Woody Harrelson is known for playing larger-than-life characters in everything from Cheers to No Country for Old Men to The Hunger Games to True Detective. But the story of his real-life family might be the wildest story of all.
Long before Woody was a household name, his father, Charles Voyde Harrelson, was making headlines of a very different kind — as a contract killer with deep ties to organized crime, and ultimately, as the man responsible for the first assassination of a federal judge in the 20th century.
A Hollywood star’s little-known legacy
Charles Harrelson's criminal record reads like something out of a noir thriller. Tried for three murders and convicted twice, Charles spent most of his life either in prison or trying to escape it.
Born in Lovelady, Texas, in 1938, he worked early on as a professional gambler and encyclopedia salesman — before allegedly becoming a hitman for hire.
He was first convicted in 1968 for the murder of Texas grain dealer Sam Degelia Jr. and served just five years before being released. Then came the crime that stunned the nation.
In 1979, Charles was arrested for the murder of US District Judge John H. Wood Jr., the first sitting federal judge to be assassinated in the US during the 20th century. Charles carried out the hit on behalf of drug dealer Jamiel Chagra, who paid him $250,000 to eliminate the judge before his upcoming trial.
According to a detailed report by Texas Monthly and later echoed in numerous accounts, Charles was captured after a six-hour armed standoff with police, during which he allegedly confessed not only to Judge Wood’s murder — but also to the assassination of JFK, a claim widely dismissed as delusional.
In 1982, he was sentenced to two consecutive life terms. He died in 2007 at the Florence supermax prison in Colorado.
Growing up with a ghost
For Woody, born in 1961, life with Charles as a father was anything but stable. In a 2012 interview with The Guardian, he recalled how his dad was “away and back. Away and back” — in and out of prison throughout his early years.
“I think they separated when I was 7, but he was gone a lot before that,” Harrelson said. “[My mom] was well out of love with him… but 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.”
Raised by their mother Diane Harrelson in Texas and Ohio, Woody and his brothers - Jordan and Brett - were essentially estranged from their father for much of their lives. But despite the distance, Woody has never completely written him off.
In a candid 1980s interview with PEOPLE, he said: “I don’t feel he was much of a father. He took no valid part in my upbringing. 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 added: “I look at him as someone who could be a friend more than someone who was a father.”
Fans stunned by true-crime twist
Though the story isn’t new, it gained fresh traction after an Instagram post by historyfeels revisited Charles Harrelson’s crimes — including his botched escape attempt and alleged mob ties — prompting an outpouring of stunned reactions online.
“I was today years old when I learned this… holy cow!” one user wrote.
“Congrats to Woody for breaking the cycle and becoming a peace-loving person,” another added.
Others questioned why the story was resurfacing at all: “Poor Woody doesn’t need reminding — and really, it’s no one’s business.”
A DNA twist that shocked even Hollywood
As if Woody’s family history wasn’t dramatic enough, there's one more twist: he and fellow actor Matthew McConaughey might actually be brothers.
On an episode of the Let’s Talk Off Camera podcast in 2023, McConaughey revealed that during a trip to Greece, his mother made a cryptic comment to Woody: “Woody, I knew your dad.” According to McConaughey, she said "knew" with heavy, suggestive emphasis.
The pair later discovered that Charles Harrelson was on furlough at the same time McConaughey’s parents were going through their second divorce — and in the same part of Texas.
Woody later confirmed the rumor had legs, telling Esquire: “I learned from Ma Mac, Matthew’s mother, that she did have a relationship with my father… coinciding with the time of Matthew’s, let’s say, origination.”
Though no DNA test has been done, Woody added: “We haven’t done a test, but there are too many times that I think to myself, My God, the similarities… I’ve felt that for years.”
Breaking the cycle
Despite growing up with the shadow of one of America’s most notorious contract killers, Woody Harrelson’s life has been defined by a very different kind of legacy — one of humor, activism, and artistic reinvention.
He’s been nominated for three Oscars, starred in cult classics and billion-dollar blockbusters, and built a reputation as one of Hollywood’s most versatile and unpredictable stars.
As one fan put it perfectly in response to Charles’ story going viral again: “Hats off to Woody Harrelson for not letting his past personal life dictate his own life and, ultimately, his career.”
The story of Woody Harrelson and his father isn’t just about crime, infamy, or scandal — it’s about the power of choice, and the paths we carve for ourselves, no matter where we come from.