History of James Woods in Timeline

James Howard Woods is a highly acclaimed American actor known for his intense and fast-talking performances. His career began with minor roles in off-Broadway and Broadway productions such as "The Penny Wars," "Borstal Boy," "The Trial of the Catonsville Nine," and "Moonchildren." He transitioned to film with early roles in "The Visitors," "The Way We Were," and "Night Moves." A notable role was in the NBC miniseries "Holocaust" alongside Meryl Streep. Throughout his career, Woods has received numerous awards and nominations, including three Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, two Academy Award nominations, and three Screen Actors Guild Award nominations.

April 18, 1947: Birth of James Woods

James Howard Woods was born on April 18, 1947, in Vernal, Utah.

1960: Death of Father

James Woods's father, Gail Peyton Woods, died in 1960.

1965: High School Graduation

James Woods graduated from Pilgrim High School in 1965.

1969: Left MIT

In 1969, James Woods left MIT one semester before graduating to pursue an acting career.

1969: Broadway Debut and MIT Departure

In 1969, James Woods made his Broadway debut in "The Penny Wars" and dropped out of MIT to pursue acting.

1969: The Penny Wars Debut

James Woods made his Broadway debut in "The Penny Wars" in 1969.

1970: Borstal Boy Performance

James Woods acted in "Borstal Boy" at the Lyceum Theatre in 1970.

1971: The Trial of the Catonsville Nine and Moonchildren

In 1971, James Woods performed in "The Trial of the Catonsville Nine" on Broadway and "Moonchildren" at the Arena Stage.

1972: Moonchildren on Broadway and Theatre World Award

In 1972, James Woods starred in "Moonchildren" on Broadway and won a Theatre World Award.

1972: Film Debut and Hickey & Boggs

James Woods made his feature film debut in "The Visitors" and acted in "Hickey & Boggs" in 1972.

1972: Moonchildren and Film Debut

James Woods starred in "Moonchildren" on Broadway and made his film debut in "The Visitors" in 1972.

1973: The Way We Were and Finishing Touches

In 1973, James Woods appeared in the film "The Way We Were" and the Broadway play "Finishing Touches".

1973: The Way We Were Release

James Woods appeared in the film "The Way We Were" in 1973.

1973: Finishing Touches on Broadway

James Woods portrayed Steven Cooper in the original Broadway production of "Finishing Touches" in 1973.

1974: The Gambler Release

James Woods acted in the film "The Gambler" in 1974.

1975: Night Moves Release

James Woods acted in the film "Night Moves" in 1975.

1976: Alex & the Gypsy Release

James Woods appeared in the film "Alex & the Gypsy" in 1976.

1977: The Choirboys Release

James Woods acted in "The Choirboys" in 1977.

1978: Holocaust Miniseries

James Woods starred in the NBC miniseries "Holocaust" in 1978.

1979: The Onion Field and Critical Acclaim

James Woods garnered significant praise for his performance in "The Onion Field" in 1979.

1979: The Onion Field

James Woods rose to prominence for his portrayal of Gregory Powell in "The Onion Field" in 1979.

1980: Marriage to Kathryn Morrison-Pahoa

James Woods married Kathryn Morrison-Pahoa in 1980.

1981: Eyewitness Release

James Woods played a janitor in the thriller "Eyewitness" in 1981.

1982: Fast-Walking and Split Image Releases

James Woods acted in the films "Fast-Walking" and "Split Image" in 1982.

1983: Divorce from Kathryn Morrison-Pahoa

James Woods divorced Kathryn Morrison-Pahoa in 1983.

1983: Videodrome Release and Critical Praise

James Woods starred in "Videodrome" in 1983, receiving positive reviews for his performance.

1983: Videodrome Release

James Woods starred in the David Cronenberg film "Videodrome" in 1983.

1984: Once Upon a Time in America Release

James Woods appeared in "Once Upon a Time in America" in 1984.

1986: Academy Award Nomination for Salvador

James Woods received his first Academy Award nomination for Best Actor for his role in "Salvador" in 1986.

1987: Emmy Award for Promise

James Woods won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie for "Promise" in 1987.

1988: Lawsuit against Sean Young

In 1988, James Woods sued Sean Young for stalking.

August 1989: Settlement with Sean Young

The lawsuit between James Woods and Sean Young was settled out of court in August 1989.

1989: Marriage to and Divorce from Sarah Owen

James Woods married and divorced Sarah Owen in 1989.

1989: Emmy Award for My Name Is Bill W.

James Woods won a Primetime Emmy Award for his role in "My Name Is Bill W." in 1989.

1991: The Hard Way Release

James Woods appeared in "The Hard Way" in 1991.

1992: Relationship with Heather Graham

James Woods dated Heather Graham in 1992.

