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Biography:

Woods grew up in Warwick, R.I. He graduated from Pilgrim High School there in 1965 near the top of his class and attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, in Cambridge, Mass. He dropped out to pursue his acting career shortly before his scheduled graduation in 1969.

Slender, intense actor whose boring eyes, pockmarked face and curled lips added an aura of menace to many of his early characterizations-most of which, it should be noted, were psychotics and sociopaths. An MIT graduate (who majored in political science!), the intimidatingly intelligent Woods made a name for himself in character parts but, in recent years, has sought after "good guy" roles that ostensibly add luster to his star but aren't nearly as interesting as, say, his cop killer in The Onion Field (1979), his obsessive hoodlum in Against All Odds (1984), or his cold-blooded hit man in Best Seller (1987). Oscar-nominated for his incredibly forceful performance as a scheming journalist in Salvador (1986), Woods has shown real versatility, bringing charm and humor to Joshua Then and Now (1985), over-the-top comedy to The Hard Way (1991), and old-fashioned charisma to his best starring vehicle, True Believer (1989), in which he played a 1960s radical turned "people's champion"-style lawyer. He first attracted attention on the TV miniseries "Holocaust" (1978) and has found great opportunities in that medum ever since. He won Emmy Awards for his outstanding performances in the telefilms Promise (1986, as James Garner's schizophrenic brother) and My Name Is Bill W (1989, as the longtime drunk who cofounded Alcoholics Anonymous), and was ideally cast as notorious lawyer Roy Cohn in the cable-TV movie Citizen Cohn (1992).

