Woody Harrelson's Father Was a Convicted Hitman.

2 hours ago7 min read1 comments

The dark legacy shadowing Woody Harrelson's celebrated career is a narrative ripped from a Coen brothers script, a stark contrast to the affable bartender he played on 'Cheers. ' His father, Charles Voyde Harrelson, was no ordinary man; by September 2, 1980, he had cemented his infamy, confessing after a tense six-hour standoff with police to the contract killing of Federal Judge John H.Wood Jr. in San Antonio, Texas.Judge Wood, known as 'Maximum John' for his harsh sentences in drug cases, was the first federal judge assassinated in the 20th century, a hit allegedly ordered by drug lord Jamiel Chagra, who feared an upcoming trial. Charles Harrelson, a known gambler and charmer, didn't stop there; he later bragged, with a chilling audacity that defies comprehension, of involvement in the assassination of President John F.Kennedy—a claim widely dismissed by authorities but one that adds a layer of mythic American darkness to his story. This is the grim inheritance Woody has carried, a man who built a career on laconic, often morally ambiguous characters, perhaps finding a strange, method-acting inspiration in the paternal void filled with violence.The actor has spoken sparingly but poignantly about this history, acknowledging the complexity of loving a father who was a ghost, then a prisoner, and ultimately a figure of national horror. He recalled a childhood visit to prison, a moment of surreal normalcy, and the eventual estrangement as the full weight of his father's actions settled in.Charles Harrelson was convicted and sentenced to two life terms, dying in his cell at the Supermax prison in 2007, a coda to a life of crime that forever links a beloved sitcom star to one of the most brazen judicial murders in U. S.history. It’s a story that forces a re-evaluation of the Harrelson persona, suggesting the easygoing charm is a performance layered over a deep, personal understanding of the brutal consequences of a life of crime, a theme he would later explore with terrifying authenticity in films like 'Natural Born Killers. ' The dichotomy is profound: the man who made America laugh for years as Woody Boyd is the same man who had to reconcile with the fact that his father was a convicted hitman, a real-life villain whose story is more shocking than any Hollywood plot.

#featured

#Charles Harrelson

#hitman

#Cheers

#Woody Harrelson

#true crime

#celebrity family

#Vice

Stay Informed. Act Smarter.

Get weekly highlights, major headlines, and expert insights — then put your knowledge to work in our live prediction markets.