Billy Bob Thornton is an American film actor, writer and director. He had his first break when he co-wrote and starred in the 1992 thriller One False Move, and received international attention after writing, directing, and starring in the independent drama film Sling Blade (1996), for which he won an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor. He appeared in several major film roles in the 1990s following Sling Blade, including Oliver Stone's neo-noir U Turn (1997), political drama Primary Colors (1998), science fiction disaster film Armageddon (1998), the highest-grossing film of that year, and the crime drama A Simple Plan (1998), which earned him his third Oscar nomination.
Sling Blade is a 1996 American drama film written and directed by and starring Billy Bob Thornton. Set in Arkansas, it is the story of intellectually challenged Karl Childers and the friendship he develops with a boy and his mother. Karl was released from a psychiatric hospital where he had grown up due to having killed his mother and her lover when he was 12 years old. It also stars Dwight Yoakam, J. T. Walsh, John Ritter, Lucas Black, Natalie Canerday, James Hampton, and Robert Duvall.
The 69th Academy Awards ceremony, organized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) took place on March 24, 1997, at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles beginning at 6:00 p.m. PST / 9:00 p.m. EST. During the ceremony, AMPAS presented the Academy Awards in 24 categories honoring films released in 1996. The ceremony, televised in the United States by ABC, was produced by Gil Cates, and directed by Louis J. Horvitz. Actor Billy Crystal hosted the show for the fifth time. He first presided over the 62nd ceremony held in 1990 and had last hosted the 65th ceremony held in 1993. Three weeks earlier, in a ceremony held at the Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, California, on March 1, the Academy Awards for Technical Achievement were presented by host Helen Hunt.
The 1st Florida Film Critics Circle Awards honoured the best in film for 1996.
The 77th National Board of Review Awards, honoring the best in film for 2005, were given on 10 January 2006.
The 76th (US) National Board of Review Awards, honoring the best in film for 2004, were given on 11 January 2005.
The 75th National Board of Review Awards, honoring the best in filmmaking in 2003, were given on 3 December 2003.
The 73rd National Board of Review Awards, honoring the best in filmmaking in 2001, were announced on 5 December 2001 and given on 7 January 2002.
The 72nd National Board of Review Awards, honoring the best in filmmaking in 2000, were announced on 6 December 2000 and given on 16 January 2001.
The 71st National Board of Review Awards, honoring the best in filmmaking in 1999, were announced on 7 December 1999 and given on 18 January 2000.
The 62nd New York Film Critics Circle Awards, honoring the best in film for 1996, were announced on December 12, 1996, and given on January 5, 1997.
The 22nd Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards, honoring the best in film for 1996, were given in December 1996.
The 70th National Board of Review Awards, honoring the best in filmmaking in 1998, were announced on 8 December 1998 and given on 8 February 1999.
The 69th National Board of Review Awards, honoring the best in filmmaking in 1997, were announced on 9 December 1997 and given on 9 February 1998.
The 67th National Board of Review Awards, honoring the best in filmmaking in 1995, were announced on 13 December 1995 and given on 26 February 1996.
The 66th National Board of Review Awards, honoring the best in filmmaking in 1994, were announced on 14 December 1994 and given on 27 February 1995.
The 2nd Critics' Choice Movie Awards were presented on January 20, 1997, honoring the finest achievements of 1996 filmmaking.
The 9th Chicago Film Critics Association Awards, given on 10 March 1997, honored the finest achievements in 1996 filmmaking.
The 1st Golden Satellite Awards, given by the International Press Academy, were awarded on January 15, 1997. The ceremony was hosted by Stacy Keach.
The 49th Writers Guild of America Awards, given on 16 March 1997, honored the best writers of screen and television of 1996.