Actor - filmography

This Girl's Life (2003) (completed) .... Pops
Rudy: The Rudy Giuliani Story (2003) (TV) .... Rudolph 'Rudy' Giuliani
Northfork (2003) .... Walter O'Brien
Legend of the Lost Tribe (2002) (TV) (voice: USA version) .... Narrator/The Vikings
... aka Robbie the Reindeer in Legend of the Lost Tribe (2002) (TV) (USA)
Mickey's House of Villains (2002) (V) (voice) .... Hades
Rolie Polie Olie: The Great Defender of Fun (2002) (V) (voice) .... Gloomius Maximus
... aka William Joyce's Rolie Polie Olie: The Great Defender of Fun (2002) (V) (USA: complete title)
Stuart Little 2 (2002) (voice) .... Falcon
Kingdom Hearts (2002) (VG) (voice) .... Hades, Lord of the Dead
John Q (2002) .... Dr. Raymond Turner
... aka John Q. (2002) (USA: poster title)
Race to Space (2001) .... Dr. Wilhelm Von Huber
Riding in Cars with Boys (2001) .... Mr. Leonard D'Onofrio
Scary Movie 2 (2001) .... Father McFeely
... aka Scarier Movie (2001) (UK)
Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (2001) (voice) .... Gen. Hein
... aka Fainaru fantaji (2001) (Japan)
Recess: School's Out (2001) (voice) .... Benedict
"House of Mouse" (2001) TV Series (voice) .... Hades
Dirty Pictures (2000) (TV) .... Dennis
Hercules: Zero to Hero (1999) (V) (voice) .... Hades: Lord of the Dead
World's Deadliest Earthquakes (1999) (TV) .... Host
Hooves of Fire (1999) (TV) (voice: USA version) .... Narrator
... aka Robbie the Reindeer in Hooves of Fire (1999) (TV)
Any Given Sunday (1999) .... Dr. Harvey Mandrake
General's Daughter, The (1999) .... Col. Robert Moore
... aka Wehrlos - Die Tochter des Generals (1999) (Germany)
Virgin Suicides, The (1999) .... Mr. Lisbon
... aka Sofia Coppola's the Virgin Suicides (2000) (USA: complete title)
True Crime (1999) .... Alan Mann
Another Day in Paradise (1998) .... Mel
"Hercules" (1998) TV Series (voice) .... Hades
... aka "Disney's Hercules" (1998) (USA)
Vampires (1998) .... Jack Crow
... aka John Carpenter's Vampires (1998) (USA: complete title)
... aka Vampire$ (1998) (USA)
Of Light and Darkness (1998) (VG) .... Voice of Gar Hob
Hercules (1997/II) (VG) (voice) .... Hades: Lord of the Dead
Contact (1997) .... Michael Kitz, National Security Advisor
Hercules (1997) (voice) .... Hades; Lord of the Underworld
Kicked in the Head (1997) .... Uncle Sam
Ghosts of Mississippi (1996) .... Byron De La Beckwith
... aka Ghosts From the Past (1996)
Summer of Ben Tyler, The (1996) (TV) .... Temple Rayburn
Killer: A Journal of Murder (1996) .... Carl Panzram
... aka Killer, The (1996)
For Better or Worse (1996) .... Reggie Makeshift
Nixon (1995) .... H. R. Haldeman
Casino (1995) .... Lester Diamond
... aka Casino (1995) (France)
Indictment: The McMartin Trial (1995) (TV) .... Danny Davis
Specialist, The (1994) .... Ned Trent
... aka Especialista, El (1994) (Peru)
Curse of the Starving Class (1994) .... Weston Tate
Next Door (1994) (TV) .... Matt Coler
Getaway, The (1994) .... Jack Benyon
Jane's House (1994) (TV) .... Paul Clark
"Fallen Angels" (1993) TV Series .... Mickey Cohen (Since I Don't Have You)
Chaplin (1992) .... Lawyer Scott
... aka Charlot (1992) (Italy)
Citizen Cohn (1992) (TV) .... Roy Marcus Cohn
Diggstown (1992) .... Gabriel Caine
... aka Midnight Sting (1992)
Straight Talk (1992) .... Jack Russell
Voices that Care (1991) (TV) .... Host & Chor Member
Boys, The (1991) (TV) .... Walter Farmer
... aka Guys, The (1991) (TV)
Hard Way, The (1991) .... Detective Lt. John Moss, NYPD
Women and Men: Stories of Seduction (1990) (TV) .... Robert
Immediate Family (1989) .... Michael Spector
My Name Is Bill W. (1989) (TV) .... Bill Wilson
True Believer (1989) .... Eddie Dodd
... aka Fighting Justice (1989)
Boost, The (1988) .... Lenny
Cop (1988) .... Lloyd Hopkins
Best Seller (1987) .... Cleve
In Love and War (1987) (TV) .... James B. 'Jim' Stockdale
Promise (1986) (TV) .... D.J.
Salvador (1986) .... Richard Boyle
Badge of the Assassin (1985) (TV) .... Robert K. Tannenbaum, Assistant District Attorney
Joshua Then and Now (1985) .... Joshua Shapiro
Cat's Eye (1985) .... Richard 'Dick' Morrison (segment "Quitter's Inc.")
... aka Stephen King's Cat's Eye (1985)
Terror in the Aisles (1984) (archive footage) .... Max Renn (segment "Videodrome")
... aka Time for Terror (1984) (Europe: video title English title)
Against All Odds (1984) .... Jake Wise
Once Upon a Time in America (1984) .... Maximilian 'Max' Bercovicz
... aka C'era una volta in America (1984) (Italy)
Videodrome (1983) .... Max Renn
Fast-Walking (1982) .... Fast-Walking
Split Image (1982) .... Charles Pratt
... aka Captured (1982) (Canada: English title)
... aka Envoûtement, L' (1982) (Canada: French title)
Eyewitness (1981) .... Aldo Mercer
... aka Janitor, The (1981)
Black Marble, The (1980) .... The Fiddler
Onion Field, The (1979) .... Gregory Powell
And Your Name Is Jonah (1979) (TV) .... Danny Corelli
Incredible Journey of Doctor Meg Laurel, The (1979) (TV) .... Sin Eater
Gift of Love, The (1978) (TV) .... Alfred Browning
"Holocaust" (1978) (mini) TV Series .... Karl Weiss
Choirboys, The (1977) .... Harold Bloomguard
... aka Änglarna (1977)
Raid on Entebbe (1977) (TV) .... Capt. Sammy Berg
Billion Dollar Bubble, The (1976)
Disappearance of Aimee, The (1976) (TV) .... Assistant District Attorney Joseph Ryan
Alex & the Gypsy (1976) .... Crainpool
... aka Love and Other Crimes (1976)
F. Scott Fitzgerald in Hollywood (1976) (TV) .... Leonard 'Lenny' Schoenfeld
Distance (1975) .... Larry
Foster and Laurie (1975) (TV) .... Addict
Night Moves (1975) .... Quentin
Gambler, The (1974) .... Bank Officer
Way We Were, The (1973) .... Frankie McVeigh
Visitors, The (1972) .... Bill Schmidt
Great American Tragedy, A (1972) (TV) .... Rick
Hickey & Boggs (1972) .... Lieutenant Wyatt
Footsteps (1972) (TV) .... Reporter
... aka Foosteps: Nice Guys Finish Last (1972) (TV) (USA)
... aka Nice Guys Finish Last (1972) (TV)
All the Way Home (1971) (TV) .... Andrew Lynch

