Latest news with #WoodyHarrelson
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Texas torn apart over A-listers' attempt to make it 'the new Hollywood' as bizarre rules directors must follow are revealed
In many ways deep red Texas could not be further from the liberal movie sets of Hollywood. But now a gaggle of A-listers and lawmakers believe the it is the perfect place to set up a film industry which could not only rival Tinseltown's, but topple it altogether. Matthew McConaughey, Woody Harrelson and Renée Zellweger are among the actors leading the charge. They have recently helped secure a bill that will inject $300 million into the Texas film industry over the next two years and provide tax incentives for the next decade. However the new law, which comes into effect on September 1, does contain some distinctly Texan stipulations when it comes to who can qualify for the cash. Officials plan to be far more selective about who gets taxpayer money than their Californian counterparts, with Governor Gregg Abbott given veto powers under the new law. But despite the strict parameters, the decision has been heavily criticized by conservatives in Texas, who described the bill as an 'abomination' and fear it will turn the Lone Star State into a new La La Land. Subsidy Rules Supporters of the new Texas law say they want to be as influential as Hollywood, but without the same liberal cultural values. As a result, they have created a series of hoops filmmakers must jump through if they want to secure any state cash. 'We are not trying to make Texas the next Hollywood - we don't like Hollywood. We want to export Texas values,' Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, one of the biggest proponents of the scheme, recently said in a campaign update. Patrick is a staunch conservative who despite his opposition to legal marijuana, gambling and abortion, wants to make Texas 'the film capital of the world'. He and other legislators have devised a system which will reward films with, 'export Texas values', according to Patrick. For projects that spend at least $1.5 million in Texas, the new law offers tiered grants worth 25 percent of that in-state spending. Films that are faith-based, shoot in historic sites or employ a percentage of crew who are Texas-based military veterans can get a grant as high as 31 percent. Additionally, the governor's office has broad powers in determining which projects do and do not get funding. If films are deemed to have content that is 'inappropriate,' has obscene content or portrays Texas negatively - they won't get a dime. Celebrity backing None of this would have been possible without the support of several towering figures in the entertainment industry. In January, Matthew McConaughey, Woody Harrelson, Renée Zellweger and several others appeared in a video that campaigned for Texas officials to bring increased film incentives so people can make movies in the state without breaking the bank. The four-minute video begins with Harrelson and McConaughey barreling down a highway in a sedan as they're deep in conversation about this very issue. 'You ever wonder if this industry of ours is just chasing its own tail?' Harrelson asks. 'No, I don't wonder. Restrictions, regulations, nickel and diming productions, political lectures,' McConaughey replies. The video had a surprising level of credibility, considering the fact that McConaughey, Harrelson, Zellweger and Dennis Quaid (who also appeared) were all born in Texas. McConaughey, whose social media feed focuses almost exclusively on Texas sports, attended a March hearing with state legislators and had the final word. 'If we pass this bill, we are immediately at the bargaining table for shooting more films and TV and commercials in our state,' he said while wearing a cowboy hat. 'That is money that's going to local Texas restaurants, hotels, coffee shops, dry cleaners, street rentals, home rentals ― even Woody's barber,' in reference to Harrelson, who was also in attendance. Two months after McConaughey's overture, the Senate voted 23-8 in favor of the bill and it became law by June. The Opposition But these restrictions weren't enough for the many conservatives who opposed the law when it was being debated over the last few months. Some were concerned that the bill would allow Texas to go down a path of unrighteousness, while others thought the subsidies were taxpayer theft. 'The Bible warns us of the consequences of the government wrongfully taking money from some and handing it out to others,' Texans for Fiscal Responsibility said in one of its papers against the bill. Republican State Rep. Brian Harrison has emerged as the main enemy of the bill, calling it an abomination. 'And shame on everybody who voted for it,' he has said. 'This is big government liberal redistributive socialism,' Harrison told the LA Times. 