From Slingblade to 1883, Billy Bob Thornton has displayed his wide range in movies and television work.
Landman, the latest series produced by the indefatigable Taylor Sheridan, premiered this November on Paramount+. And as is typical of shows in the Sheridan universe, the lead role has been cast with a much respected star heretofore known best for film work.
In this case, we have Oscar-winning multitasker Billy Bob Thornton playing the part of Tommy Norris, an oil company crisis manager who, well, manages crises in the boomtowns of West Texas. The drama is described by Paramount as “a modern-day tale of fortune-seeking in the world of oil rigs. The series is an upstairs/downstairs story of roughnecks and wildcat billionaires who are fueling a boom so big, it’s reshaping our climate, our economy and our geopolitics.”
From major film roles to TV shows, Thornton comes to the project with several impressive acting credits such as Friday Night Lights ,, Monster’s Ball, Bad Santa, Goliath and, fleetingly, Tombstone. We managed to whittle our list of favorites down to seven of the best Billy Bob Thornton movies and TV shows — but don’t be surprised if we return sometime with a few more titles. When you’re talking about movies and TV, sequels are always a possibility.
Billy Bob Thornton Movies And TV Shows
1. SLING BLADE
With all the stark simplicity of a folk tale and the gripping inevitability of a classic tragedy, Sling Blade is quietly and consistently astonishing as it engrosses its audience for well over two hours. Thornton (pictured above) not only wrote the Oscar-winning screenplay and directed the 1996 film, he gives a perfect pitch performance in a lead role that could have tempted a lesser actor to wretched excess. As Karl Childers, a hulking fellow most charitably described as developmentally challenged, Thornton walks a fine line between affably ingenuous and fearsomely intimidating as he seeks a new life in a small Arkansas community after a lengthy stint in a mental hospital. We discover early on why he was locked up — and we remain worried throughout this stealthily suspenseful drama whether, if push comes to shove, he’ll become a repeat offender. As critic Roger Ebert noted in his rave review, “If Forrest Gump had been written by William Faulkner, the result might have been something like Sling Blade.
2. A SIMPLE PLAN
Thornton received a richly deserved Academy Award nomination as Best Supporting Actor in Sam Raimi’s 1998 neo-noirish adaptation of Scott B. Smith’s novel about three men who discover just how quickly dreams can turn into nightmares. While in the snowy woods near their small town, bookkeeper Hank Mitchell (Bill Paxton), his dim-witted brother Jacob (Billy BobThornton), and their buddy Lou (Brent Briscoe) discover a crashed plane containing $4.4 million in cash and a very seriously dead pilot. They agree to grab the money, save it in a secret place until the plane can be discovered, and then split the loot amongst themselves. Nothing good comes of this. If you’re not made of stone, Thornton’s final scene here will break your heart.
3. ARMAGEDDON
So what might happen after the giant hunk of rock bearing down on Earth makes impact? Dan Truman, the NASA chief authoritatively played by Thornton in Michael Bay’s 1998 blockbuster, doesn’t pull any punches: “There'd be an overnight breakdown of basic social services, world-wide. Rioting. Mass religious hysteria. Total chaos. You can imagine. Basically the worst parts of the bible.” So Truman recruits Harry S. Stamper (Bruce Willis), the world’s best deep-core oil driller, as ramrod for an effort to plant a nuke deep inside a killer asteroid described as “the size of Texas.” Stamper accepts the job — but only if he can ditch the astronauts assigned to the project, and bring along his hand-picked team of rowdy roughnecks.
4. PRIMARY COLORS
Mike Nichols’ sharply observed and insightful 1998 dramedy loosely based on the 1992 presidential campaign of Bill Clinton is at heart a tale of innocence lost, as an idealistic aide (Adrian Lester) discovers his candidate (John Travolta) is not quite the paragon of virtue that he appears. But Billy BobThornton steals every scene that isn’t bolted to the floor as Richard Jemmons, a irrepressibly blunt-spoken campaign staffer obviously inspired by Clinton strategist James Carville. Sample advice from this sage: “You’ re in the woods taking a shit and a wild boar comes charging at you. Do you pull your britches up and run? Or do you try to pull your britches up, and grab the doves you just shot, and then try to run, all at the same time? Or do you just forget about the doves, pull your britches up, and run, ’cause you got no time to aim and button your fly? And if you miss, you don’t want to die with your dick hanging out. See what I’m saying?” You can easily empathize with Emma Thompson, playing the presidential candidate’s wife, as she responds in befuddlement: “No.”
5. LOVE, ACTUALLY
In one of the deftly intertwined storylines of Richard Curtis’ enduringly popular 2003 comedy-drama, Thornton shows up at London’s No. 10 Downing Street as a U.S. President who none-too-subtly attempts to bully the new Prime Minster (Hugh Grant), and is not subtle at all as he puts moves on an ingenuous junior member of the PM’s staff (Martine McCutcheon). The scene in which the unexpectedly assertive PM puts the POTUS in his place at a press conference is priceless.
6. THE ALAMO
Thornton dominates John Lee Hancock’s 2004 take on the 1836 Texas battle with his cunning portrayal of a ruefully self-aware Davy Crockett. As the wily frontiersman turned living legend, Thornton suggests a 19th-century version of an aging action-movie star, a celebrity who enjoys the adulation of his fans even while he wearily shoulders the burden of their unrealistic expectations. His Davy Crockett –- who would really, really rather be addressed as David -– winds up pushing himself to greatness during the defense of the Alamo against Mexican forces largely because he knows he can't disappoint those who expect greatness of him. A nice touch: At the moment of his death, he appears greatly bemused by the realization that the way he dies will ensure his immortality.
7. 1883
Thornton made his first appearance in the Taylor Sheridan universe during “Behind Us, A Cliff,” Episode 102 of 1883. Making the absolute most of what essentially was a cameo, he played Marshal Jim Courtright, a no-nonsense Fort Worth lawman who serves as judge, jury and executioner for bad guys who killed members of the wagon train led by Sam Elliott. After eliminating the lawless bunch in a crowded saloon, Courtright sternly announces: “There’s only one killer in Fort Worth — and that’s me!” No else in the joint appears ready to argue the point.
