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From humble beginnings, raised without electricity in rural Arkansas, Billy Bob Thornton eventually found his way to the bright lights of Hollywood. A chance encounter and encouragement from director Billy Wilder set Thornton down a screenwriting path. This led to him co-writing what Gene Siskel called "his favorite movie of the year," the gritty drama One False Move in 1992. The same year, Thornton booked a reoccurring role on the sitcom Hearts Afire alongside the late John Ritter, whom he reunited with for several movies until Ritter's untimely death after they collaborated in Bad Santa.

“Landman” is here. Taylor Sheridan’s latest series, based on the Texas Monthly podcast “Boomtown,” has started streaming on Paramount+, and it’s already a sensation. It’s the biggest global series premiere on Paramount+ in two years, with more than 5.2 million views on the streaming service and the Paramount Network, where it aired following the second episode of “Yellowstone” 5B.

Set in the oil fields of Texas, “Landman” is full of colorful characters essayed by some of our very best actors. Let’s get into it, shall we? Can we get a yee-haw?

Billy Bob Thornton in “Landman” (Credit: Emerson Miller/Paramount+) Billy Bob Thornton as Tommy Norris

Tommy Norris is a crisis executive (basically a fixer) at a fictional oil company M-Tex Oil. In the opening scenes of the series, he is kidnapped by a Mexican cartel and forced to deal with a situation where an oil tanker...

Before her tenure in The Big Bang Theory, Kaley Cuoco was notable for her stint in 8 Simple Rules, in which she starred opposite sitcom icon John Ritter, who played Cuoco’s onscreen father Paul. However, their bond wasn’t confined to their gigs on the show, as Cuoco has continued to gush about her time with the actor, who tragically passed away in 2003.

8 Simple Rules | Credit: ABC

Although her connection with Ritter would come in handy during one guest star’s appearance in The Big Bang Theory, Cuoco wasn’t the lone Tbbt cast that shared a personal bond with the TV legend.

Simon Helberg and Kaley Cuoco Had a Personal Connection to John Ritter The Big Bang Theory | Credit: CBS

Before the two met on the set of the Chuck Lorre-led show, it seems Kaley Cuoco and Simon Helberg had already met once, courtesy of John Ritter.

A funny thing happened to a bunch of actors before they made it to the podium to accept their Academy Awards. Long before they received the industry’s highest recognition, they appeared in goofy sitcoms that didn’t exactly predict triumphant movie careers.

Here are five actors who eventually took home the Oscar — but not before generating a few canned laughs in front of a live studio audience…

1 Ke Huy Quan, ‘Together We Stand’

After your career begins with a Steven Spielberg movie — as Quan’s did with Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom — there’s probably nowhere to go but down. After Spielberg tossed him another gift with The Goonies, Quan found himself on Together We Stand, a generic blended-family sitcom starring Elliott Gould and E.T.’s Dee Wallace as Mom and Dad. The show was so lousy that it killed off Gould after six episodes and...

From humble beginnings, raised without electricity in rural Arkansas, Billy Bob Thornton eventually found his way to the bright lights of Hollywood. A chance encounter and encouragement from director Billy Wilder set Thornton down a screenwriting path. This led to him co-writing what Gene Siskel called "his favorite movie of the year," the gritty drama One False Move in 1992. The same year, Thornton booked a reoccurring role on the sitcom Hearts Afire alongside the late John Ritter, whom he reunited with for several movies until Ritter's untimely death after they collaborated in Bad Santa.

Actors and celebrities alike are mourning the death of beloved actor Leslie Jordan, who died in a car cash following a medical emergency on Oct. 24. "Not only was he a mega talent and joy to work with, but he provided an emotional sanctuary to the nation at one of its most difficult times," a rep for Jordan wrote in a statement to Popsugar. "What he lacked in height he made up for in generosity and greatness as a son, brother, artist, comedian, partner and human being. Knowing that he has left the world at the height of both his professional and personal life is the only solace one can have today."

