Billy Bob Thornton He was born under the name "Billy Bob" and in Hot Springs, according to interview on Inside the Actors Studio (born August 4 1955) is an Academy Award-winning American screenwriter, actor and occasional director, playwright and singer. He came to fame in the mid 1990s, after writing, directing, and starring in the film Sling Blade, and has since established a career as a Hollywood leading actor, having appeared in several successful films, including 2003's Bad Santa. Thornton has been described in media reports as "Hollywood's go-to alpha male".

William Robert (Billy Bob) Thornton was born in Hot Springs, Arkansas on August 4, 1955 to William Raymond (Billy Ray) Thornton (educator, high school history teacher, basketball coach; deceased) and Virginia R. Faulkner (psychic). He has three younger brothers, James Donald (Jimmy Don), born in 1958 and now deceased, James (Jim) Bean and John David, born in 1969. He has been married 5 times and has 5 children: daughter Amanda (with Gatlin); sons William and Harry (both with Cherniak); son Maddox, adopted with Angelina Jolie; and daughter Bella with Connie Angland. Billy Bob began his artistic career as a musician, playing drums and singing in a band called Tres Hombres, which once opened for 'Hank Williams Jr' . In 1981, he moved to Los Angeles with childhood friend Tom Epperson (I) to pursue an acting and writing career. On the side, Billy Bob also sought work as a singer and drummer. He and Epperson tried for years to sell their scripts but no one was buying. During those rough times, Billy Bob neglected his health and subsequently landed in the hospital with heart problems due to malnutrition. In 1992, Billy Bob starred in One False Move (1992), a movie he co-wrote with Epperson. The team finally received attention because of this work, which was very well received in Hollywood. His popularity increased steadily, especially after Sling Blade (1996) which he wrote, directed and in which he starred. Billy received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on October 7, 2004.