Trivia

Hades from the Disney franchise Hercules (1997) is his favorite role and he states that he will continue playing the character, whenever needed, until the day he dies because he loves the character so very much.

Attended and graduated from Pilgrim High School in Warwick, Rhode Island (1965).

Is ambidextrous (as seen in The Virgin Suicides (1999), writes on chalkboard with both hands).

Is the son of a United States Army intelligence officer who passed away during Woods' childhood.

A reserve officer in the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD).

He was considered a brilliant student, enrolling in a UCLA linear algebra course while still attending high school. He scored a perfect 800 on the verbal SAT and a 779 on the math portion.

Is a member of MENSA (as are Geena Davis, Sharon Stone and Kym Jackson).

He and his then fiancée filed a $2 million suit for harassment against his ex-girlfriend Sean Young in 1988, alleging that, for instance, Young left a disfigured doll on his doorstep and trampled the couple's expensive flower bed. The case was settled out of court in 1989.

2001: While on a commercial flight from Boston to Los Angeles in August, he noticed a group of men acting suspiciously on the plane and informed a flight attendant that he felt they were planning to hijack the plane. He has thus been in several interviews with FBI agents since the September 11 attacks.

He was accepted into the Massachusetts Institute of Technology on a full scholarship, majoring not in the physical sciences but in political science. He also pursued acting, appearing in 36 plays at MIT, Harvard, and the Theater Company of Boston and also performed in summer stock at the Provincetown Playhouse. He dropped out of MIT during his last year to move to New York and pursue acting full-time.

Writes with his right hand mostly but does pretty much everything else with his left hand.

Has said he has an I.Q. of 180. Albert Einstein had an I.Q. of approximately 160. Another source lists Woods' I.Q. as 184. He scored a perfect 800 on the Verbal portion of the SAT and a 779 in Math.

Is good friends with Sharon Stone and told Cigar Aficionado in an interview that he considers her one of the smartest women in the movie business.

As of 2013, his two Oscar nominated performances were for his portrayals on real life characters: Richard Boyle in Salvador (1986) and Byron De La Beckwith in Ghosts of Mississippi (1996).

Quit smoking cigarettes in 1993. Played as a man trying to break the habit using drastic, preventive measures in Stephen King's Cat's Eye (1985).

The high school in the animated sitcom Family Guy (1999) was named after him (James Woods High School).

Fired his agent for not telling him of Quentin Tarantino's offer to star as Mr. Orange/Freddie in his crime film Reservoir Dogs (1992).

Loves cooking and is an excellent chef.

He was born and raised as Roman Catholic, but has criticized Pope Francis for what he believes are his liberal views.

Is an avid video game player.

His father, who was born in Illinois, had English and German ancestry, with deep roots in the American Midwest. His mother, who was born in Rhode Island, was of Irish descent.

Provided the voice of Carl, the straight-laced rabbit in the pet store across the street from a rental station, in a series of Blockbuster commercials.

Is a defender of capital punishment.

Referred to composer Howard Shore as the Bernard Herrmann of the synthesizer.

1997: Was engaged to actress Missy Crider; they met when she played his daughter in the television movie Jane's House (1994).

He was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 7021 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California on October 15, 1998.

Woods and his Hercules (1997) adversary Tate Donovan each played former White House Chief of Staff H.R. Haldeman: Woods in Oliver Stone's film Nixon (1995) and Donovan in Elvis & Nixon (2016).

Is a conservative and a Republican.

Childhood friends with Wall Street Journal personal technology columnist Walter Mossberg.

He played a character who works for Richard Nixon in Nixon (1995) and played one of a band of men who wore Nixon masks when they robbed a police depository in Best Seller (1987).

Member of the Theta Delta Chi fraternity.

Older brother of actor Michael Jeffrey Woods.

Loves photography and enjoys playing golf.

Frequently visits his family in Rhode Island.