J.T. Walsh is one of the great character actors of all time. Born on September 28th, 1943, he died way too young at just 54 years of age. You could count on him being good in any role, but I always appreciated him appearing with Billy Bob Thornton at the beginning and end of SLING BLADE (1996). He filmed his scenes about 15 miles from my house.
Happy Birthday in “character actor” heaven, J.T.!
One of the greatest actors to come from the state of Arkansas was born in Hot Springs on August 4th, 1955. Sometimes called the “Hillbilly Olivier,” Billy Bob Thornton seems to be aging like fine wine!
Happy Birthday, Billy Bob. You’re the best!
I’ll sing the praises of the movie SLING BLADE to any person who will listen. I love the movie, mainly because of Billy Bob Thornton’s outstanding performance as Karl Childers, a character that he created from scratch. I also love the movie because it was filmed in Saline County, Arkansas, the county I live in. I love to eat at Garry’s Diner, if nothing else because Billy Bob and John Ritter did in the movie. They make great burgers and shakes!
One of the best things about SLING BLADE is Dwight Yoakam’s performance as Doyle Hargraves, one of the most disgusting characters you’ll ever see on screen. Dwight Yoakam slays the role, and you can’t help but hate him. On a side note, I have been told that Dwight’s not one of the nicest guys around, but that’s neither here nor there. A lot of people have said they didn’t like Charles Bronson, but I don’t care because I love him and that’s all that matters. I love Dwight Yoakam too. I love his song “Fast as you,” and I love his performance in SLING BLADE!
In celebration of Dwight’s 69th birthday, I present a scene from SLING BLADE where Dwight plays the epitome of domestic, blue collar evil! (I would say enjoy, but if you’re not somewhat repulsed, you may need help! 😉)
