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James Howard Woods (born April 18, 1947) is an American actor and producer. He is often known for villainous roles, and appeared in a variety of films, including The Onion Field (1979), Once Upon a Time in America (1984), Best Seller (1987), Chaplin (1992), Casino (1995), Nixon (1995), Hercules (1997), Vampires (1998), Straw Dogs (2011) and White House Down (2013). On television, he is known for portraying the titular protagonist of Shark (2006–2008).
Woods has been nominated for two Academy Awards, first for Salvador (1986) and next for Ghosts of Mississippi (1996). He has also won three Emmy Awards for the television movies Promise (1986) and My Name Is Bill W. and the animated series Hercules (1998-1999). Promise additionally brought him a Golden Globe Award.
He has lent his distinctive voice to animated characters in The Simpsons, Family Guy, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, and in films such as Stuart Little 2 (2004) (as Falcon) and Disney's Hercules (1997) (as Hades).