FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — Arkansas boasts an array of award-winning actors, from the rugged cowboys of “Yellowstone” to the voice of Squidward in “SpongeBob SquarePants.”
While this is not an exhaustive list of stars from the Natural State, it highlights some of the most iconic figures in the entertainment industry today.
Billy Bob Thornton
Born: Hot Springs, Arkansas (Garland County) on Aug. 4, 1955
Billy Bob Thornton is an acclaimed actor, filmmaker, and musician, known for writing, directing and starring in “Sling Blade” (1996), which won him an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay.
His notable film roles include “A Simple Plan” (1998), “Monster’s Ball” (2001), “Bad Santa” (2003) and “Friday Night Lights” (2004). Thornton also directed “Daddy and Them” (2001) and “Jayne Mansfield’s Car” (2012).
On TV, he starred in “Fargo” (2014) and “Goliath” (2016–2021), winning Golden Globes for both.
Wes Bentley
Born: Jonesboro, Arkansas (Craighead County) on Sept. 4, 1978
Actor Wes Bentley is best known for his roles in “American Beauty” (1999), which earned him a BAFTA nomination, “The Hunger Games” (2012), “Interstellar” (2014), “Mission: Impossible – Fallout” and as Jamie Dutton in “Yellowstone.”
Featured in the documentary “My Big Break” (2009), which covered his rise to fame and struggles with substance abuse, Bentley rebuilt his career with roles in “The Four Feathers” (2002), “Ghost Rider” (2007) and “Pete’s Dragon” (2016).
He joined “American Horror Story” in 2014, with notable roles in “Freak Show,” “Hotel” and “Roanoke.” He began starring in “Yellowstone” in 2018.
Mary Steenburgen
Born: Newport, Arkansas (Jackson County) on Feb. 8, 1953
Mary Steenburgen is an actress, comedian, singer and songwriter, who gained acclaim with her debut in “Goin’ South” (1978) and her award-winning role in “Melvin and Howard” (1980), which earned her both an Oscar and a Golden Globe.
She starred in “Time After Time” (1979) and “Ragtime” (1981) and appeared in films like “Back to the Future Part III” (1990), “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape” (1993) and “Nightmare Alley” (2021).
Known for her roles as a mother in comedies like “Elf” (2003) and “Step Brothers” (2008), Steenburgen also received nominations for “Tender Is the Night” (1985) and “The Attic: The Hiding of Anne Frank” (1988).
Josh Lucas
Born: Little Rock, Arkansas (Pulaski County) on June 20, 1971
Joshua Lucas is an actor known for his roles in films such as “American Psycho” (2000), “A Beautiful Mind” (2001), “Sweet Home Alabama” (2002), “Hulk” (2003), “Glory Road” (2006), “Poseidon” (2006), “The Lincoln Lawyer” (2011), “Ford v Ferrari” (2019) and “The Forever Purge” (2021).
His TV roles include “The Firm” (2012), “The Mysteries of Laura” (2014–2016) and “Yellowstone” (2018–2022).
Lucas is also the voice in Home Depot commercials.
George Newbern
Born: North Little Rock, Arkansas (Pulaski County) on Dec. 30, 1964
Actor George Newbern is best known for his role as Charlie on ABC’s “Scandal” (2012–2018) and as Bryan MacKenzie in “Father of the Bride” (1991) and its sequels.
He guest-starred as Danny (The Yeti) in “Friends” and played Payne, Julia’s son, in “Designing Women.”
Newbern is also recognized for voicing Superman in various DC animated series, beginning with “Justice League,” and as the voice of Sephiroth in the “Final Fantasy” and “Kingdom Hearts” series.
Daniel Davis
Born: Gurdon, Arkansas (exact birth date unknown)
Daniel Davis is an actor best known for his role as Niles the Butler on The Nanny (1993–1999). Davis’s spot-on English accent led many fans to believe he was British, though his natural accent is Southern American.
He also portrayed Professor Moriarty on Star Trek: The Next Generation in the episodes “Elementary, Dear Data” and “Ship in a Bottle” and reprised this role in Star Trek: Picard.
Davis first gained popularity as Elliot Carrington on the soap opera Texas (1980–1981) and appeared in The A-Team as a renegade soldier in 1985. Other notable roles include playing the USS Enterprise’s commanding officer in The Hunt for Red October (1990) and voicing Longhair in Cartoon Network’s Big Pick shorts.
He appeared in Frasier (2002) as Dr. Shafer, in The Prestige (2006), Ugly Betty (2008) and on The Fran Drescher Show via Skype in 2010.
Joey Lauren Adams
Born: North Little Rock, Arkansas (Pulaski County) on Jan. 9, 1968
Joey Lauren Adams began her film career with a minor role in Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977) and moved on to larger roles, including Married… with Children and its spinoff in 1991.
Her breakout came in Dazed and Confused (1993) and Coneheads. She starred in Kevin Smith’s Mallrats (1995) and her relationship with Smith inspired his film Chasing Amy (1997), where Adams played Alyssa Jones, a role that earned her critical acclaim and a Golden Globe nomination.
Rodger Bumpass
Born: Little Rock, Arkansas (Pulaski County) on Nov. 20, 1951
Rodger Bumpass is best known as the voice of Squidward Tentacles and various characters on the Nickelodeon animated series “SpongeBob SquarePants.” He received a Daytime Emmy Award nomination in 2012 for his role as Squidward.
Bumpass has been active in voice acting and film since the 1960s, with stage appearances from the mid-1970s to the late 1980s. He is also recognized for voicing The Chief in “Where on Earth Is Carmen Sandiego?”, Doctor Light in “Teen Titans” and Professor Membrane in “Invader Zim.”
In the late 1970s, he participated in several National Lampoon productions, including touring with “That’s Not Funny, That’s Sick” (1977) and appearing in the HBO special “Disco Beaver from Outer Space” (1978).
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
