Woody Harrelson's Father Was a Twice Convicted Hit Man ...Saudi Arabia

Woody Harrelson is an award-winning actor known for his roles on Cheers, True Detective, Zombieland, The Hunger Games and more.

Woody and his two brothers were raised by their mother, Diane Harrelson, in Texas and Ohio. He became interested in acting in high school and studied English and theater arts at Hanover College. After moving to New York City, he caught his big break when he was cast as Woody Boyd in Cheers in 1985.

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Though he made his name and reputation on his own, there’s more to the Harrelson family than meets the eye. Here’s a look into Woody Harrelson’s father and what he’s famous for.

Woody Harrelson’s dad was Charles Harrelson, born July 23, 1938, in Lovelady, Texas. In his earlier life, he worked as an encyclopedia salesman and professional gambler. He married a total of four times.

When did Woody Harrelson’s parents get married?

Charles and Diane Harrelson married in the 1950s, sometime while Charles was on leave from the Navy, according to Texas Monthly. The pair moved to Los Angeles in 1959 where he sold encyclopedias. That same year, he was charged with robbery but got off with five years probation by serving as a jailhouse “snitch,” per the Houston Chronicle.

The Harrelsons relocated to Midland, Texas, in 1960 and welcomed their three sons – Jordan, Woody and Brett – all in a three-year period.

Related: Woody Harrelson's Net Worth in 2025 Is Worth a Hearty 'Cheers'

Charles was not a present father, and when Woody was a kid he left the family entirely.

“I think they separated when I was 7,” Woody said in a 2012 interview with The Guardian. “But he was gone a lot before that, in prison. Away and back. Away and back. It wasn’t like he was there all the time prior to that.”

He added, “[My mom] was well out of love with him. You know, I’ve got to give her credit because she never really soured us on him, she didn’t talk negative about him, never, ever. And she could have – he wasn’t the greatest husband. Or father.”

Was Woody Harrelson’s dad a hitman?

Charles Harrelson was a convicted hitman. He was charged three times with murder and convicted twice, spending two long stints in prison and ultimately dying there of a heart attack in 2007.

Related: 'Now You See Me 3' Welcomes Back an Original Cast Member and Says Goodbye to a Fan Favorite

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The first time Charles was charged with murder was for the 1968 killing of carpet seller Alan Berg. Allegedly, a rival carpet seller named Frank DiMaria hired Charles to kill Berg.

Woody heard the news on the radio, according to Texas Monthly, and would’ve been 7 to 10 years old at the time. His father was acquitted by a jury in September 1970.

Shortly afterward Charles was charged with a second murder – this time of grain dealer Sam Degelia. The Telegraph reports that Degelia’s business partner hired Charles for the murder to get the life insurance payout (or at least, that’s what the prosecution alleged). While the first trial ended in a deadlock, Charles was retried in 1973 and found guilty. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison; though he got out much earlier in 1978 for good behavior.

The streak of good behavior that got him out of prison may not have lasted, however, as he was soon charged with the 1979 murder of federal judge John Wood. Jimmy Chagra, a drug trafficker in Texas, allegedly paid Charles $250,000 to commit the murder, as Judge Wood was about to preside over his trial.

Charles was arrested in September 1980 after an FBI investigation. He was found guilty two years later and convicted to two life sentences in prison.

Who did Charles Harrelson kill?

Charles Harrelson was charged with three murders and found guilty of two. The two men he was convicted for killing were Texas grain dealer Sam Degelia (killed in 1968) and federal judge John Wood (killed in 1979).

Related: See the Cast of 'Cheers' Then and Now

In 1995 Charles Harrelson and two other inmates at a federal prison in Atlanta attempted to escape. They used a makeshift rope to try to make it over a wall, but surrendered after a guard fired a warning shot, per the Orlando Sentinel.

Charles was transferred to a Supermax facility in Colorado after the escape attempt, the Los Angeles Times reported.

What does Woody Harrelson think of his father?

Woody has said before he doesn’t think of Charles as a good father, but he also doesn’t seem to have hated him.

“This might sound odd to say about a convicted felon, but my father is one of the most articulate, well-read, charming people I’ve ever known," he told People in 1988. "Still, I’m just now gauging whether he merits my loyalty or friendship. I look at him as someone who could be a friend more than someone who was a father."

Both Woody and his brother Brett think the final murder their father was sent to prison for – the 1979 killing of Judge John Wood – was tried unfairly.

In a 1997 interview with Barbara Walters, Woody said, “I think that it was not a fair trial, especially because the guy who supposedly hired my father to commit the murder was later acquitted on a retrial. I’m not saying my father’s a saint, but I think he’s innocent of [the second murder].”

He told The Guardian in 2012 that he spent millions in legal fees to help his father. “I tried for years to get him out. To get him a new trial,” he said.

Charles passed away from a heart attack in a Colorado prison in 2007.

Related: Woody Harrelson Met His Wife Laura Louie When She Attended a Taping of 'Cheers'

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