Woody Harrelson is the type of actor you’ve probably seen multiple times throughout his career no matter what type of shows or movies you enjoy taking in. From being a goofy bartender to a psychotic killer, Harrelson has the range to portray just about any role in any genre. This is a task that not many actors can achieve successfully, especially as both a lead and a supporting actor. Harrelson may not possess the star power of Tom Cruise, but he makes up for that with chameleon-like versatility and willingness to change depending on the project he’s involved in. We’re here to celebrate the Texas native by ranking the 10 best Woody Harrelson movies and TV shows.
Sports movies are not unfamiliar territory for Woody Harrelson, and this most recent dabbling in the genre is a surprisingly funny and feel-good approach to basketball. Harrelson plays a basketball coach who is tasked with helping a team of players with disabilities to the Promised Land. Harrelson is the main star of this one instead of playing a supporting role as he does in many of his other movies and shows, and Bobby Farrelly goes solo as a director for the first time here.
Star Wars isn’t a franchise that is especially kind to its actors; many of the stars of these films receive unwarranted backlash online from rabid fans. Although Solo as a film was a box office bomb, critics and fans can agree that the story of a young Han Solo was actually executed pretty well. Harrelson plays one of the main supporting roles, Han’s mentor named Beckett. He’s a mashup gunslinging Western character trope that Harrelson has so often played to perfection, and he does a nice job once again in this spinoff.
One of the most critically acclaimed performances of Woody Harrelson’s career, The People vs. Larry Flynt is a keenly aware biographical drama depicting the ins and outs of life in the pornography business told through the eyes of the titular Flynt. The main plot revolves around Flynt going to court after being sued for libel by televangelist Jerry Falwell. The movie can still be very educational today in a world where discussions over the First Amendment are alive and roaring.
The Coen brothers may not be everyone’s favorite directing team, but there’s no doubting the objective greatness of their storytelling techniques. Their best film is arguably No Country for Old Men, and Woody Harrelson is a major highlight of the movie despite not being one of the three main actors credited first. This adaptation of the Cormac McCarthy novel focuses on a variety of themes, such as psychosis and morality, while traveling across a sprawling Western landscape. Harrelson plays a bounty hunter named Carson Wells, and his short time on the screen is just as memorable as any of the other actors. The movie went on to become an Academy Award darling, winning Best Picture and several other accolades.
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