)
Here is a snapshot of the basics before the deeper detail.
| Detail | Information |
| Full name | Woodrow Tracy Harrelson |
| Born | July 23, 1961, Midland, Texas |
| Age | 65 (as of August 2026) |
| Education | Hanover College, theater and English, 1978 to 1983 |
| Breakthrough role | Woody Boyd, Cheers (1985 to 1993) |
| Spouses | Nancy Simon (1985 to 1986), Laura Louie (since 2008) |
| Children | Deni, Zoe, Makani |
| Known for | The Hunger Games, True Detective, Natural Born Killers, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri |
| Awards | Primetime Emmy Award, three Oscar nominations, four Golden Globe nominations, BAFTA nomination, seven SAG nominations |
| Net worth | Estimated between $70 million and $90 million |
| Height | Listed between 5 feet 9.5 inches and 5 feet 10 inches |
Public estimates of his net worth vary by source and year. The most commonly cited figure sits around $70 million, built mainly from film and television salaries, franchise backend deals, and producing credits.
Early Life and Family Background
Harrelson’s mother, Diane Lou Oswald, worked as a secretary. His father, Charles Voyde Harrelson, was a contract killer convicted of assassinating federal judge John H. Wood Jr. in 1979. Charles received two life terms for the crime and died in a federal maximum-security prison on March 15, 2007, of a heart attack. Woody has said he had almost no contact with his father growing up.
He was raised alongside two brothers, Jordan and Brett Harrelson, in a Presbyterian household. Money was tight. His mother supported the family largely on her own after the parents divorced. Harrelson attended The Briarwood School in Houston before the family moved to Lebanon, Ohio, in 1973, his mother’s hometown.
He graduated from Lebanon High School in 1979 and worked that summer at the Kings Island amusement park. During his college years he explored theology and philosophy alongside performance, interests that later shaped both his acting choices and his outspoken public views.
Education
Harrelson attended Hanover College in Hanover, Indiana, a Presbyterian institution where he studied theater and English. He joined the Sigma Chi fraternity and became friends with a fellow student named Mike Pence, who would later become Vice President of the United States. Harrelson graduated in 1983 with a bachelor’s degree in theatrical arts and English, then moved to New York City to pursue acting.
Career
Breakthrough on Cheers (Television)
Harrelson’s first steady acting work came through New York theater, including an understudy role in Neil Simon’s Biloxi Blues. In 1985, he joined Cheers in its fourth season, replacing the departed character Coach, played by the late Nicholas Colasanto. Woody Boyd was meant to be a minor addition. Instead, the character stayed for eight seasons and helped define the show.
The role brought Harrelson five Primetime Emmy nominations and one win, in 1989, for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series. He later reprised Woody Boyd in guest spots on The Simpsons in 1994 and Frasier in 1999, picking up another Emmy nomination for the Frasier appearance. He also had a recurring role on Will & Grace in 2001.
Film Career and Major Roles
While still on Cheers, Harrelson began building a film career. His debut came in the 1986 football comedy Wildcats alongside Goldie Hawn. Bigger opportunities followed once the sitcom ended.
White Men Can’t Jump in 1992 paired him with Wesley Snipes and became a genuine box-office hit. The following year, Indecent Proposal put him opposite Robert Redford and Demi Moore in a film that earned over $265 million worldwide, though it also won him a Golden Raspberry nomination for Worst Supporting Actor.
Oliver Stone’s Natural Born Killers in 1994 changed how audiences saw him. Playing spree killer Mickey Knox proved he could carry dark, difficult material. Two years later, The People vs. Larry Flynt earned him his first Academy Award nomination for Best Actor, playing the controversial pornography publisher.
The late 1990s and 2000s brought range rather than repetition. He appeared in The Thin Red Line in 1998, No Country for Old Men in 2007, and Seven Pounds in 2008. No Country for Old Men won its ensemble a Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Cast, alongside Tommy Lee Jones and Javier Bardem.
2009 was a strong year. Zombieland made him a comedy favorite as Tallahassee, and The Messenger earned him a second Oscar nomination, this time for Best Supporting Actor. Starting in 2012, he played Haymitch Abernathy across The Hunger Games franchise, introducing him to a much younger audience.