'The governor and lieutenant governor of the supposedly Republican-controlled state of Texas chose to keep property taxes billions of dollars higher so that you can subsidize a rich liberal Hollywood movie industry - how embarrassing.' He plans to introduce legislation at a special hearing later in July that would repeal the law. Exodus from California The bill deepens the growing rivalry between California and Texas, which has already poached several major companies once based in the Golden State, including Tesla and Hewlett-Packard. These businesses were largely lured by lower taxes and a business-friendly environment, both things the bill signed by Abbott seeks to address with the film industry specifically. It couldn't come at a worse time for California, a state that is already bleeding talent and expertise. When Hollywood writers and actors went on strike in 2023, California lost roughly 40,000 film and TV jobs that year alone, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. California also has to worry about the tax subsidies being offered in the other states, not just Texas, and even other nations. That's why in late June, California legislators doubled their own tax incentive ceiling to a staggering $750 million a year. While Texas isn't spending nearly as much tax money as California on movies and TV, experts believe that this could be the start of a real competition. 'Texas now has a program that is going to be competitive,' Fred Poston, the executive director of the Texas Media Production Alliance, told the Los Angeles Times. 'When you really take a close look at it, you realize this is a big deal. We have this new level of funding to start building more industry around it.' A Return to the Glory Days Proponents of the law feel that without the incentives, Texas is leaving tons of economic growth on the table. Texas, while not Hollywood, has been the filming location for many highly-celebrated pieces of media, including but not limited to the 1956 western 'Giant', the 1974 slasher film 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre' and the high school football drama TV series 'Friday Night Lights.' By the early 2000s, nearby states became more attractive to film because of better incentives being offered to producers. 'Texas had been highly competitive, we had all of these ingredients,' Rebecca Campbell, CEO of the Austin Film Society, told the LA Times. 'Then all of a sudden, Texas stories were getting shot in New Mexico and Louisiana.' Texas introduced its first program for film incentives in 2007, earmarking $20 million for it. Because of how underfunded it became over the years, the producers of 'Fear the Walking Dead' decided to move production in 2021 from Austin to Georgia. Richard Linklater, a Houston-born director, filmed his 2024 romantic crime thriller 'Hit Man' starring Glen Powell in his hometown. But because there wasn't enough incentive funds, he had to move the operation to New Orleans. 'We're completely surrounded by states that have very active film incentive programs,' he said on the podcast 'Friends on Film.'
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Why Texas could be the new Hollywood
In many ways, deep red Texas could not be further from the liberal movie sets of Hollywood. But now a gaggle of A-listers and lawmakers believe it is the perfect place to set up a film industry which could not only rival Tinseltown's, but topple it altogether. Matthew McConaughey, Woody Harrelson and Renée Zellweger are among the actors leading the charge. They have recently helped secure a bill that will inject $300 million into the Texas film industry over the next two years and provide tax incentives for the next decade. However, the new law, which comes into effect on September 1, does contain some distinctly Texan stipulations when it comes to who can qualify for the cash. Officials plan to be far more selective about who gets taxpayer money than their Californian counterparts, with Governor Gregg Abbott given veto powers under the new law. But despite the strict parameters, the decision has been heavily criticized by conservatives in Texas, who described the bill as an 'abomination' and fear it will turn the Lone Star State into a new La La Land. Supporters of the new Texas law say they want to be as influential as Hollywood, but without the same liberal cultural values. As a result, they have created a series of hoops filmmakers must jump through if they want to secure any state cash. 'We are not trying to make Texas the next Hollywood — we don't like Hollywood. We want to export Texas values,' Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, one of the biggest proponents of the scheme, recently said in a campaign update. Patrick is a staunch conservative who, despite his opposition to legal marijuana, gambling and abortion, wants to make Texas 'the film capital of the world'. He and other legislators have devised a system which will reward films that 'export Texas values,' according to Patrick. For projects that spend at least $1.5 million in Texas, the new law offers tiered grants worth 25 percent of that in-state spending. Films that are faith-based, shoot in historic sites or employ a percentage of crew who are Texas-based military veterans can get a grant as high as 31 percent. Additionally, the governor's office has broad powers in determining which projects do and do not get funding. If films are deemed to have content that is 'inappropriate,' has obscene content or portrays Texas negatively — they won't get a dime. None of this would have been possible without the support of several towering figures in the entertainment industry. In January, Matthew McConaughey, Woody Harrelson, Renée Zellweger and several others appeared in a video that campaigned for Texas officials to bring increased film incentives so people can make movies in the state without breaking the bank. The four-minute video begins with Harrelson and McConaughey barreling down a highway in a sedan as they're deep in conversation about this very issue. 