Best known for a series of iconic roles in "Will & Grace," "American Horror Story," and "Hearts Afire," to name a few, Jordan has been recognized for his talents as an actor, comedian, writer, and singer. Shortly after news of his death circulated,...

There’s a new marshal in town in the Yellowstone prequel. Billy Bob Thornton (Goliath) will guest star in Taylor Sheridan’s new series 1883 on Paramount+. He’ll be playing Marshal Jim Courtright. 1883 stars Sam Elliott as tough-as-nails, handsome cowboy Shea Brennan, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill as James and Margaret Dutton, Isabel May as their eldest daughter Elsa, and Lamonica Garrett as Thomas, a Pinkerton agent and right hand to Brennan. It follows the Duttons as they embark on a journey west through the Great Plains towards the last bastion of untamed America. It is described as a stark retelling of Western expansion, and an intense study of one family fleeing poverty to seek a better future in America’s promised land — Montana. In addition to Goliath, Thornton’s TV credits include Fargo, Hearts Afire, and The Outsiders. This prequel is just one of three Sheridan shows coming this fall.

Seven-time Emmy-winning actor Ed Asner, who starred as Lou Grant on both sitcom “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” and hourlong drama “Lou Grant” before a late-career rejuvenation through his poignant voicework in 2009 animated film “Up,” has died. He was 91.

His publicist confirmed the news to Variety, writing that he died on Sunday surrounded by family. Asner’s official Twitter account posted a message from his family, saying “Goodnight dad. We love you.”

We are sorry to say that our beloved patriarch passed away this morning peacefully. Words cannot express the sadness we feel. With a kiss on your head- Goodnight dad. We love you.

— Ed Asner (@TheOnlyEdAsner) August 29, 2021

Asner had worked for many years as a character actor in series television and movies before hitting paydirt and stardom as the tough-talking TV newsroom head Lou Grant on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” which brought him three supporting actor Emmys. When the sitcom called it quits,...

Tributes are pouring in for the late Markie Post, the beautiful actress whose long television career was highlighted by her stint on sitcom Night Court, where she played public defender Christine Sullivan.

Post died at age 70 on Saturday after a long battle with cancer. As word spread of her passing, her former colleagues posted fond remembrances of her.

A few of the early recollections:

This breaks my heart. Markie was just the best. An incredible scene partner and friend. I feel so lucky to have had our time together. I will miss her very much. https://t.co/jGVlJ7qAQ9

— Mary McCormack (@marycmccormack) August 8, 2021

God Bless Markie Post. She was so funny, beautiful and kind; and still is.

— John Fugelsang (@JohnFugelsang) August 8, 2021

It was an honor and blessing to work with Markie Post in 'Mary.' Only she could've played Cameron Diaz's mother believably and we were lucky to get her.

Veteran actress Markie Post of Night Court fame has passed away. Along with her breakout role in Night Court as Christine Sullivan, Post was also known for her roles in the TV shows The Fall Guy and Hearts Afire. Nearly four years ago, the actress was diagnosed with cancer, and she lost her battle with the disease on Saturday. Her passing was confirmed by her manager, Ellen Lubin Sanitsky. Post was 70 years old.

"But for us, our pride is in who she was in addition to acting; a person who made elaborate cakes for friends, sewed curtains for first apartments and showed us how to be kind, loving and forgiving in an often harsh world," Post's family said in a statement.

Born on Nov. 4, 1950, Post got her start in show business by working on various game shows like Split Second, Double Dare, and Card Sharks. She made her television acting...

Markie Post, who became a star in the 1980s playing a plucky public defender on “Night Court” and had a long run of TV roles, died Saturday at her home in Los Angeles. She was 70.

Post waged a nearly four-year fight with cancer. She kept working until very recently despite her illness.

Post co-starred in the 2019 Lifetime movie “Christmas Reservations” and logged a guest shot that year on the first season of Netflix drama “Soundtrack.” In recent years, Post had recurring roles on NBC’s “Chicago, P.D.,” ABC’s “The Kids are Alright” and Netflix’s “The Santa Clarita Diet.”

