The real-life crime drama of Woody Harrelson: Shocking truth about his dad
Woody Harrelson, the renowned actor, has long borne a complicated emotional weight: his father, Charles Voyde Harrelson, was a convicted assassin. Although Charles was absent for a significant portion of Woody’s life, they eventually reestablished their connection later on.
“I spent years trying to secure his release. To obtain a new trial for him,” Woody once expressed during a poignant interview. “Just a son attempting to assist his father.”
Woody disclosed that he invested millions in legal expenses in an effort to reopen his father’s case. “Countless lawyers,” he remarked, highlighting how both emotionally and financially taxing the endeavor was.
Charles Harrelson was found guilty of murdering a federal judge in 1979. Despite the severity of the offense, Woody’s affection for his father remained gentle.
Before his father’s passing in 2007, Woody stated in a television interview, “What are my feelings towards him? Well, I love him. I certainly love him. I hold him in high regard.”
Although contentious, Woody voiced skepticism regarding the fairness of his father’s conviction. “There are likely many individuals who ought to be incarcerated. I don’t necessarily believe he is one of them.”
His statements illustrate the emotional turmoil that many children of imprisoned parents endure—caught between love and the harsh realities of their parent’s history.
In the end, Woody Harrelson’s relationship with his father unveils the profoundly human aspect of a Hollywood personality often perceived solely through his on-screen roles.