'You ever wonder if this industry of ours is just chasing its own tail?' Harrelson asks. 'No, I don't wonder. Restrictions, regulations, nickel and diming productions, political lectures,' McConaughey replies. The video had a surprising level of credibility, considering the fact that McConaughey, Harrelson, Zellweger and Dennis Quaid (who also appeared) were all born in Texas. McConaughey, whose social media feed focuses almost exclusively on Texas sports, attended a March hearing with state legislators and had the final word. 'If we pass this bill, we are immediately at the bargaining table for shooting more films and TV and commercials in our state,' he said while wearing a cowboy hat. 'That is money that's going to local Texas restaurants, hotels, coffee shops, dry cleaners, street rentals, home rentals — even Woody's barber,' in reference to Harrelson, who was also in attendance. Two months after McConaughey's overture, the Senate voted 23–8 in favor of the bill, and it became law by June. But these restrictions weren't enough for the many conservatives who opposed the law when it was being debated over the last few months. Some were concerned that the bill would allow Texas to go down a path of unrighteousness, while others thought the subsidies were taxpayer theft. 'The Bible warns us of the consequences of the government wrongfully taking money from some and handing it out to others,' Texans for Fiscal Responsibility said in one of its papers against the bill. Republican State Rep. Brian Harrison has emerged as the main enemy of the bill, calling it an abomination. 'And shame on everybody who voted for it,' he has said. 'This is big government liberal redistributive socialism,' Harrison told the LA Times. 'The governor and lieutenant governor of the supposedly Republican-controlled state of Texas chose to keep property taxes billions of dollars higher so that you can subsidize a rich liberal Hollywood movie industry — how embarrassing.' He plans to introduce legislation at a special hearing later in July that would repeal the law. The bill deepens the growing rivalry between California and Texas, which has already poached several major companies once based in the Golden State, including Tesla and Hewlett-Packard. These businesses were largely lured by lower taxes and a business-friendly environment, both things the bill signed by Abbott seeks to address with the film industry specifically. It couldn't come at a worse time for California, a state that is already bleeding talent and expertise. When Hollywood writers and actors went on strike in 2023, California lost roughly 40,000 film and TV jobs that year alone, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. California also has to worry about the tax subsidies being offered in other states, not just Texas, and even other nations. That's why in late June, California legislators doubled their own tax incentive ceiling to a staggering $750 million a year. While Texas isn't spending nearly as much tax money as California on movies and TV, experts believe that this could be the start of a real competition. 'Texas now has a program that is going to be competitive,' Fred Poston, the executive director of the Texas Media Production Alliance, told the Los Angeles Times. 'When you really take a close look at it, you realize this is a big deal. We have this new level of funding to start building more industry around it.' Proponents of the law feel that without the incentives, Texas is leaving tons of economic growth on the table. Texas, while not Hollywood, has been the filming location for many highly-celebrated pieces of media, including but not limited to the 1956 western 'Giant', the 1974 slasher film 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre' and the high school football drama TV series 'Friday Night Lights.' By the early 2000s, nearby states became more attractive to film because of better incentives being offered to producers. 'Texas had been highly competitive, we had all of these ingredients,' Rebecca Campbell, CEO of the Austin Film Society, told the LA Times. 'Then all of a sudden, Texas stories were getting shot in New Mexico and Louisiana.' Texas introduced its first program for film incentives in 2007, earmarking $20 million for it. Because of how underfunded it became over the years, the producers of 'Fear the Walking Dead' decided to move production in 2021 from Austin to Georgia. Richard Linklater, a Houston-born director, filmed his 2024 romantic crime thriller 'Hit Man' starring Glen Powell in his hometown. But because there wasn't enough incentive funds, he had to move the operation to New Orleans. 'We're completely surrounded by states that have very active film incentive programs,' he said on the podcast 'Friends on Film.' 'They really support this industry, and you have to do that to compete,' he added.
