History of James Woods in Timeline
James Woods is a celebrated American actor known for his intense, fast-talking roles across film, television, and stage. His career began with minor roles before his Broadway debut in 1969. He gained recognition in the 1970s with roles in films like "The Way We Were" and "The Gambler," and the miniseries "Holocaust." Woods has won three Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe Award and has received nominations for two Academy Awards and three Screen Actors Guild Awards, solidifying his status as a prominent figure in the entertainment industry.
1963: Character's Action in Ghosts of Mississippi
The character James Woods portrayed in the 1996 movie "Ghosts of Mississippi", Byron De La Beckwith, assassinated civil rights leader Medgar Evers in 1963. James Woods' performance earned him an Oscar nomination.
1980: Marriage to Kathryn Morrison-Pahoa
In 1980, James Woods married costume designer Kathryn Morrison-Pahoa.
1983: Divorce from Kathryn Morrison-Pahoa
In 1983, James Woods divorced costume designer Kathryn Morrison-Pahoa.
1984: Release of Once Upon a Time in America
James Woods appeared in the movie "Once Upon a Time in America", released in 1984. In 2012, Woods attended an anniversary screening of a restored cut of this movie at the 65th Cannes Film Festival.
1986: Award nominations for Promise
In 1986, James Woods received a Primetime Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award nomination for his performance in the made-for-television film "Promise".
1987: Academy Award nomination for Salvador
In 1987, James Woods received an Academy Award nomination for his performance in Oliver Stone's film "Salvador".
1988: Lawsuit against Sean Young
In 1988, James Woods sued actress Sean Young for $2 million, accusing her of stalking him after they appeared together in the film The Boost.
August 1989: Settlement of Lawsuit with Sean Young
In August 1989, James Woods' lawsuit against Sean Young was settled out of court, including a payment of $227,000 to Young for legal costs.
1989: Marriage and Divorce from Sarah Owen
In 1989, James Woods married Sarah Owen, but they divorced four months later.
1989: Primetime Emmy Award for My Name is Bill W.
In 1989, James Woods won his second Primetime Emmy Award for his performance in "My Name is Bill W.".
1992: Dating Heather Graham
In 1992, James Woods dated Heather Graham, his co-star in the film Diggstown.
1996: Appearance in Ghosts of Mississippi
In 1996, James Woods portrayed Byron De La Beckwith, a white supremacist who assassinated Medgar Evers, in Rob Reiner's film Ghosts of Mississippi. While the film received mixed reviews, Woods' performance was praised, earning him a Golden Globe and Oscar nomination.
1996: Academy Award nomination for Ghosts of Mississippi
In 1996, James Woods received an Academy Award nomination for his performance in Rob Reiner's film "Ghosts of Mississippi".
1997: Voice Acting in Hercules
In 1997, James Woods voiced Hades in Disney's animated film Hercules. His performance was critically acclaimed and compared to Robin Williams in Aladdin.
1999: Appearance in The Virgin Suicides
In 1999, James Woods appeared in Sofia Coppola's The Virgin Suicides, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival and received a largely positive critical reception.
1999: Departure from Democratic Party
James Woods has stated that he was a member of the Democratic Party until the impeachment of Bill Clinton in 1999.
2000: Daytime Emmy Award
In 2000, James Woods won a Daytime Emmy Award for his work in season 2 of the Hercules television series, reprising his role as Hades.
August 1, 2001: Woods reports suspicious activity on a flight
On August 1, 2001, James Woods reported suspicious behavior of four men on a flight from Boston to Los Angeles. He alerted the co-pilot and the FAA about his concerns that he believed were related to the September 11 attacks.
2001: Role in House of Mouse
From 2001 to 2003, James Woods reprised his role as Hades in the television series House of Mouse.
2001: Voice acting in Recess: School's Out
In 2001, James Woods lent his voice to the Disney film Recess: School's Out as Dr. Phillium Benedict.
2002: Voice acting in Stuart Little 2 and appearance in John Q.
In 2002, James Woods voiced Falcon in Stuart Little 2 and appeared in the film John Q alongside Denzel Washington.
2003: Role in House of Mouse
From 2001 to 2003, James Woods reprised his role as Hades in the television series House of Mouse.
2004: Participation in World Poker Tour's Hollywood Home Game
In 2004, James Woods played in the World Poker Tour's Hollywood Home Game series for the American Stroke Association charity.
2005: Comments about video games
During a press interview for Kingdom Hearts II in 2005, James Woods mentioned that he was an avid video game player.
2005: Cameo in Be Cool and Recurring Role in Family Guy
In 2005, James Woods had a cameo in Be Cool and began a recurring role as himself in Family Guy.
August 17, 2006: Advertisement in Los Angeles Times Supporting Israel
On August 17, 2006, James Woods' name was in an advertisement in the Los Angeles Times that condemned Hamas and Hezbollah and supported Israel in the 2006 Lebanon War.
2006: Death of Brother and Lawsuit Against Kent Hospital
In 2006, James Woods' younger brother Michael Jeffrey Woods died from cardiac arrest. Woods sued Kent Hospital in Warwick, Rhode Island, alleging negligence.
2007: Voice role in Surf's Up
In 2007, James Woods voiced Reggie Belafonte in the Sony Pictures Animation film Surf's Up. The film received an Academy Award nomination.
2009: Settlement of Lawsuit Against Kent Hospital
In 2009, James Woods settled the lawsuit against Kent Hospital in Warwick, Rhode Island, which he filed after his brother's death in 2006.
