Bio: James Howard Woods was born on April 18, 1947 in Vernal, Utah, the son of Martha A. (Smith) and Gail Peyton Woods, a U.S. Army intelligence officer who died during Woods' childhood. James is of Irish, English, and German descent. He grew up in Warwick, Rhode Island, with his mother and stepfather Thomas E. Dixon. He graduated from Pilgrim High School in 1965, near the top of his class. James earned a scholarship to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology; dropping out during his sophomore year in 1967, he then headed off to New York with his fraternity brother Martin Donovan to pursue aspirations to appear on the stage. After appearing in a handful of New York City theater productions, Woods scored his first film role in All the Way Home (1971) and followed that up with meager supporting roles in The Way We Were (1973) and The Choirboys (1977).However, it was Woods' cold-blooded performance as the cop killer in The Onion Field (1979), based on a Joseph Wambaugh novel, that seized the attention of movie-goers to his on-screen power. Woods quickly followed up with another role in another Joseph Wambaugh film adaptation, The Black Marble (1980), as a sleazy and unstable cable-T.V.-station owner in David Cronenberg's mind-bending and prophetic Videodrome (1983), as gangster Max Bercovicz in Sergio Leones mammoth epic Once Upon a Time in America (1984), and scored a best actor Academy Award nomination as abrasive journalist Richard Boyle in Oliver Stone's gritty and unsettling Salvador (1986).There seemed to be no stopping the rise of this star as he continued to amaze movie-goers with his remarkable versatility and his ability to create such intense, memorable characters. The decade of the 1990s started off strongly with high praise for his role as Roy Cohn in the television production of Citizen Cohn (1992). Woods was equally impressive as sneaky hustler Lester Diamond who cons Sharon Stone in Casino (1995), made a tremendous H.R. Haldeman in Nixon (1995), portrayed serial killer Carl Panzram in Killer: A Journal of Murder (1995), and then as accused civil rights assassin Byron De La Beckwith in Ghosts of Mississippi (1996).Not to be typecast solely as hostile hoodlums, Woods has further expanded his range to encompass providing voice-overs for animated productions including Hercules (1997), Hooves of Fire (1999), and Stuart Little 2 (2002). Woods also appeared in the critically praised The Virgin Suicides (1999), in the coming-of-age movie Riding in Cars with Boys (2001), as a corrupt medico in Any Given Sunday (1999), and in the comedy-horror spoof Scary Movie 2 (2001). A remarkable performer with an incredibly diverse range of acting talent, Woods remains one of Hollywood's outstanding leading men.
Tivia: Hades from the Disney franchise is his favorite role and he states that he will continue playing the character, whenever needed, until the day he dies because he loves the character so very much.Attended and graduated from Pilgrim High School in Warwick, Rhode Island (1965).Is ambidextrous (as seen in The Virgin Suicides (1999), writes on chalkboard with both hands).Is the son of a United States Army intelligence officer who passed away during Woods' childhood.He and his then fianc��e filed a $2 million suit for harassment against his ex-girlfriend Sean Young in 1988, alleging that, for instance, Young left a disfigured doll on his doorstep and trampled the couple's expensive flower bed. The case was settled out of court in 1989.He was considered a brilliant student, enrolling in a UCLA linear algebra course while still attending high school. He scored a perfect 800 on the verbal SAT and a 779 on the math portion.Is a member of MENSA (as are Geena Davis, Sharon Stone and Kym Jackson).Majored in Political Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).A reserve officer in the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD).Has said he has an I.Q. of 180. Albert Einstein had an I.Q. of approximately 160. Another source lists Woods' I.Q. as 184. He scored a perfect 800 on the Verbal portion of the SAT and a 779 in Math.Writes with his right hand mostly but does pretty much everything else with his left hand.As of 2013, his two Oscar nominated performances were for his portrayals on real life characters: Richard Boyle in Salvador (1986) and Byron De La Beckwith in Ghosts of Mississippi (1996).He was accepted into the Massachusetts Institute of Technology on a full scholarship, majoring not in the physical sciences but in political science. He also pursued acting, appearing in 36 plays at MIT, Harvard, and the Theater Company of Boston and also performed in summer stock at the Provincetown Playhouse. He dropped out of MIT during his last year to move to New York and pursue acting full-time.2001: While on a commercial flight from Boston to Los Angeles in August, he noticed a group of men acting suspiciously on the plane and informed a flight attendant that he felt they were planning to hijack the plane. He has thus been in several interviews with FBI agents since the September 11 attacks.Got his third television role, as Caz in the first season episode Death Is Not a Passing Grade (1974), after Richard Dreyfuss and Martin Sheen had turned down the role.The high school in the animated sitcom Family Guy (1999) was named after him (James Woods High School).Is good friends with Sharon Stone and told Cigar Aficionado in an interview that he considers her one of the smartest women in the movie business.Quit smoking cigarettes in 1993. Played as a man trying to break the habit using drastic, preventive measures in Stephen King's Cat's Eye (1985).He was born and raised as Roman Catholic, but has criticized Pope Francis for what he believes are his liberal views.Loves cooking and is an excellent chef.Provided the voice of Carl, the straight-laced rabbit in the pet store across the street from a rental station, in a series of Blockbuster commercials.Fired his agent for not telling him of Quentin Tarantino's offer to star as Mr. Orange/Freddie in his crime film Reservoir Dogs (1992).His father, who was born in Illinois, had English and German ancestry, with deep roots in the American Midwest. His mother, who was born in Rhode Island, was of Irish descent.Is an avid video game player.Referred to composer Howard Shore as the Bernard Herrmann of the synthesizer.Is a defender of capital punishment.He was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 7021 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California on October 15, 1998.Woods and his Hercules (1997) adversary Tate Donovan each played former White House Chief of Staff H.R. Haldeman: Woods in Oliver Stone's film Nixon (1995) and Donovan in Elvis & Nixon (2016).1997: Was engaged to actress Missy Crider; they met when she played his daughter in the television movie Jane's House (1994).Is a conservative and a Republican.Childhood friends with Wall Street Journal personal technology columnist Walter Mossberg.He played a character who works for Richard Nixon in Nixon (1995) and played one of a band of men who wore Nixon masks when they robbed a police depository in Best Seller (1987).Older brother of actor Michael Jeffrey Woods.Member of the Theta Delta Chi fraternity.Loves photography and enjoys playing golf.Frequently visits his family in Rhode Island.