James Woods

James Howard Woods (born April 18, 1947) is an American actor and producer. He is often known for villainous roles and appeared in a variety of films, including The Way We Were (1973), The Onion Field (1979), Videodrome (1983), Once Upon a Time in America (1984), Best Seller (1987), Chaplin (1992), Casino (1995), Nixon (1995), Vampires (1998), Straw Dogs (2011) and White House Down (2013). On television, he is known for portraying the titular protagonist of Shark (2006–2008). Woods has been twice recognized by the Academy Awards as a nominee, first in the Best Actor category for Salvador (1986) and again in the Best Supporting Actor category for Ghosts of Mississippi (1996). He is also the recipient of three Emmy Awards for the television movies Promise (1986) and My Name Is Bill W. (1989) and the animated series Hercules (1998–1999). Promise additionally brought him a Golden Globe Award. He has lent his distinctive voice to animated characters in The Simpsons, Family Guy, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, and in films such as Disney's Hercules (1997) (as Hades) and Stuart Little 2 (2002) (as Falcon). 2Early life Woods was born in Vernal, Utah, and had a brother ten years younger than he. His father, Gail Peyton Woods, was an army intelligence officer who died in 1960 after routine surgery. His mother, Martha A. (née Smith), operated a pre-school after her husband's death and later married Thomas E. Dixo