The best Woody Harrelson movies and TV shows reveal just how underutilized the award-winning actor truly is in many of his most widely recognized roles. Born in Texas in 1961, Woody Harrelson has been an active presence on screens since 1985 (following a brief stint as an uncredited extra in movies like 1978’s Harpy Valley PTA). However, it would take some years before Woody Harrelson managed to find his way to the spotlight, with his big break coming in 1985 with the role of Woody Boyd in the hit sitcom Cheers.
Following his part in Cheers, Woody Harrelson’s career began progressing at a much faster pace. Roles in movies like 1992’s White Men Can’t Jump, 1993’s Indecent Proposal, and 1994’s Natural Born Killers helped keep his name in the spotlight. Audiences couldn’t get enough of his unique vocal delivery thanks to his soothing-yet-invigorating strong Texan accent. As the years progressed, the True Detective and Zombieland star found himself cast in many critically-acclaimed projects, and the best Woody Harrelson movies and TV shows demonstrate how he cemented his status as a celebrated and respected actor.
10
Natural Born Killers (1994)
Woody Harrelson Plays Mickey Knox
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10/10
16
8.1/10
Natural Born Killers
R
The 1994 crime thriller Natural Born Killers, adapted from an original story by Quentin Tarantino and directed by Oliver Stone, tells the story of two murderers who become celebrities due to their charming personality. Woody Harrelson and Juliette Lewis star as criminals Mickey and Mallory Knox, with Robert Downey Jr. as sleazy journalist Wayne Gale, Tom Sizemore as Detective Jack Scagnetti, and Tommy Lee Jones as Warden Dwight McClusky.
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Release Date
August 26, 1994
Runtime
118 minutes
Cast
Robert Downey Jr.
, Juliette Lewis
, Tom Sizemore
, Woody Harrelson
, Rodney Dangerfield
Director
Oliver Stone
From director Oliver Stone with a story by the legendary Quentin Tarantino, 1994’s Natural Born Killers was Woody Harrelson’s first opportunity to lead a cast in a crime drama. The actor’s first notable foray outside the realms of comedies like Cheers and White Men Can’t Jump was a huge success for the actor, and Natural Born Killers remains one of the best Woody Harrelson movies because of it.
As expected from a Tarantino story, Natural Born Killers was controversial upon its release due to its combination of excessive violence with a deliberate (if subtle) comedic tone. However, it’s this tongue-in-cheek approach to some incredibly dark subject matter that made the role perfect for Woody Harrelson. It’s perhaps the most significant movie appearance of his earlier career when considering his wider filmography, and playing Mickey Knox allowed him to showcase just how wide his range as an actor truly is, paving the way for his critically acclaimed future projects like No Country For Old Men and True Detective.
9
The Hunger Games (2012)
Woody Harrelson Plays Haymitch Abernathy
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8/10
9.4/10
The Hunger Games
PG-13
The Hunger Games is the first of four in the action-drama movie series based on the novels by Suzanne Collins. Set in a dystopian world where people are separated into twelve districts to maintain order, this first film in the franchise focuses on Katniss Everdeen as she is forced to participate in The Hunger Games: a draconian gladiatorial survival event where there can be only one winner.
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Release Date
March 12, 2012
Runtime
142 minutes
Cast
Liam Hemsworth
, Jeffrey Wright
, Natalie Dormer
, Josh Hutcherson
, Julianne Moore
, Elizabeth Banks
, Robert Knepper
, Donald Sutherland
, Woody Harrelson
, Jennifer Lawrence
, Jena Malone
, Philip Seymour Hoffman
Director
Gary Ross
Expand
In the 2020s, Woody Harrelson is considered a household name as an actor. This is largely thanks to his work in many blockbuster Hollywood franchises, such as the Now You See Me movies, and playing antagonists in the likes of Venom: Let There Be Carnage and War for the Planet of the Apes. However, when it comes to his big-budget franchise films, it’s The Hunger Games and its sequels that more than deserve a spot among the best Woody Harrelson movies.
From the 2012 original through to 2015’s The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2, Woody Harrelson played Haymitch Abernathy, a former Hunger Games champion from District 12 and important mentor to Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence). Unlike many of his roles in blockbuster Hollywood franchises, the role of Haymitch allows Woody Harrelson to display the wide range of emotional depth in his performance present in many of his most critically acclaimed performances. Haymitch is one of the most nuanced and complex characters in The Hunger Games, and it’s hard to imagine anyone doing the character justice quite like Woody Harrelson.