Los Angeles Times
13-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
The Lone Star State takes on Hollywood, Texas-style: Bigger, better and with conservative values
The opening scene unfolds onto a bird's-eye view of a sedan making its way down a stretch of unmarked highway, as Woody Harrelson's unmistakable drawl is heard off-camera. 'You ever wonder if this industry of ours is just chasing its own tail?' he asks. Matthew McConaughey, in his equally distinctive cadence, shoots back, 'No, I don't wonder. Restrictions, regulations, nickel and diming productions, political lectures,' before the camera pans in for a close-up of the actors. The sequence pays homage to the gritty, atmospheric crime drama 'True Detective.' Indeed, it was directed by Nic Pizzolatto, the show's creator. In January, this four-minute video, 'True to Texas,' was released as part of an unusual campaign by a coalition of A-list actors — Dennis Quaid, Renée Zellweger and Billy Bob Thornton make appearances — independent creatives and Lone Star Republicans to appeal to the Texas State Legislature. The goal: to help bring increased film incentives to a state not known for its wholesale embrace of Hollywood or government subsidies — particularly for something like the arts. Despite considerable push back among conservative lawmakers, the effort paid off. Last month Gov. Greg Abbott allowed the passage of an unprecedented bill boosting tax incentives for film production in the state to $300 million every two years — guaranteeing that funding for 10 years. The law goes into effect Sept. 1. The aggressive bid to nab a slice of Hollywood furthers the ongoing rivalry between California and Texas. Several major Golden State-based companies including Tesla and Hewlett-Packard have relocated to the Lone Star State, lured by lower taxes and its business-friendly environment. It also comes as California is struggling to keep movie and TV production, having recently doubled its own tax incentive ceiling to compete with film subsidies in three dozen other states and abroad. The new bill puts Texas in a position to become a major player among the growing list of global and regional filming hubs in an industry that has become increasingly unmoored from its historic Hollywood hometown. 'Texas now has a program that is going to be competitive,' said Fred Poston, the executive director of the Texas Media Production Alliance. 'When you really take a close look at it, you realize this is a big deal. We have this new level of funding to start building more industry around it.' The Texas bill is not only bigger and better, but found itself an unlikely champion in Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick. 'We are not trying to make Texas the next Hollywood — we don't like Hollywood. We want to export Texas values,' said Patrick in a campaign update. A staunch conservative who has relentlessly opposed legalized marijuana, gambling and abortion, Patrick has vowed 'to make Texas the Film Capital of the World.' The bill, which supports the Texas Moving Image Industry Incentive Fund (TMIIF) program, offers tiered grants up to 25% for projects spending $1.5 million in the state. Faith-based films and those that shoot in historic sites or employ a percentage of crew who are Texas-based military veterans can push grants up to 31%. The governor's office, through the film commission, has broad discretion over which projects receive funds and awards can be denied at any stage in the review process for material that portrays Texas negatively or contains 'inappropriate' content. Still, even with the bill's Texas-style protectionist wrangling, its passage was far from assured. Weeks before the Senate vote, there was hand-wringing among conservative lawmakers and others who opposed the bill on economic, moral and even biblical grounds. Critics took swipes at profanity-laced scripts and what they saw as inaccurate portrayals of the state's oilmen on TV. Some viewed the grants as akin to taxpayer theft. Many shuddered at the thought that the bill would usher in the unholy influence of a debauched Hollywood on Texas. 'The Bible warns us of the consequences of the government wrongfully taking money from some and handing it out to others,' said the Texans for Fiscal Responsibility in one of several papers it published decrying the bill. Republican State Rep. Brian Harrison called the bill 'an abomination. And shame on everybody who voted for it.' Harrison launched his own 'Don't Hollywood My Texas' crusade. One of his followers, the Freedom Bard, a self-proclaimed 'patriotic' lyricist, recorded an earworm of a protest anthem denouncing the bill with such lyrics as: 'Keep your failed policies and your liberal BS.' 