Billy Bob Thornton was born on August 4, 1955 in Hot Springs, Arkansas, to Virginia Roberta (Faulkner), a psychic, and William Raymond (Billy
Ray) Thornton, an educator, high school history teacher, and basketball
coach (now deceased). He is the older brother of James Donald
(Jimmy Don) (born in 1958 and now deceased) and John
David (born in 1969). He has been married six times and has four children:
daughter Amanda Brumfield, with Melissa Lee Gatlin (now Parish); sons
William and Harry, both with Pietra Dawn Cherniak; 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 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 (1991), 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 - Auf Messers Schneide (1996) which he wrote,
directed and in which he starred.