Post grew up in Northern California and got her start working behind the scenes on game shows such as “Double Dare” and “Card Sharks” in the 1970s. She moved into working in front of the camera with game show appearances and guest shots on such series as “CHiPs,” “Barnaby Jones,...

Markie Post, an actress best known for playing a public defender on the 1980s sitcom “Night Court,” died Saturday at age 70.

Post succumbed to a nearly four-year battle with cancer, her manager Ellen Lubin Sanitsky told Deadline. Sanitsky did not immediately respond to TheWrap’s request for comment.

In addition to her work in “Night Court,” which ran for nine seasons on NBC from 1984 to 1992, she also had memorable roles as a bail bondsman in the Lee Majors action series “The Fall Guy” in the early ’80s and in the 1992-95 comedy “Hearts Afire” about a conservative senator’s aide (John Ritter), who marries a liberal political reporter (Post).

Later, she had recurring guest roles in series like “The District” and as the mother of Sarah Chalke’s doctor character on “Scrubs.”

Post’s film credits include playing Cameron Diaz’s mother in the hit 1998 Farrelly Brothers comedy “There’s Something About Mary...

Markie Post, an actress known for her roles on sitcoms like Night Court and Hearts Afire, died Saturday. She was 70.

Per our sister site Deadline, Post had been ill with cancer for nearly four years.

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Post played Manhattan Municipal Court public defender Christine Sullivan in NBC’s Night Court, first appearing in Season 2 and then becoming a series regular in Season 3. She stayed with the...

Markie Post, the actress known for turns in Night Court, The Fall Guy, Hearts Afire and more, died on Saturday, following a three year, ten month battle with cancer. She was 70.

Post’s manager, Ellen Lubin Sanitsky, confirmed her passing to Deadline.

Born on November 4, 1950 in Palo Alto, California, Post got her start in entertainment by working behind the scenes on game shows, including Split Second, earning an associate producer credit on Alex Trebek’s Double Dare, and appearing before the camera as a card dealer on NBC’s Card Sharks.

Her first acting credits came in 1979, with appearances on episodes of CHiPs, Barnaby Jones, The Incredible Hulk, The Lazarus Syndrome, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, and Hart to Hart.

She’d later appear in series such as The Love Boat, Cheers, Fantasy Island and The A-Team, before landing the role of bail bondswoman Terri Michaels in ABC’s The Fall Guy.

Rush Limbaugh, the pioneering and polarizing conservative talk show host whose radio program drew millions of listeners and influenced Republican politicians including President Donald Trump, died today of lung cancer. He was 70.

Limbaugh’s wife, Kathryn, made the announcement on his radio show today. He had announced his Stage 4 cancer diagnosis a year ago, one day before Trump presented him with the Presidential Medal of Freedom during the 2020 State of the Union address.

The homepage on Limbaugh’s site reads: “In Loving Memory of Rush Hudson Limbaugh III The Greatest of All Time.”

Trump marked Limbaugh’s death by calling into Fox News for his first interview of 2021. The former commander in chief praised the late media titan for supporting him early during the 2016 campaign but also used the opportunity to regurgitate debunked falsehoods about Trump winning the 2020 election. “Rush thought we won, and so do I. I think we won substantially,...

The actor: Clark Duke has literally spent most of his life in front of the camera. At just 7 years old, he was a cast member on the John Ritter sitcom Hearts Afire, and after some years away to do things like “go to school,” he was back, going from early online success Clark And Michael to hit movies and TV shows like …...

Veteran studio teacher Lois Carl, a longtime tutor who worked side-by-side with young Hollywood stars such as Haley Joel Osment, David Arquette and Josh Hutchinson, has died from complications related to end-stage kidney disease. She was 82.

Carl died in the pre-dawn hours Wednesday at Anaheim Regional Hospital according to her son, Adam Carl, who followed his mother into the industry as an actor and producer.

As Osment’s longtime tutor and child welfare monitor, Carl accompanied the child actor as he became an in-demand presence on TV and in feature films.

