Billy Bob Thornton - ©Theda Bara

The actor I bring to this post is the American William Robert Thornton, known in Hollywood as: Billy Bob Thornton. In addition to being an actor, he is a musician, screenwriter and filmmaker, but he is more famous for the controversy surrounding his six marriages than for his films.

Enjoying the Christmas period, I remember that Billy Bob Thornton played a criminal Santa Claus “Willie Soke” in the films: “Bad Santa” (2003) and “Bad Santa 2” (2016). These films feature a con man, who makes a living disguised as Santa Claus to rob stores at Christmas, along with his partner “Marcus Skidmore”, a dwarf who disguises himself as an elf, played by the American actor: Joseph Anthony -Tony Cox (1958- ).

Billy Bob Thornton won the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay, 1997, for “Sling Blade” (1996) and two Golden Globes: Best Actor in a Miniseries or Television Film, 2015, for “Fargo” (2014) and Best Actor in a Series Dramatic, 2017, in “Goliath” (2016).

The actor has his star on the Los Angeles Walk of Fame, at Hollywood Boulevard: 6801, Cinema category.

William Robert Thornton was born on August 14, 1955, Hot Springs, Arkansas, United States, now 68 years old.

The actor is on his sixth marriage. Melissa Lee Gatlin (1953-) was Billy's first wife. She was married to him for two years, from 1978 to 1980. The couple's daughter, Amanda Brumfield Thornton, was arrested by Florida police on charges of neglect in the death of a baby. Amanda cared for the one-year-old girl, who died after falling from a toy and hitting her head. She ended up sentenced to 20 years in prison for murder; Bob's second marriage once again lasted just two years, this time with American actress Toni Lawrence (1948-) from 1986 to 1988; third wife was another American actress, Cinda Williams (1966-) another two-year marriage, from 1990 to 1992; the fourth wife was Playboy model Pietra Dawn Cherniak (1970-) from 1993 to 1997, in a five-year relationship, the couple had two sons: William Thornton (1993-) and Harry James Thornton (1994-); the fifth wife was the famous and talented American actress Angelina Jolie (1975-) from 2000 to 2003 and finally, the sixth wife is the film special effects producer, the American Connie Angland (1964-) since 2014, with whom he has been married for almost a decade. The couple have a daughter Bella Thornton (2004-).