1992: Chaplin Release

James Woods had a role in the film "Chaplin" in 1992.

1993: First Appearance on The Simpsons

James Woods first voiced himself on "The Simpsons" in 1993.

1995: Nixon and Casino Releases

In 1995, James Woods acted in the films "Nixon" and "Casino".

1996: Academy Award Nomination for Ghosts of Mississippi

James Woods received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his role in "Ghosts of Mississippi" in 1996.

1997: Voice Role in Hercules

James Woods voiced a character in the Disney film "Hercules" in 1997.

1997: Contact Release

James Woods was in the film "Contact" in 1997.

1998: Vampires and Another Day in Paradise Releases

James Woods starred in "Vampires" and "Another Day in Paradise" in 1998.

1999: Any Given Sunday and The Virgin Suicides Releases

James Woods appeared in the films "Any Given Sunday" and "The Virgin Suicides" in 1999.

2001: Recess: School's Out

In 2001, James Woods voiced Dr. Phillium Benedict in the Disney film "Recess: School's Out".

2001: Voice Role in Recess: School's Out

James Woods provided a voice role for the animated film "Recess: School's Out" in 2001.

2002: Stuart Little 2 and John Q

James Woods voiced Falcon in "Stuart Little 2" and appeared in the thriller "John Q" in 2002.

2002: Voice Role in Stuart Little 2

James Woods voiced a character in "Stuart Little 2" in 2002.

2004: WPT Hollywood Home Game

James Woods participated in the WPT's Hollywood Home Game series in 2004.

2005: First Appearance on Family Guy

James Woods began voicing himself on "Family Guy" in 2005.

2005: Be Cool and Family Guy

Woods had a cameo in "Be Cool" and began his recurring role as himself in "Family Guy" in 2005.

2006: Shark

James Woods starred in the CBS legal drama "Shark" from 2006 to 2008.

2006: Shark Series Premiere

James Woods starred in the CBS legal series "Shark," which premiered in 2006.

2006: Death of Michael Jeffrey Woods

James Woods' younger brother, Michael Jeffrey Woods, died in 2006.

2007: Surf's Up

In 2007, James Woods voiced Reggie Belafonte in the animated film "Surf's Up".

2007: Voice Role in Surf's Up

James Woods had a voice role in the animated film "Surf's Up" in 2007.

2008: Shark ends

In 2008, James Woods' run on the CBS legal drama "Shark" concluded.

2009: Settlement with Kent Hospital

James Woods settled a lawsuit against Kent Hospital in 2009.

2011: Too Big to Fail

James Woods played Dick Fuld in the film "Too Big to Fail" in 2011.

2012: Coma

Woods appeared in the limited series "Coma" in 2012.

2012: Once Upon a Time in America Anniversary Screening

Woods attended an anniversary screening of "Once Upon a Time in America" at the Cannes Film Festival in 2012.

2013: Recurring Role in Ray Donovan

James Woods had a recurring role in the Showtime series "Ray Donovan" in 2013.

2013: Ray Donovan

James Woods joined the cast of "Ray Donovan" in a recurring role in 2013.

2014: Once Upon a Time in America Anniversary Screening in New York

Woods attended an anniversary screening of "Once Upon a Time in America" at the New York Film Festival in 2014.

July 2015: Lawsuit against Abe List

James Woods sued an anonymous Twitter user, Abe List, for libel in July 2015.

October 2015: Motion for Discovery Denied

In October 2015, the court denied Woods' motion for discovery in the Abe List case.

December 14, 2015: Car Accident

On December 14, 2015, James Woods was involved in a car accident in Colorado.

2015: World Series of Poker

Woods placed seventh in a $3,000 No Limit Shootout event at the 2015 World Series of Poker.

October 2016: Abe List Appeal Dismissed and Case Settled

In October 2016, the appeal in the Abe List case was dismissed, and the case was settled out of court.

2016: Justice League Action

Woods began voicing Lex Luthor in "Justice League Action" in 2016.

2017: Lawsuit by Portia Boulger

Portia Boulger sued James Woods for libel in 2017.

2017: Writers Guild of America Awards

Woods appeared at the Writers Guild of America Awards to honor Oliver Stone in 2017.

2018: World Series of Poker

As of 2018, Woods has had multiple tournament poker successes and placed fifth in the $1500 Dealers Choice event at the 2018 WSOP.

2022: Poker Win at Bally's Las Vegas

In 2022, Woods had a $12,000 poker win at Bally's Las Vegas.

2023: Executive Producer on Oppenheimer

James Woods served as an executive producer for the film "Oppenheimer" in 2023.

2023: Oppenheimer

James Woods served as an executive producer on "Oppenheimer" in 2023.

Mentioned in this timeline

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