Carl was a familiar presence on Steven Spielberg’s film sets, working with young talent from the ensembles of A.I.: Artificial Intelligence, Minority Report, The Terminal, and Catch Me if You Can.

On a national level, the pain that accompanies 9/11 can't be measured, but for a great many there was the added tragedy, two years later to the day, when actor John Ritter, while rehearsing a sequence for his series 8 Simples Rules (co-starring Kaley Cuoco), suddenly took ill. He was rushed to the hospital where he died, not from, as he was initially diagnosed, by cardiac arrest, but, rather, through an aortic dissection. His death was shocking to family, friends, and fans, but in its aftermath we still have our memory of him — and the laughs he gave us — which is all captured in the new documentary, John Ritter: Behind Closed Doors, which debuts tonight on the Reelz channel. One of the people who had gotten to know John fairly well is Chris Mann, author of the 1998 book Come and Knock On Our Door: A Hers and Hers and His Guide to Three's Company,...

Image Source: Getty / Michael Loccisano

Although it's dark and gruesome, it's hard to not become obsessed with HBO's adaptation of Gillian Flynn's mystery thriller Sharp Objects. It flaunts dreamy visual language, chilling nonlinear storytelling, and, of course, an incredibly talented cast. Besides the obvious headliners like Amy Adams and Patricia Clarkson, you'll even recognize the talented forces behind minor characters, like Adora's chatty friend Annie.

In the fourth episode of the HBO series, Camille meets up with her mother's friends, who engage in wine-fueled gossip about Wind Gap's recent deaths. In the circle of women, pearl-donning Annie is especially enthusiastic about making speculations, demanding that Camille spill tea about the case. In the conversation, we learn that her love for gossip is as strong as her razor-sharp zingers. There's a moment when Jackie accuses Bob Nash of the murder since she's caught him staring at her chest. Annie,...

Every now and then you hear about someone in Hollywood who everybody describes by saying, "Oh, he is such a nice guy," and you usually roll your eyes in response. But one of those oft-mentioned guys that virtually no one has a bad thing to say about is the late John Ritter. He delighted television viewers with his portrayal of Jack Tripper on the Classic TV series of the '70s Three's Company, and, while he may not have achieved that level of fame again, he was someone we watched evolve and grow as a performer over the course of his subsequent shows, whether it was Hooperman, Hearts Afire, or 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter. He was born Jonathan Southworth Ritter on Sept. 17, 1948, and began his path in life by attending the University of Southern California, where he majored in psychology and intended to get into politics. But somewhere along the way,...

A version of this article originally appeared on EW.com.

The casts of two popular ’80s television series are reuniting at Atx Television Festival next year.

On Thursday, the Austin-based festival announced the cast and creator of CBS’ Designing Women will reunite for a special 30th anniversary panel. Stars Delta Burke, Annie Potts, Jean Smart, Gerald McRaney, Hal Holbrook and Douglas Barr will join creator and executive producer Linda Bloodworth-Thomason for the event. The festival is also planning retrospectives for Bloodworth-Thomason’s Evening Shade and Hearts Afire.

The cast of the quirky CBS comedy-drama Northern Exposure will also get together at Atx next year.

We’re about to find out if Chicago P.D.’s Lindsay has mommy issues.

Night Court and Hearts Afire alum Markie Post has been tapped to play Erin Lindsay’s mom, Bunny, for a multi-episode arc on the NBC drama, EW has confirmed. A bartender in a dive bar, Bunny has been estranged from her daughter, but looks to reconnect now that she’s in a new relationship.

Post will first appear in the season 2 premiere, airing Sept. 24 at 10 p.m. on NBC.

Since his early days on the '90s sitcom “Hearts Afire,” Billy Bob Thornton largely stayed away from television — a career path that worked for him, given his three Oscar nominations and his win for writing “Sling Blade.” But the 58-year-old actor, writer and director came back to TV with a vengeance for the miniseries “Fargo,” in which his portrayal of of the implacable killer Lorne Malvo landed him one of the show's 17 Emmy nominations. Also read: Emmy Nominees: The Complete List How significant are awards to you? Well, I think they're very significant. For actors, it begets work. And since.

