Billy Bob ThorntonHe was born under the name "Billy Bob" and in Hot Springs, according to interview on Inside the Actors Studio (born August 4 1955) is an Academy Award-winning American screenwriter, actor, as well as occasional director, playwright and singer. He came to fame in the mid 1990s, after writing, directing, and starring in the film Sling Blade, and has since established a career as a Hollywood leading actor, having appeared in several successful films, including 2003's Bad Santa. Thornton has been described in media reports as "Hollywood's go-to alpha male". Biography Early life Thornton was born in Hot Springs, Arkansas, the son of Virginia Roberta (née Faulkner), a psychic, and Billy Ray Thornton, a high school history teacher and basketball coach.Stated on Inside the Actors Studio