Photo: Steve Granitz / WireImage.com

Born in Vernal, UT; raised in Warwick, RI; educated at MIT (political science). Lean, intense, stage-trained lead who made his screen debut in Elia Kazan's THE VISITORS (1972) and attracted widespread attention as a volatile cop-killer in THE ONION FIELD (1979). Woods projects menace like few other contemporary actors and has been particularly effective playing heavies -- a calculating gangster in Sergio Leone's ONCE UPON A TIME IN AMERICA (1984) or a Gordon Liddy-like psychopath in BEST SELLER (1987). A talented and intelligent performer, he demonstrated a wider range portraying a conniving journalist in SALVADOR (1986), the crusading co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous in the TV movie "My Name Is Bill W." (1989) and an aging hippy lawyer in TRUE BELIEVER (1989). Other notable credits include COP (1988, also producer), THE HARD WAY (1991), CHAPLIN (1992), CURSE OF THE STARVING CLASS (1994), CASINO and NIXON (as H.R. Haldeman) (both 1995), FOR BETTER OR WORSE and KILLER: A JOURNAL OF MURDER (both 1996), CONTACT (1997), John Carpenter's VAMPIRES (1998), TRUE CRIME, THE VIRGIN SUICIDES, THE GENERAL'S DAUGHTER, ANY GIVEN SUNDAY and PLAY IT TO THE BONE (all 1999), SCARY MOVIE 2, RIDING IN CARS WITH BOYS and RACE TO SPACE (all 2001), JOHN Q and STUART LITTLE 2 (voice) (both 2002), NORTHFORK, THIS GIRL'S LIFE and "Rudy: The Rudy Giuliani Story" (as the title character) (all 2003), PRETTY PERSUASION and BE COOL (both 2005), END GAME (2006), and SURF'S UP (voice, 2007). In 2006, Woods began playing the title role (Sebastian Stark) in the CBS-TV series "Shark".  Nominated for Actor 1986: SALVADOR  Nominated for Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role 1996: GHOSTS OF MISSISSIPPI 2 nominations