William Robert Thornton is an Academy Award-winning American screenwriter, actor, and also an occasional director, playwright and singer. He has married five times and his most recent ex-wife is actress Angelina Jolie.

In his late twenties, Thornton settled on Los Angeles to pursue his career as an actor alongside future writing partner Tom Epperson. Like many other actors, Thornton had a difficult time succeeding as an actor while taking on several odd jobs such as telemarketing, fast food management, and any way to support himself while waiting for a big break. He suffered a bout of myocarditis (inflammation of the heart) due to a diet of potatoes, which was the only food he could afford. With his mother's encouragement, Thornton kept plugging away for his big break. It was later on while Thornton was working as a waiter for an industry event that he was serving film director Billy Wilder. Thornton struck up a conversation with the film legend who advised the actor that given his not so movie star-like looks, he should consider writing to help utilize both his looks and his skills. Thornton put this advice to good use, going on to write, direct and star in Sling Blade.

He first came to semi-prominence as a cast member on the CBS sitcom Hearts Afire with John Ritter and Markie Post. His role as the villain in One False Move brought him to the attention of critics. He also had small roles in films like Indecent Proposal, On Deadly Ground, and Tombstone.

In 1996, he wrote, directed, and starred in an independent film titled Sling Blade, an expansion of a short film titled Some Folks Call It a Sling Blade. It is the story of Karl Childers, a mentally retarded man. Sling Blade garnered international acclaim, won Thornton an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay (as well as a nomination for his performance), which made him an overnight movie star.

Thornton is a rare celebrity in that he has A-list status, but plays both leading-man roles and character roles. His Southern, small-town persona has led him to be cast in a number of down-to-earth, "regular guy" parts. Even his role as the legendary Davy Crockett in 2004's The Alamo made an effort to demythologize the character and bring out his human foibles.

After his success in Hollywood, Thornton, who has a life-long love for music, decided to start a singer-songwriter career. The result was the dark and personal roots rock album Private Radio, released in 2001. After that Thornton has released two more albums, the critically-acclaimed The Edge of the World in 2003 and Hobo in 2005. He also performed the Warren Zevon song The Wind on the tribute album Enjoy Every Sandwich: Songs of Warren Zevon.

Thornton has stated on several occasions that he has obsessive-compulsive disorder. He is known for various idiosyncratic behaviors, well-documented in interviews with the actor. Among these is a phobia for antique furniture, something shared by the Dwight Yoakam character in the Thornton-penned Sling Blade. That trait was also added to Thornton's character in the 2001 film Bandits. He and actress Angelina Jolie famously wore vials of each others' blood around their necks while married to each other. Thornton lives in Los Angeles.