Oscar winner Billy Bob Thornton returns to the small screen with FX's Fargo, an anthology series inspired by the "Minnesota nice" that helped the Coen brothers earn an Oscar nomination for the film starring William H. Macy and Steve Buscemi. In the 10-episode drama from showrunner Noah Hawley, Thornton plays Lorne Malvo -- the big bad opposite Martin Freeman's bumbling car salesman Gus Grimly  -- in his first series regular role since he co-starred in Hearts Afire. Here, The Hollywood Reporter talks with Thornton about returning to TV, what the film industry can learn from the risks that broadcast

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Billy Bob Thornton has played some devilish characters, but never one as frightening and fascinating as Fargo’s Lorne Malvo. Malvo is a mysterious grim reaper of sorts who lives by a strict code of malevolence — one that has a way of rubbing off on the innocent souls around him. In the premiere of FX’s new series, which airs Tuesday at 10 p.m. Et, a chance encounter with pathetic pushover Lester Nygaard (Sherlock’s Martin Freeman) leads to some very bad things in the small town of Bemidji, Minn.

The two actors — whom you may remember co-starred in Love Actually,...

On the Calgary set of FX's "Fargo" last month, most of the cast was there either shooting or dropping by on an off-day to chat with a group reporters. Billy Bob Thornton couldn't make it, but sent his regrets and expressed the desire to talk to all of the assembled scribes pre-premiere. That's the sort of thing you hear a lot in-the-moment, but doesn't normally come to pass. Things slip through the cracks and nobody's really to blame. People get busy. Billy Bob Thornton followed through.  After a series of crossed wires and adjusted schedules, the Oscar-winning "Slingblade" scribe checked in last Sunday morning, delayed only because he got caught-up watching early baseball, which immediately gives us something in common. "You can imagine what I think about your team," Thornton drawls. He's famously a Cardinals fan. I'm not-especially-famously a Red Sox fan. "You guys just creamed us twice," Thornton admits,...

New York (AP) - After failed attempts and broken dreams, by golly, someone went and put "Fargo" on series TV.

The 10-episode season premieres Tuesday at 10 p.m. Edt on FX. And it mesmerizes. As a furtherance of the 1996 crime classic by Joel and Ethan Coen that starred Frances McDormand, William H. Macy and Steve Buscemi, the TV adaptation is a wonder.

Like that movie, the series is set in rural, snow-glazed Minnesota, but 20 years later (in 2006), and is stocked with new characters, deadly mischief and a bounty of stars including Allison Tolman as a bright-eyed deputy and Martin Freeman as a nebbishy insurance salesman (distant echoes of the roles played by McDormand and Macy in the film). Also on hand are Colin Hanks, Bob Odenkirk, Oliver Platt, Kate Walsh, Keith Carradine, Adam Goldberg, Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele, and more.

At the core of its deliciously deranged narrative is Lorne Malvo,...

(source)

Birthday shoutouts go to Garrett Clayton (above), who is 23, the faboo Glenn Close is 67, and Ricky Wilson would have been 61.

Candidate Who Blames Gay Rights For Tornadoes Nabs Big Gop Win

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Our thoughts are with the family and and friends of Illinois gay rights advocate Vernita Gray, who died today at the age of 65.

The Walking Dead family friendly edited version coming to broadcast. What’S The Point?

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17 Practical Gay Dating Tips for the New Age.

Here’s the trailer for FX’s Fargo, which premieres April 15th, and features Billy Bob Thornton, Martin Freeman, Adam Goldberg, Colin Hanks and many others. I believe this is Billy’s first TV series since Hearts Afire

Here’s the...