'This is big government liberal redistributive socialism,' Harrison told The Times, 'The governor and lieutenant governor of the supposedly Republican-controlled state of Texas chose to keep property taxes billions of dollars higher so that you can subsidize a rich liberal Hollywood movie industry — how embarrassing.' He plans to introduce legislation at a special hearing later this month to repeal the law. Despite the hostility toward Hollywood, Texas was once known as the film industry's 'Third Coast.' Many of the westerns of the 1920s and '30s were filmed in the state. Texas' sweeping backdrops and larger-than-life characters have inspired some of the most celebrated movies and television shows, including the 1956 epic 'Giant,' the 1974 slasher classic 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre,' the 1990 sleeper hit 'Slacker' and the acclaimed small-town TV series 'Friday Night Lights.' The state's cultural soil has nurtured a fertile creative community with filmmakers like Robert Rodriguez ('El Mariachi'), Wes Anderson ('Bottle Rocket') and Richard Linklater ('Boyhood'). By the early 2000s, however, neighboring states began chipping away. 'Texas had been highly competitive, we had all of these ingredients,' said Rebecca Campbell, CEO of the Austin Film Society. 'Then all of a sudden, Texas stories were getting shot in New Mexico and Louisiana.' In 2007, the state established its first program for film incentives, earmarking $20 million. Although the program expanded in later years, it became chronically underfunded, prompting the producers of 'Fear the Walking Dead' in 2021 to relocate to Georgia after filming four seasons around Austin. Linklater had to rework his 2024 romantic crime thriller 'Hit Man' starring Glen Powell, originally set in Houston, when filming relocated to New Orleans because of a lack of available incentive funds. 'We're completely surrounded by states that have very active film incentive programs,' Linklater told the podcast 'Friends on Film.' 'They really support this industry, and you have to do that to compete.' But a perceptible cultural and economic shift in the Texas landscape began to slowly take shape during the pandemic, when a wave of actors and filmmakers relocated to the state. Filmmaker Nate Strayer, formerly of Los Angeles, moved to Austin in 2021 and later founded production company Stray Vista Studios. 'We started to realize that we could have an industry here where our stories aren't being pulled away to other states,' said Strayer, whose company produced the 'True to Texas' video. Until the pandemic shut down Hollywood, 'Fargo' series creator Noah Hawley flew every other week from his home in Texas to Los Angeles for meetings with his production company when he wasn't shooting. When the pandemic ended, Hawley found he no longer needed to be based in Hollywood. Last year he moved his company, 26 Keys, to Austin. 'My wife and I wanted to be a bigger part of our community in Texas,' he said. 'What Austin provides for me is more of a local, handmade place.' The other wave to hit Texas' film industry was Taylor Sheridan. The 'Yellowstone' creator, who grew up in Fort Worth, began filming many of his hit television shows — including '1883' and 'Landman' — across the state. The productions brought in hundreds of millions of dollars to local businesses and a stream of tourists in what many began calling 'the Sheridan Effect.' Production of '1883' alone led to 13,325 booked hotel nights in Fort Worth, according to the city's film commission. Beyond the economic boom, Sheridan showed that Texas could tell its own stories and help seed larger ambitions. In February 2023, Lt. Gov. Patrick had dinner with Sheridan. Shortly afterward, Patrick described Sheridan as the 'best screenwriter of our time and one of the best storytellers ever to make movies' and said, 'My goal is for Taylor to move all of his TV and movie production to Texas.' Soon, Sheridan had a multiplier effect. The Wonder Project, the faith-based, family-oriented production company behind Amazon's 'House of David,' was established by filmmaker Jon Erwin ('Jesus Revolution') and former YouTube executive Kelly Merryman Hoogstraten in 2023 with more than $75 million from such investors as Jason Blum, Lionsgate and Leonard Leo, the wealthy conservative lawyer and Federalist Society co-chairman. Two years ago, Hill Country Studios, a $267-million film and television studio, broke ground in San Marcos. The plans include 12 soundstages spanning 310,000 square feet, two back lots, a virtual production stage and 15 acres of outdoor production space. Zachary Levi, the star of 'Shazam!' and 'Chuck,' is raising $40 million to develop his Wyldwood Studios in Bastrop east of Austin. Plans call for two 20,000-square-foot soundstages, along with a hotel, restaurants and homes. 