8
White Men Can’t Jump (1992)
Woody Harrelson Plays Billy Hoyle
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White Men Can’t Jump
White Men Can’t Jump is a sports comedy film set in Los Angeles, starring Woody Harrelson and Wesley Snipes. The film follows two street basketball hustlers who team up to con their way through various games and tournaments. Directed by Ron Shelton, it explores themes of friendship, trust, and racial dynamics against the backdrop of urban street culture.
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Release Date
March 27, 1992
Runtime
115 Minutes
Cast
Wesley Snipes
, Woody Harrelson
, Rosie Perez
Director
Ron Shelton
1992’s White Men Can’t Jump is the best Woody Harrelson movie of the actor’s early career, and one of his strongest outings in the comedy genre. Starring alongside Wesley Snipes, Harrelson appears in the cult-classic sports movie as Billy Hoyle, an ex-Collge basketball star who now makes his living hustling other amateur players. However, he’s also on the run thanks to gambling debts, adding an extra layer of dramatic tension to the narrative.
While it doesn’t have the nuanced complexity of many of the later roles of Woody Harrelson’s filmography following his moving into the realms of gritty dramas, White Men Can’t Jump should still be considered essential viewing among the most iconic Woody Harrelson movies. His chemistry with co-star Wesley Snipes is superb, and the 1992 movie from director Ron Shelton is not only a cult classic, but also an important career milestone for Harrelson.
7
No Country For Old Men (2007)
Woody Harrelson Plays Carson Wells
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9/10
7.9/10
No Country for Old Men
No Country for Old Men is a western crime-thriller based on the novel by Cormac McCarthy and directed by the Cohen Brothers. Following three protagonists, the film centers around a large $2,000,000+ cache of dirty money lost near the Rio Grande. With a veteran who finds it, a hitman who will stop at nothing to get it, and a sheriff trying to investigate the crimes connected to it, all roads lead to death and mayhem as they find themselves in each other’s crosshairs.
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Release Date
November 21, 2007
Runtime
122 minutes
Cast
Kelly Macdonald
, Woody Harrelson
, Josh Brolin
, Javier Bardem
, Tommy Lee Jones
Director
Joel Coen
, Ethan Coen
The classic Coen Brothers film No Country for Old Men is an interesting one when it comes to its place among the best Woody Harrelson movies and TV shows. As a film overall, it’s arguably stronger than the majority of projects Harrelson has been a part of, as it’s one of the most universally celebrated movies of all time. However, Harrelson’s character of Carson Wells is relatively minor. His lack of screen time compared to co-stars like Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Bardem, and Josh Brolin precludes No Country for Old Men from being ranked higher among Harrelson’s wider body of work.
Carson Wells as a character has many elements that would re-emerge in many of Harrelson’s later projects, whether gritty crime dramas like Marty Hart in True Detective or more lighthearted action-comedies like Tallahassee in Zombieland.
Still, this doesn’t mean that his performance as Carson Wells, the grizzled bounty hunter tasked with capturing Lewyelyn Moss (Brolin), isn’t an incredibly strong one. Woody Harrelson manages to bring a captivating energy to Carson, and it’s hard to imagine anyone else in the role. It’s also inarguably his best movie appearance of the 2000s, and Carson Wells as a character has many elements that would re-emerge in many of Harrelson’s later projects, whether gritty crime dramas like Marty Hart in True Detective or more lighthearted action-comedies like Tallahassee in Zombieland.
6
True Detective (2014-Present)
Woody Harrelson Plays Detective Marty Hart
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8/10
17
9.2/10
True Detective
TV-MA
True Detective is an anthology series exploring intricate criminal investigations through multiple timelines. Each season examines dark personal and professional secrets revealed during the course of solving complex cases, highlighting the impact of crime on individuals both within and outside the law enforcement community.