Veteran casting director Fran Bascom passed away on Sunday. She had been feeling poorly of late but was still very energetic until she became ill last night and was taken to Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, CA, where she died. Bascom, who had her own casting agency, Fran Bascom Casting, cast such popular shows as Lou Grant, Designing Women, Evening Shade, Hearts Afire and soap Days Of Our Lives. According to IMDb, her most recent job was on last year’s Hank Williams biopic The Last Ride starring Henry Thomas and Kaley Cuoco. Her Casting Society of America bio noted that her passion was theatre, and she volunteered her casting expertise at various small theaters in La where she was always on the lookout for new talent.

Screenwriter Don Rhymer, whose credits included 20th Century Fox Animation’ hit Rio and the CBS comedy Evening Shade, has died. He was 51 and his longtime friend Dave Gallagher told the La Times that Rhymer died Wednesday of cancer at USC’s Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center. One of Rhymer’s earliest credits was NBC’s Valerie. He also wrote for CBS’ Hearts Afire. He also worked on feature films, including Big Momma’s House and its two sequels, The Santa Clause 2, Agent Cody Banks 2, The Honeymooners and Sony Pictures Animation’s Surf’s Up. His TV credits also included episodes of the NBC series Caroline In The City and Bagdad Cafe. After his diagnosis three years ago, Rhymer started a blog “Let’s Radiate Don” that chronicled his treatment and his relationship with his wife and kids.

USA has picked up a half-hour comedy, Driven, penned by Linda Bloodworth-Thomason (Designing Women, Evening Shade, Hearts Afire). Blue Collar comedian Ron White is set to star as “an out-of-work Austin, Texas, resident who launches a limo business,” Variety reports. How did I picture Lost’s Sawyer in this role? Well, I’d just heard the one-line synopsis and thought flannel, jeans, cowboy boots, scruff, smarmy guy hitting on/scamming his passengers — Josh Holloway.

Reading the fine print, I do concede that Ron White is a better fit for a comedy to be exec produced by Bloodworth and her husband,...

Director Sydney Pollack 1934-2008.

Director Sydney Pollack passed two years ago today. I had the good fortune to meet and interview Sydney Pollack twice, both of which are included here: first in 1999 for his well-made but ill-fated romantic drama "Random Hearts," and again in 2006 for what would be his final film, "Sketches of Frank Gehry," a masterful documentary look at the eponymous architect's life, work and process. It was also in many respects a personal investigation for Pollack himself, which he spoke quite candidly about during our conversation.

This has been a tough year for those of us who were weaned on the films of the so-called "Easy Riders and Raging Bulls" who made the iconic films of the late 1960s and 1970s, with the loss of such figures as Pollack, Roy Scheider, and others of the era. Pollack was certainly among the lions of that pack, but was perhaps...

Emmy Award-winning actor John Ritter, who shot to instant fame as the wily and wacky Jack Tripper in '70s TV hit Three's Company, died unexpectedly Thursday after collapsing on the set of his ABC sitcom 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter; he was 54. Ritter apparently suffered a tear in the aorta, which was the result of an unrecognized flaw in his heart, according to his publicist, Lisa Kasteler. Rushed to Providence St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, across from the studio where he had been working, Ritter died shortly after 10 p.m. Thursday. The son of film star and singer Tex Ritter, the actor became an immediately recognizable star in Three's Company alongside Suzanne Somers and Joyce DeWitt. The sitcom, which ran from 1977 to 1984, relied heavily on wacky scenarios and innocent misunderstandings, and easily showcased his gift for physical comedy and engaging screen presence; after that hit show, Ritter later starred in both Hooperman and Hearts Afire. An incredibly prolific actor, he also appeared in 1996's Sling Blade, made an acclaimed appearance on Broadway in Neil Simon's The Dinner Party, and also voiced the lead character of TV cartoon Clifford the Big Red Dog. After making notable appearances on Ally McBeal, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Felicity, Ritter recently enjoyed a career resurgence with the sitcom 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter, which was a hit for beleaguered network ABC last year and was currently entering its second season. Ritter is survived by his wife, actress Amy Yasbeck, his son Jason Ritter, and three other children. --Prepared by IMDb staff...