He continued building range through the 2010s and 2020s: LBJ in 2016, War for the Planet of the Apes in 2017, Solo: A Star Wars Story in 2018, and Venom: Let There Be Carnage in 2021, where he played Cletus Kasady and voiced Carnage. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri in 2017 brought his third Oscar nomination, for Best Supporting Actor, plus a BAFTA nomination. In 2022, Triangle of Sadness added another critically praised role. More recent credits include Kate in 2021, Champions in 2023, and Suncoast in 2024.
True Detective and Television Comeback
In January 2014, Harrelson starred opposite Matthew McConaughey in the first season of HBO’s True Detective, playing Louisiana detective Marty Hart. Both actors served as executive producers. The performance earned Harrelson an Emmy nomination for Best Actor in a Drama Series and reintroduced him to television audiences.
He returned to HBO in 2012 with Game Change, playing Republican strategist Steve Schmidt during the 2008 presidential campaign of John McCain and Sarah Palin, alongside Julianne Moore and Ed Harris. In 2023, he starred in White House Plumbers as E. Howard Hunt, portraying one of the figures behind the Watergate scandal, and served as an executive producer on that series too.
Theatre and Stage Career
Harrelson never fully left the stage. He wrote and directed the play Bullet for Adolf, which ran at Toronto’s Hart House Theatre in 2011 before an Off-Broadway run at New World Stages in 2012. In 2023, his performance in Ulster American earned him an Offies Award nomination for Best Lead Performer.
2026 Projects and Current Work
Harrelson is not slowing down. He reunites with Matthew McConaughey in Brothers, an eight-episode Apple TV+ comedy in which the two play versions of themselves living together on a Texas ranch. The series, created by David West Read, premieres September 23, 2026, with a cast that includes Natalie Martinez, Holland Taylor, and Brittany Ishibashi.
He also appears in Full Phil, a Quentin Dupieux film starring Kristen Stewart that debuted at the Cannes Film Festival in 2026. Separately, he has wrapped The Cackling of the Dodos, a Netflix crime thriller with Sam Rockwell directed by Jason Bateman.
In August 2026, the Sarajevo Film Festival named Harrelson a recipient of the Honorary Heart of Sarajevo, recognizing his career at the 32nd edition of the festival. He shared the 2026 honoree list with Emily Watson, Asghar Farhadi, and Diego Luna. That same year, he signed on as a producer for a documentary about Austin’s Armadillo World Headquarters, the storied 1970s music venue.
Awards and Recognition
Yes, Harrelson has been nominated for an Oscar three times but has not won. His nominations came for Best Actor in The People vs. Larry Flynt and Best Supporting Actor in both The Messenger and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.
Beyond the Oscars, his trophy case includes one Primetime Emmy win from seven nominations, four Golden Globe nominations, a BAFTA nomination, and seven Screen Actors Guild Award nominations, including a win for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture. Earlier honors include a 1987 American Comedy Award for Funniest Newcomer and an MTV Movie Award for Best Kiss, shared with Demi Moore in 1993. Hanover College gave him an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters in 2014.
Personal Life
Marriages and Children
Harrelson married Nancy Simon, daughter of playwright Neil Simon, in Tijuana in 1985. The pair had planned to annul the marriage the next day, but the storefront parlor was closed, and they stayed married for ten months before divorcing in 1986.
He married Laura Louie in December 2008 in Costa Rica. The two met in 1987 when Louie worked as his personal assistant, and later co-founded the organic food delivery service Yoganics. They have three daughters together: Deni, born in February 1993, Zoe, born in September 1996, and Makani, born in June 2006. The family lives in a self-sustaining community in Maui, Hawaii.
Relationship with Matthew McConaughey
Harrelson and McConaughey have worked together for decades, starting with EDtv and continuing through Surfer, Dude and True Detective. In 2023, McConaughey said his mother believed she may have had a relationship with Charles Voyde Harrelson around the time of his own conception, raising the possibility that the two actors are half-brothers. The claim has never been confirmed. Their long friendship continues into 2026 with Brothers, the Apple TV+ series that leans directly into their real-life bond.
Lifestyle and Beliefs
Diet and Vegan Lifestyle
Harrelson follows a raw vegan diet and avoids sugar and flour along with meat and dairy. On the set of Zombieland, the crew swapped his character’s beloved Twinkies for a vegan version made from cornmeal. PETA named him its Sexiest Vegetarian in 2012, an honor he shared with Jessica Chastain.
