The Harrelson Divide: How a Convicted Hitman Father Shaped Woody's World

3 hours ago7 min read1 comments

Behind Woody Harrelson's successful Hollywood career, marked by the affable Woody Boyd on 'Cheers' and edgy roles in films like 'Natural Born Killers,' lies a family history steeped in real-life crime. His father, Charles Voyde Harrelson, was a convicted contract killer whose notoriety was sealed on September 2, 1980, following a six-hour standoff with police.He confessed to the assassination of U. S.District Judge John H. Wood Jr., known as 'Maximum John' for his tough stance on drug cases. This murder, the first of a federal judge in the 20th century, sent shockwaves through the nation's legal system and triggered an intensive federal manhunt.Charles Harrelson further clouded his legacy with unsubstantiated boasts of involvement in the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, claims repeatedly dismissed by investigators but which added a layer of macabre legend to his story.For Woody, this paternal connection was a source of profound personal conflict, involving visits to his father in high-security prisons like the Atlanta Penitentiary and a lifelong navigation of a relationship defined by crime and ultimate incarceration—Charles died in prison in 2007. Their story presents a stark contrast between two Americas: the glamour of Hollywood and the grim reality of the criminal underworld. More than a tabloid footnote, the Harrelson saga is a poignant exploration of identity, legacy, and the complex inheritance of a family's dark past, themes that resonate deeply within the morally complex characters Woody Harrelson often portrays.

#featured

#Charles Harrelson

#hitman

#Cheers

#Woody Harrelson

#true crime

#celebrity family

#Vice

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