'I really felt this ... calling on my life to go and build what is essentially a new version in the lineage of United Artists,' he said. 'That allows the artist to really take the power back, take their destiny back.' But for all the activity, there was no getting around the math. If Texas did not pour resources into a substantial rebate program, it would continue to lose out. The challenge was to convince the conservative Legislature that an incentive program was not simply a Hollywood handout. Thus began a campaign in spring 2023 with Texas voices advocating for a strong film industry. That May, 'Good for Texas,' the video precursor to 'True to Texas,' showcased Lone Star-born actors such as McConaughey, Quaid, Owen Wilson, Powell and others in support of increased incentives. Filmmaker Chase Musslewhite, a sixth-generation Houstonian who was one of the video's producers, said she was motivated to get involved when she lost funding for her first feature after her financier opted to shoot in Louisiana. She joined forces with Grant Wood, a Midland native, who had studied film and ran a Dallas start-up, to launch the Media for Texas advocacy group. 'We wanted to help get the film community aligned and put forth one bill with one idea to make it as easy as possible for the Legislature to push for it,' Musslewhite said. The Texas Film Commission painted a rosy picture, saying that for every dollar invested in the incentives, Texas received $4 of new money into the economy. A pivotal moment arrived in late summer 2024. Media for Texas co-hosted a private screening of the film 'Reagan,' starring Dennis Quaid, with Patrick at Austin's Bullock Texas State History Museum. A number of state legislators attended. Patrick took to the podium and announced his aim to 'make Texas the media capital of the world,' Musslewhite recalled. That was the push people needed, Musslewhite said. Last October, Patrick convened a special hearing of the Senate Finance Committee, where a new bill for a robust film incentive was front and center. Patrick marshaled McConaughey, Harrelson, Quaid and Sheridan to support him. Joining the effort was billionaire Ross Perot Jr. During the hearing, a denim-clad Quaid voiced his support. 'I, for one, feel that the world is beginning to turn right side up again and common sense prevails, and I'd like to see that reflected in our films and entertainment.' When Sheridan spoke, he expressed regret that his 2016 film 'Hell or High Water,' a story of two bank-robbing brothers trying to save their Texas family ranch, had to shoot in New Mexico because of its subsidies. 'No one will be here without the incentives,' the filmmaker said. During the last stretch before the vote, McConaughey, in a cowboy hat, made a final overture to legislators in March. 'If we pass this bill, we are immediately at the bargaining table for shooting more films and TV and commercials in our state,' he said. 'That is money that's going to local Texas restaurants, hotels, coffee shops, dry cleaners, street rentals, home rentals ― even Woody's barber,' in a nod to Harrelson, who was also in attendance. The high-profile campaign worked. Two months later, the bill passed in the Senate with a 23-8 vote, and by June it had become law. Nonetheless, concerns remain about the program. For one, the bill, which emphasizes a positive portrayal of the state, does not specifically address whether a film or show that has themes such as abortion, gun control or LGBTQ+ characters will receive funding. In 2010, then-Gov. Rick Perry's administration yanked funding for the Robert Rodriguez film 'Machete' over concerns that the movie portrayed Texas negatively. George Huang, professor of screenwriting at UCLA School of Theater, Film, and Television, cautioned this could be 'a very slippery slope.' 'I understand that with incentives you don't want to appear to fund controversial subjects,' he said. 'But where do you draw the line on censorship? Who in the governor's office is the arbiter of good taste?' Many inside the Texas film community stress that these are still early days and believe the film office will ultimately take a case-by-case approach. 'I think that those fears are misplaced, because the opportunity for what Texas can provide to the country and to the world outweighs the risk,' Musslewhite said. For now,the Texas film community is elated. 'Texans kind of warmed up to the idea that if an industry were to grow in Texas, it doesn't have to look exactly like it looks in some of these other places,' Strayer said. 'I think they came to realize that you can kind of write your own rules.' And what's more Texan than writing your own rules?
Daily Mail
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Woody Harrelson fans left shocked after discovering who his father is as they claim 'I never knew this!'
