Biographie

Once was told by director Billy Wilder that he was too ugly to be an actor and he should write a screenplay for himself in which he could exploit his less-than-perfect features. Thornton later collected an Oscar for his La justice au coeur (1996) screenplay.

His daughter, Amanda Brumfield, was sentenced to 20 years in prison for manslaughter.

Agreed to Ethan Coen's and Joel Coen's L'homme qui n'était pas là (2001) without reading the script, out of respect for the Coen brothers' talent.

In an interview, Thornton talked about his struggling actor years. At one point, he was so poor all he could afford to eat were potatoes, which he would grill until they stuck to the pan. This consumption led to myocarditis, which led to an intense pain in his chest since he did not have any potassium in his system. He was treated at a hospital, thanks to a kind doctor who was from Arkansas, his home state. At the time, Thornton had no medical insurance and has remained grateful for the doctor's treatment.

Did not decide to pursue a career in acting until he was in his late twenties.

[on his Academy Award nomination for Best Actor (La justice au coeur (1996)] Getting the nomination is like gravy. Winning would be like whatever is better than gravy.

I was the fattest baby in Clark County, Arkansas. They put me in the newspaper. It was like a prize turnip.

Acting is playing--it's actually going out on a playground with the other kids and being in the game, and I need that. Writing satisfies that part of myself that longs to sit in my room and dream.

I can't sit through plays and musical theatre. I just want to run up onstage and mess up their hair and turn over the furniture.

It's not that I don't understand it. But people think if you speak with an English accent it somehow makes you smarter.