Woody Harrelson's Real Name: Woodrow Tracy Harrelson

Quick answer: Woody Harrelson's full name is Woodrow Tracy Harrelson. He was born on July 23, 1961, in Midland, Texas, and performs under the nickname form Woody Harrelson.

Real name and early life

Britannica and the Television Academy identify Woody Harrelson as Woodrow Tracy Harrelson, born July 23, 1961, in Midland, Texas (Britannica; Television Academy; Biography.com). He was raised largely in Lebanon, Ohio, after his parents’ separation; his father, Charles Voyde Harrelson, later became notorious as a convicted hit man, a fact Woody has discussed carefully in interviews. He studied theater at Hanover College in Indiana before moving into professional acting. “Woody” is the familiar short form of Woodrow; Harrelson is the family surname.

Career highlights

Harrelson’s breakthrough was Woody Boyd, the dim, good-hearted bartender who joined Cheers after Coach’s death, earning Emmy attention across the late 1980s and early 1990s. Film roles expanded from comedy into dramatic leads and character parts: White Men Can’t Jump (1992), Natural Born Killers (1994), The People vs. Larry Flynt (1996, Oscar-nominated), No Country for Old Men (2007), The Messenger (2009, Oscar-nominated), True Detective Season 1 (2014, Emmy-nominated), and franchise turns in The Hunger Games series and Marvel’s Venom films. He is also known for environmental activism and a long partnership with Laura Louie. Across television and film, billing stayed Woody Harrelson; the documented full name is Woodrow Tracy Harrelson. Emmy and film databases index Woody Harrelson while encyclopedias spell out Woodrow Tracy on first reference. Reference works consistently restore Woodrow Tracy Harrelson when giving the birth name behind the familiar Woody billing.

Later credits and awards chatter kept the Woody form ubiquitous even as passport-style listings restore Woodrow Tracy.

Name notes for searchers

Woodrow is the formal given name; Woody is the professional nickname. Prefer Britannica, the Television Academy, and Biography.com over tabloid blurbs. Wikipedia is a pointer after those primaries.