Producer - filmography

Northfork (2003) (executive producer)
Another Day in Paradise (1998) (producer)
Cop (1988) (producer)

Director - filmography

Falling in Love in Pongo Ponga (2002)

Writer - filmography

Falling in Love in Pongo Ponga (2002)

Himself - filmography

Behind the Scenes of 'John Q' (2002) (V) .... Himself
Return to the Onion Field, The (2002) (V) .... Himself
Founding Brothers (2002) (TV) (voice) .... John Adams
America: A Tribute to Heroes (2001) (TV) .... Himself
Breaking the Silence: The Making of 'Hannibal' (2001) (V) .... Himself (N.Y. Premiere after party)
2001 IFP/West Independent Spirit Awards, The (2001) (TV) (uncredited) .... Himself
"Founding Fathers" (2000) (mini) TV Series (voice) .... John Adams
AFI's 100 Years... 100 Stars (1999) (TV) .... Himself
Full Contact: The Making of 'Any Given Sunday' (1999) (TV) .... Himself
True Crime: The Scene of the Crime (1999) (V) .... Alan Mann
Play It to the Bone (1999) .... Himself (ringside fan)
... aka Play It (1999) (USA: promotional title)
AFI 100 Years... 100 Movies: The Antiheroes (1998) .... Himself
America's Endangered Species: Don't Say Good-bye (1998) (TV) .... Narrator
I Think I Cannes (1997) (uncredited) .... Himself
... aka All Access (1997) (France)
American Film Institute Salute to Martin Scorsese, The (1997) (TV) .... Himself
5th Annual American Cinema Awards (1990) (TV) .... Himself
Funny, You Don't Look 200: A Constitutional Vaudeville (1987) (TV) .... Himself

Notable TV Guest Appearances

"Clerks" (2000) playing "Major Baklava" (voice) in episode: "The Pilot" (episode # 1.3) 22 December 2002
"Howard Stern Show, The" (1994) playing "Himself" 8 February 1999
"Simpsons, The" (1989) playing "Himself" (voice) in episode: "Homer and Apu" (episode # 5.13) 10 February 1994
"Inside the Actors Studio" (1994) playing "Himself"
"Dream On" (1990) playing "Martin's lawyer in Uncle Bouncy suit"
"Young Maverick" (1979) in episode: "Dead Man's Hand: Part 2" (episode # 1.5) 2 January 1980
"Young Maverick" (1979) in episode: "Dead Man's Hand: Part 1" (episode # 1.4) 26 December 1979
"Police Story" (1973) playing "Lewis Packer" in episode: "Thanksgiving" (episode # 4.7) 23 November 1976
"Barnaby Jones" (1973) playing "Danny Reeves" in episode: "Sins of Thy Father" (episode # 5.3) 21 October 1976
"Rookies, The" (1972) in episode: "A Time to Mourn" (episode # 4.9) 4 November 1975
"Streets of San Francisco, The" (1972) playing "Doug" in episode: "Trail of Terror" 30 October 1975
"Welcome Back, Kotter" (1975) playing "Alex Welles" in episode: "The Great Debate" (episode # 1.1) 9 September 1975
"Rockford Files, The" (1974) playing "Larry Kirkoff" in episode: "The Kirkoff Case" (episode # 1.1) 13 September 1974
"Kojak" (1973) playing "Caz Mayer" in episode: "Death Is Not a Passing Grade" (episode # 1.13) 30 January 1974