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James Woods
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Biography from Leonard Maltin's Movie Encyclopedia:
Slender, intense actor whose boring eyes, pockmarked face and curled lips added an aura of menace to many of his early characterizations-most of which, it should be noted, were psychotics and sociopaths. An MIT graduate (who majored in political science!), the intimidatingly intelligent Woods made a name for himself in character parts but, in recent years, has sought after "good guy" roles that ostensibly add luster to his star but aren't nearly as interesting as, say, his cop killer in The Onion Field (1979), his obsessive hoodlum in Against All Odds (1984), or his cold-blooded hit man in Best Seller (1987). Oscar-nominated for his incredibly forceful performance as a scheming journalist in Salvador (1986), Woods has shown real versatility, bringing charm and humor to Joshua Then and Now (1985), over-the-top comedy to The Hard Way (1991), and old-fashioned charisma to his best starring vehicle, True Believer (1989), in which he played a 1960s radical turned "people's champion"-style lawyer. He first attracted attention on the TV miniseries "Holocaust" (1978) and has found great opportunities in that medum ever since. He won Emmy Awards for his outstanding performances in the telefilms Promise (1986, as James Garner's schizophrenic brother) and My Name Is Bill W (1989, as the longtime drunk who cofounded Alcoholics Anonymous), and was ideally cast as notorious lawyer Roy Cohn in the cable-TV movie Citizen Cohn (1992). |  |