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Release Date
January 12, 2014
Network
HBO Max
Cast
Matthew McConaughey
, Colin Farrell
, Mahershala Ali
, Woody Harrelson
, Vince Vaughn
, Stephen Dorff
, Michelle Monaghan
, Rachel McAdams
, Carmen Ejogo
, Michael Potts
, Taylor Kitsch
, Scoot McNairy
, Tory Kittles
, Kelly Reilly
, Ray Fisher
, Chris Kerson
, Ritchie Coster
, Christopher James Baker
, Afemo Omilami
, James Frain
, Abigail Spencer
, Jodie Foster
, Kali Reis
, Fiona Shaw
, Finn Bennett
, Isabella Star LaBlanc
, Christopher Eccleston
, John Hawkes
, Dana Gourrier
, Madison Wolfe
, J.D. Evermore
Creator(s)
Issa López
, Nic Pizzolatto
Seasons
4
Expand
HBO’s anthology crime drama True Detective has been a hit across all four of its seasons, though it’s the debut chapter that remains the most celebrated. What’s more, appearing as Detective Marty Hart in True Detective season 1 stands as one of the best Woody Harrelson TV shows so far. Appearing alongside co-lead Matthew McConaughey (with whom he shares impeccable chemistry), Harrelson was nominated for several awards for his True Detective performance, including a Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series and a Golden Globe for Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film.
True Detective was an important career milestone for Woody Harrelson. It allowed him to step into a central role that truly celebrate just how suited his skills were for gritty crime dramas, as he plays the part of grizzled, jaded cops exceptionally well. It’s a role in which he perfected many of the skills he’d later bring to the big screen in movies like Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, and to this day he’s yet to appear in a drama on the small screen that comes close to matching his time on True Detective.
5
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017)
Woody Harrelson Plays Bill Willoughby
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7/10
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
R
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri revolves around Mildred Hayes, who challenges local law enforcement by posting provocative messages on billboards following the unsolved murder of her daughter. This action brings her into conflict with the town’s respected police chief and his volatile deputy, intensifying the tension in their small community.
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Release Date
December 1, 2017
Cast
Peter Dinklage
, Caleb Landry Jones
, Woody Harrelson
, Sam Rockwell
, Abbie Cornish
, Kerry Condon
Director
Martin McDonagh
One of the most interesting aspects of Woody Harrelson’s career is that his best movies and strongest performances don’t correlate with his most well-known films. This is perhaps evidenced nowhere better than in the 2017 crime drama Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. Released the same year as the blockbuster hit War for the Planet of the Apes, the audience for Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri was undoubtedly much smaller. However, Harrelson’s performance as Bill Willoughby in the crime drama from director Martin McDonagh ensures it’s much more deserving of its place among the actor’s best films.
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri is incredibly critically acclaimed, winning numerous accolades including four Golden Globes, three Screen Actors Guild awards, and seven Academy Award nominations (including the coveted Best Picture). Like fellow cast members Same Rockwell and Frances McDormand, Harrelson’s performance received near-universal praise. It’s one of the best examples of his suitability for serious and emotionally-jarring dramas, and should be considered essential viewing for Woody Harrelson fans who are mostly familiar with his work in franchises like The Hunger Games or Now You See Me.
4
The Messenger (2009)
Woody Harrelson Plays Captain Tony Stone
2009’s The Messenger is another one of the best Woody Harrelson movies that’s far more critically acclaimed than many of his more well-known roles in blockbuster franchises. While more viewers may have seen Harrelson in the likes of Venom: Let There Be Carnage or War for the Planet of the Apes, his performance in The Messenger tops them with ease. This is evidenced by his many award nominations and wins for the role of Captain Tony Stone. These included winning the 2009 Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male, and nominations in the same category at both the Golden Globes and the Academy Awards.
Outside of Harrelson’s accolades for his performance, The Messenger also received many award wins and nominations as a film overall, further cementing its place among the greatest Woody Harrelson movies. The war drama from director Oren Moverman is one of Harrelson’s most grounded projects to date, and showcases a side of the actor’s range that his blockbuster movies never truly provide an opportunity to display.
3
The People Vs. Larry Flynt (1996)
Woody Harrelson Plays Larry Flynt
Directed by Milos Forman, 1996’s The People vs. Larry Flynt is perhaps Woody Harrelson’s most critically acclaimed and celebrated role, and landed him an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor (and also saw Forman nominated for a Best Director award too). It’s also a rather unique entry among the best Woody Harrelson movies, as it’s the only time the actor flexes his abilities in a biopic. Harrelson plays the titular Larry Flynt in the drama, the real-life adult media publisher and free speech activist who found himself at the center of one of the most intriguing legal battles in US history.