2009: Too Big to Fail Book
The book Too Big to Fail by Andrew Ross Sorkin was released in 2009. The book became the basis for the 2011 HBO television drama film, Too Big to Fail, in which James Woods starred.
2011: Starring in Too Big to Fail
In 2011, James Woods starred in the HBO television drama film Too Big to Fail, based on the 2009 book. He played Richard S. Fuld, Jr. and received nominations for his performance.
2012: Appearance in Coma
In 2012, James Woods appeared in the limited series Coma.
2012: Anniversary Screening of Once Upon a Time in America at Cannes
In 2012, James Woods attended an anniversary screening of a restored cut of Once Upon a Time in America at the 65th Cannes Film Festival. The screening was made possible by Martin Scorsese and his Film Foundation.
2013: Recurring role in Ray Donovan
In 2013, James Woods joined Showtime's Ray Donovan in a recurring role as Patrick "Sully" Sullivan.
2014: Anniversary Screening of Once Upon a Time in America at NY Film Festival
In 2014, James Woods joined Robert De Niro for an anniversary screening of Once Upon a Time in America at the 52nd New York Film Festival.
July 2015: Lawsuit Against Twitter User Abe List
In July 2015, James Woods sued an anonymous Twitter user known as Abe List, and ten other Twitter users, for $10 million over an allegedly libelous tweet accusing him of being a "cocaine addict".
October 2015: Motion for Discovery Denied in Twitter Lawsuit
In October 2015, James Woods' motion to obtain the name of the Twitter user he sued was denied by the Los Angeles County Superior Court.
November 2015: Endorsement of Ted Cruz
In November 2015, James Woods shifted his endorsement to Ted Cruz after Carly Fiorina pulled out of the 2016 presidential race.
2015: Seventh Place at World Series of Poker
In 2015, James Woods achieved seventh place at the World Series of Poker in the $3000 No Limit Shootout event.
October 2016: Dismissal of Appeal and Settlement of Twitter Lawsuit
In October 2016, the defendant's appeal in James Woods' Twitter lawsuit was dismissed, and the case was later settled out of court after the defendant's death.
2016: Defending Donald Trump
In 2016, James Woods has defended U.S. President Donald Trump in the media, and has been described as a "staunch Trump supporter".
2016: Voicing Lex Luthor in Justice League Action
Since 2016, James Woods has voiced the role of Lex Luthor in the animated series Justice League Action.
July 2017: Controversial Twitter Post
In July 2017, James Woods responded to a Twitter post of an Orange County family attending an LGBT pride event with their 10-year-old son with a controversial comment, which was condemned by Neil Patrick Harris.
2017: Appearance at Writers Guild of America Awards
In 2017, James Woods made a rare public appearance at the Writers Guild of America Awards to honor his friend Oliver Stone.
2017: Lawsuit by Portia Boulger
In 2017, Portia Boulger sued James Woods for misidentifying her as a Nazi in an allegedly libelous tweet. The court ruled in favor of Woods, and the ruling was upheld on appeal.
2017: Twitter Debate with Amber Tamblyn
In 2017, a Twitter debate between James Woods and Amber Tamblyn escalated after Tamblyn accused Woods of inviting her to Las Vegas when she was underage, which Woods dismissed as a lie.
July 4, 2018: Dropped by Talent Agency
On July 4, 2018, The Gersh Agency notified James Woods that they would no longer represent him, which Woods stated was due to his political views.
2018: Poker tournament successes
As of 2018, James Woods has over 80 tournament successes to his credit.
2018: Aid During California Wildfires
In 2018, James Woods used his Twitter feed to help reunite missing evacuees and pets with their families during the California wildfires. He provided aid to actresses Holly Marie Combs and Alyssa Milano.
2020: Woods' Tweet Controversy
In 2020, James Woods was found to be the top purveyor of election misinformation on Twitter. A tweet by Woods related to Hunter Biden, which included images of Biden's genitals, was requested to be removed by the Democratic National Committee.
2022: $12,000 Poker Win at Bally's Las Vegas
In 2022, James Woods had a $12,000 poker win at Bally's Las Vegas.
2022: Analysis of Woods' Twitter activity and lawsuit announcement
In 2022, analysis revealed James Woods as a top spreader of election misinformation on Twitter during late 2020. Also in 2022, Woods announced plans to sue the Democratic National Committee after the release of the Twitter Files.
November 2023: Woods advocates against Gaza ceasefire
In November 2023, James Woods advocated against a ceasefire in the Gaza war and called for the killing of all Palestinian activists, using the hashtag "#KillThemAll".
2023: Reprising Hades
In 2023, James Woods reprised the role of Hades in Disney Speedstorm and Once Upon a Studio.
2023: Executive Producer for Oppenheimer
In 2023, James Woods served as an executive producer on Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer. He and J. David Wargo were thanked for providing the book American Prometheus, which was the basis for the film.
February 2024: Woods criticizes Rashida Tlaib
In February 2024, James Woods criticized Rashida Tlaib for her "present" vote on a House resolution condemning Hamas' sexual violence against Israel.
2024: Release of Hear The Thunder Crack album
In 2024, James Woods released the album “Hear The Thunder Crack”, where he wrote all the lyrics and words, while Shooter Jennings created and performed the music.
2026: Declaring himself independent
James Woods said in 2026 that he is an Independent now, calling himself "done with the Republican Party" because most of them "rejected her [Nancy Mace, a House Republican] motion to subpoena Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar's immigration records" and didn't pass the SAVE ACT, saying he is still "a devout follower of President Trump."
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