Woody Harrelson fans have been left blown away after they discovered who his father is as they claimed 'I never knew this!' The actor, 63, has become well known for his roles on Cheers, True Detective, Zombieland, and The Hunger Games. But despite creating a name and reputation on his own, there's more to the Harrelson family than meets the eye. Last month, an account on Instagram called historyfeels reminded people that Woody's father is none other than mobster and contract killer Charles Voyde Harrelson. Alongside a photo of Charles on trail in the 1980s, the account penned: 'Charles Voyde Harrelson, the father of actor Woody Harrelson, was a contract killer with deep ties to organized crime. 'In 1979, he was charged with the assassination of U.S. District Judge John H. Wood Jr., the first federal judge to be murdered in the 20th century. Woody Harrelson fans have been left blown away after they discovered who his father is after an Instagram account revealed who it is to its followers last month Woody's father is none other than mobster and contract killer Charles Voyde Harrelson (pictured in 1982) 'Harrelson carried out the hit for $250,000 on behalf of a drug dealer awaiting trial. 'He was captured after a six-hour standoff with police, during which he confessed to multiple killings, including JFK's, though that claim was widely dismissed. 'In 1982, Harrelson was convicted and sentenced to two consecutive life terms. He spent the rest of his life in federal prison, where he died in 2007.' Shocked fans took to the comments to share their disbelieve. Users penned: 'I was today years old when I learned this... Well alrighty then... Holy cow ! I never heard this story before!... 'Wow. Had no idea... Never knew this... Interesting. Glad to know his son turned the family legacy around.' Woody is now a father of three and has long outgrown his hellraising past to become a powerful, high-profile player in the film industry. Despite his public reticence on his father, he was a staunch defender him, spending millions of dollars on legal fees and working to secure a new trial for him. Charles, who at one time also claimed to have killed John F Kennedy, pictured shortly before his assassination in 1963, was jailed over the 1979 killing of U.S. District Judge John Wood Jr Judge Wood, center, was ambushed and killed outside his front door in San Antonio, Texas in 1979. Government sources listed convicted hit man Charles, left, and convicted narcotics trafficker Jimmy Chagra, right as 'targets' in the investigation Shocked fans took to the comments to share their disbelieve He has insisted that not only was Charles innocent of killing Judge Wood, but that he was a secret CIA operative. 'I think that it was not a fair trial . . . I'm not saying my father's a saint but I think he's innocent of that,' said Woody more than 20 years ago. Asked if he really believed his father worked for the CIA, he replied: 'I shouldn't get into this right now. This is where we're going to get into trouble . . . I know it's true.' Woody was just seven years old when, in 1968, Charles left his wife Diane and their three sons. Diane, who had married Charles just two weeks after meeting him on a plane, was left to support the family on her meagre salary as a legal secretary in Houston, Texas. It comes after Woody said he first learned of his dad's dubious profession for the first time at age 12. Woody was just seven years old when, in 1968, Charles left his wife Diane and their three son (pictured with mum Dianne in 2017). Woody pictured with brother Brett in 2002 He told The Guardian in 2012 that he heard his father's name mentioned as a suspect in the assassination of Judge Wood outside of his home in San Antonio, Texas. 'I'm sitting there thinking there can't be another Charles V. Harrelson. I mean, that's my dad! It was a wild realization,' he told the newspaper. 'I tried for years to get him out. To get him a new being a son trying to help his dad. Then I spent a couple of million beating my head against the wall. Lawyers upon lawyers.' After two years on the run, Charles was arrested and admitted not only to Wood's for-hire murder but also claimed he was involved in the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. He later denied this. Despite his dad's occupation and absence in his life, the pair reconciled. When his father died of poor health aged 69 in prison in 2007, Woody was said to be 'devastated.' Before his death, he said in a TV interview: 'How do I feel about him? Well I love him. 'I definitely love him. Very fond of him. I mean, there's probably a lot of people who should be behind bars. I don't necessarily think he's one of them.'
News.com.au
06-07-2025
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
Shocking first choice to play Marty McFly revealed
'It was clear that Michael was the right choice, not just because of his talent but because of how he connected with the material and the rest of the cast.' Picture: IMDb He had been experiencing early symptoms of the disease, such as a slight tremor in his pinky finger, while filming Doc Hollywood (1991). Pictured: Michael J. Fox is awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Joe Biden in 2025/Getty. He kept the diagnosis private for several years, before founding the Michael J. Fox Foundation in 2000, which has become one of the largest non-profit organisations focused on Parkinson's research. Picture: Supplied His bravery in continuing to work and advocate for Parkinson's awareness has garnered him widespread respect. Pictured: Woody Harrelson presents Michael J. Fox with the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award onstage during the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences 13th Governors Awards 2022/Getty. Michael J. Fox has featured in Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People in the World, a testament to his inspiring career. Picture: Getty Pictured: Fox presents the Best Film Award on stage during the EE BAFTA Film Awards 2024/Getty Pictured: Fox and David Beckham backstage during the EE BAFTA Film Awards/Getty Fox has scaled back his career in recent years due to his ongoing health battle, but made a memorable return to television in 2020, reprising his role as Mike Flaherty on the NBC sitcom Spin City. He also appeared in guest spots on other TV series, such as The Good Wife and Designated Survivor. He is still widely regarded as one of the best actors of his generation. Picture: Getty