Woody Harrelson gave a career-defining performance in The People vs. Larry Flynt. It was perhaps the role that helped cement him as a serious actor suitable for heavier roles in dramas outside comedies like White Men Can’t Jump and Cheers that defined his reputation in the early-to-mid 1990s. The Academy Award nomination was well-deserved, especially given how much range Harrelson displayed in depicting Flynt across a staggering 35 years of the central character’s life.
2
Zombieland (2009)
Woody Harrelson Plays Tallahassee
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5/10
8.6/10
Zombieland
R
After a zombie virus wipes out modern society, those left to navigate the wasteland must live by a certain set of rules. Zombieland follows Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg) as he meets Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson), and they join forces to survive the apocalypse. They soon team up with sisters Wichita (Emma Stone) and Little Rock (Abigail Breslin), and the group embark on a cross-country trip in search of refuge from the zombie horde.
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Release Date
October 2, 2009
Runtime
88 minutes
Cast
Emma Stone
, Jesse Eisenberg
, Woody Harrelson
, Abigail Breslin
Director
Ruben Fleischer
When it comes to the absolute best Woody Harrelson movie, Zombieland is arguably his most iconic role. While it may not be the most critically acclaimed, the zombie comedy-horror is the most widely accessible of his works, as it has a much broader appeal than the likes of The Messenger or The People vs. Larry Flynt. However, this isn’t the chief reason it ranks so highly among the best Woody Harrelson movies and TV shows.
Woody Harrelson has amassed a devoted following thanks to his unique vocal delivery courtesy of his strong mid-Texas accent, and his ability to perfectly walk the line between the serious and the comedic. Of all his movie roles, none celebrate these iconic aspects of his skills like Tallahassee in Zombieland. While not his most critically acclaimed film, it is the quintessential Woody Harrelson performance and wraps a little piece of every one of his other iconic roles neatly into a single, hilarious, and action-packed viewing experience.
1
Cheers (1985-1993)
Woody Harrelson Plays Woody Boyd
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9/10
16
8.9/10
Cheers
TV-PG
Sitcom
One of the most well-known American sitcoms of the 1980s and 90s, Cheers is primarily set in Boston at the Cheers bar, and features and ensemble cast that includes Ted Danson, Shelley Long, Rhea Pearlman, Kelsey Grammer, and George Wendt. Danson’s Sam Malone acts as the bar’s proprietor, and episodes depict the lives of Cheers’ staff and patrons during the bar’s operating hours. The series ran for 11 seasons and gave rise to popular spin-off shows such as Frasier.
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Release Date
September 30, 1982
Cast
Ted Danson
, Shelley Long
, Nicholas Colasanto
, Rhea Perlman
, George Wendt
, John Ratzenberger
, Kelsey Grammer
, Woody Harrelson
, Kirstie Alley
, Bebe Neuwirth
Seasons
11
Showrunner
James Burrows
, Glen Charles
, Les Charles
, Ken Estin
, Sam Simon
, David Angell
, Peter Casey
, David Lee
, Bill Steinkellner
, Cheri Steinkellner
, Phoef Sutton
, Tom Anderson
, Dan O’Shannon
While Woody Harrelson has become known for his skills in gritty drama movies as well as comedies, it’s the classic sitcom Cheers that cemented him as a household name. What’s more, Cheers still remains the best Woody Harrelson TV show to date. For his performance as bartender Woody Boyd, Harrelson received a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series, and an American Comedy Award for Funniest Newcomer.
A classic sitcom from the 1980s and 1990s may not seem like the most obvious place for fans to find his best work, but Woody Harrelson fans should consider Cheers essential viewing.
Woody Harrelson made his debut in Cheers season 4, and quickly became one of the highlights of the show. Not only was the dimwitted yet lovable Cheers bartender one of his most iconic performances, but it’s also the role in which the actor mastered many of the unique mannerisms present in every one of the best Woody Harrelson movies and TV shows. A classic sitcom from the 1980s and 1990s may not seem like the most obvious place for fans to find his best work, but Woody Harrelson fans should consider Cheers essential viewing.