Political Views and Activism
Harrelson describes himself as an anarchist and has spoken out against U.S. military action going back to the Gulf War. In 2002, he wrote an op-ed in The Guardian criticizing President George W. Bush ahead of the Iraq War. He later criticized President Barack Obama over troop levels in Afghanistan and, in a 2017 interview with the Associated Press, condemned President Donald Trump over what he called rising bigotry and racism. In 2023, he appeared to endorse Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s 2024 presidential campaign.
His activism extends to the environment. He has worked with Earth First! and once helped hang a protest banner from the Golden Gate Bridge targeting Maxxam Inc. CEO Charles Hurwitz. York University gave him an honorary degree in 2009 for his environmental education work.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Harrelson drew criticism for questioning face masks and, in an April 2020 Instagram post that he later deleted, for suggesting a link between 5G networks and the virus.
Marijuana Use and Advocacy
Harrelson has served on the advisory board of NORML since 2003. In 1996, he was arrested in Lee County, Kentucky, after planting hemp seeds to challenge a state law that made no distinction between industrial hemp and marijuana. He was acquitted within about 25 minutes with help from his attorney, former Kentucky governor Louie B. Nunn.
In 2017, while promoting the film Wilson, he told an interviewer he had quit smoking marijuana after roughly 30 years, saying the habit was keeping him from being emotionally available. He still drinks alcohol in moderation. In 2022, he opened The Woods WeHo, a cannabis dispensary on Santa Monica Boulevard in Los Angeles.
Legal Issues
Beyond the 1996 hemp arrest, Harrelson was arrested in London in 2002 after a taxi incident that ended in a police chase. The case was dropped after he paid the driver £550. In 2008, a TMZ photographer named Josh Levine sued him for $2.5 million over an altercation outside a Hollywood nightclub two years earlier. The lawsuit was dismissed in 2010.
Business Ventures
Beyond his cannabis dispensary, Harrelson co-founded The Holistic Spirits Company in September 2023, a plant-based spirits brand based in Utah. Both ventures reflect an interest in sustainable consumer products that fits his long-running environmental focus, though he has largely stayed away from traditional celebrity endorsement deals.
Net Worth and Earnings
Estimates of Harrelson’s net worth range from about $70 million to $90 million, depending on the source and year cited. His income comes primarily from film and television salaries, backend participation in franchises like The Hunger Games, and producing credits on shows such as True Detective and White House Plumbers.
Real Estate
Harrelson bought a Beverly Hills mansion for $1.8 million in 1989, now worth an estimated $5 to $6 million. In 1999, he purchased oceanfront property near Hana, Maui, later expanding it into an 8.5-acre estate that was once a cattle ranch. In March 2014, he added a Baltimore hotel called the Inn at the Black Olive for $4.5 million.
Legacy and Cultural Impact
Harrelson moved from sitcom comedy to serious drama without losing his sense of humor, and from mainstream stardom to outspoken activism without stepping back from public life. Four decades in, he continues taking on new roles across film, television, and theater while staying visible in causes tied to the environment and drug policy reform.
Conclusion
Woody Harrelson’s career spans Cheers, True Detective, The Hunger Games, and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, built over more than four decades in front of the camera. He remains married to Laura Louie, splits time in Maui, Hawaii, and keeps working on new projects, including Brothers with Matthew McConaughey and a 2026 honor from the Sarajevo Film Festival.
FAQ’s
How old is Woody Harrelson?
Woodrow Tracy Harrelson was born on July 23, 1961, in Midland, Texas, and is 65 years old as of August 2026.
What is Woody Harrelson’s net worth?
Estimates place his net worth between $70 million and $90 million, built mainly from film and television salaries.
Is Woody Harrelson vegan?
Yes, he follows a raw vegan diet and avoids sugar, flour, meat, and dairy.
Is Woody Harrelson related to Matthew McConaughey?
McConaughey suggested in 2023 that his mother and Harrelson’s father may have been intimate around his conception, but the claim has never been confirmed.
How many kids does Woody Harrelson have?
He has three daughters with wife, Laura Louie: Deni, Zoe, and Makani.
Did Woody Harrelson win an Oscar?
No, he has three Academy Award nominations but has not won, for The People vs. Larry Flynt, The Messenger, and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.
Why was Woody Harrelson arrested?
He was arrested in 1996 for planting hemp seeds in Kentucky and in 2002 in London after a taxi incident that led to a police chase.
Does Woody Harrelson still smoke weed?
No, he said in a 2017 interview that he had quit smoking marijuana after about 30 years, though he still drinks alcohol in moderation.
