{"id":2355312,"date":"2026-04-02T09:42:14","date_gmt":"2026-04-02T09:42:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2355312"},"modified":"2026-04-02T09:42:14","modified_gmt":"2026-04-02T09:42:14","slug":"actor-james-woods-is-from-rhode-island-5-things-to-know-about-him","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/actor-james-woods-is-from-rhode-island-5-things-to-know-about-him\/","title":{"rendered":"Actor James Woods is from Rhode Island. 5 things to know about him"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div id=\"\">\n<div id=\"videoWrap\" class=\"spacer-large videoWrap\" style=\"position:relative\">\n<div id=\"uwVideoPlaceholder\" slot=\"placeholder\" style=\"z-index:19;width:100%;padding-bottom:56.25%;position:relative\"><img decoding=\"async\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;right:0;bottom:0;width:100%;height:100%;z-index:2\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/authoring\/videos\/wochit\/thumbnails\/84288142007.jpg\"\/><\/p>\n<div class=\"vidplaybtn\" style=\"display:-moz-box;display:-ms-flexbox;display:-webkit-flex;display:flex;background-color:rgba(0,0,0,.4);border:2px solid #fff;border-radius:80px;cursor:pointer;height:80px;width:80px;position:absolute;top:50%;left:50%;transform:translate(-50%,-50%);z-index:10\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"vidplayicon\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/appservices\/universal-web\/universal\/icons\/icon-play-alt-white.svg\" alt=\"play\" style=\"height:40px;margin:auto 18px auto 27px;width:40px\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div slot=\"videoDetails\" id=\"videoDetails\" class=\"videoDetails\" style=\"padding-top:8px;padding-bottom:8px\">\n<div id=\"videoDetailsContainer\" class=\"videoDetailsContainer\" hidden=\"\">\n<p>&#8220;The Gilded Age&#8221; actors talk about the charms of Newport RI<\/p>\n<p>Actors Jordan Donica and Den\u00e9e Benton talk about filming season 3 of &#8220;The Gilded Age&#8221; in Newport, RI.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>From comedians Matt Rife and Conan O&#8217;Brien to popstar <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.providencejournal.com\/story\/entertainment\/local-celebrity\/2025\/11\/11\/when-was-taylor-swifts-rhode-island-estate-built-holiday-house-history\/87142964007\/\">Taylor Swift<\/a>, it is no secret that\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.providencejournal.com\/story\/entertainment\/local-celebrity\/2026\/01\/01\/2025-celebrity-real-estate-recap-rhode-island\/87969865007\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">celebrities love to live in the Ocean State<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>However, Rhode Island is not only home for celebrities once they become famous, but also a\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.providencejournal.com\/story\/entertainment\/local-celebrity\/2025\/03\/03\/celebrities-from-rhode-island-famous-people\/80824922007\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">producer of many famous talents<\/a>, from actors to reality stars to musicians.<\/p>\n<p>One such celebrity that calls the Ocean State home is critically acclaimed actor James Woods. Known for &#8220;Once Upon a Time in America,&#8221; &#8220;Salvador&#8221; and &#8220;Hercules,&#8221; James Woods has won numerous awards throughout her career, and that record-breaking career started right here in Rhode Island.<\/p>\n<p>Here are five things to know about Rhode Island&#8217;s own James Woods.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"presto-h2 wp-block-heading\">1. James Woods grew up in Warwick<\/h2>\n<p>Though he was born in Utah, James Woods grew up in Warwick, Rhode Island. He attended Pilgrim High School, graduating near the top of his class in 1965.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"presto-h2 wp-block-heading\">2. James Woods went to MIT<\/h2>\n<p>After high school, Woods attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he studied political science, according to his <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/walkoffame.com\/james-woods\/\">Hollywood Walk of Fame bio<\/a>. Woods also pursued acting during college, appearing in various plays at MIT, Harvard and the Theatre Company of Boston.<\/p>\n<p>In fact, Woods has said that he became an actor largely due to the influence from Tim Affleck, the father of Ben and Casey Affleck, who was a stage manager at the theater company while Woods was at MIT. James Woods ultimately left MIT before graduation to pursue acting in New York.<\/p>\n<p class=\"related-link\"><span class=\"exclude-from-newsgate\"><strong style=\"margin-right:3px\">More: <\/strong><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.providencejournal.com\/story\/news\/2025\/09\/17\/robert-redford-death-viola-davis-james-woods\/86196005007\/\" rel=\"noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Viola Davis, James Woods of RI honor Robert Redford after death. Here&#8217;s what they said<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"presto-h2 wp-block-heading\">3. James Woods began his acting career on Broadway<\/h2>\n<p>James Woods made his Broadway debut in a 1970 production of &#8220;Borstal Boy&#8221; at the Lyceum Theater. He spent the first few years of his professional career in theater, also appearing in &#8220;The Trial of the Catonsville Nine,&#8221; &#8220;Moonchildren&#8221; and &#8220;Finishing Touches.&#8221;<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"presto-h2 wp-block-heading\">4. James Woods is a two-time Emmy winner<\/h2>\n<p>After a few years on Broadway, James Woods landed a breakout role as Gregory Powell in &#8220;The Onion Field.&#8221; Woods has appeared in numerous other films since then, including &#8220;Once Upon a Time in America,&#8221; &#8220;Casino,&#8221; &#8220;Salvador,&#8221; &#8220;The Virgin Suicides&#8221; and &#8220;Hercules,&#8221; as well as TV shows such as &#8220;Shark,&#8221; &#8220;The Simpsons&#8221; and &#8220;Family Guy.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Along with countless other nominations and awards, James Woods has been recognized for his work with two Primetime Emmy awards for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Special \u2013 one for &#8220;Promise&#8221; in 1987, and another for &#8220;My Name is Bill W.&#8221; in 1989.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"presto-h2 wp-block-heading\">5. James Woods is known for his outspoken political views<\/h2>\n<p>Throughout his career, James Woods has not only made a name for himself in film and TV, but also in politics. A longtime Republican, Woods has been very vocal about his support for President Trump, calling him the greatest president &#8220;certainly in my lifetime&#8221; in a\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/RealJamesWoods\/status\/2027907785573470508\">Feb. 28 X post<\/a>. He has also criticized opponents of the president, including\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/RealJamesWoods\/status\/2027431553970970706\">California Gov. Gavin Newsom<\/a>\u00a0and former\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/RealJamesWoods\/status\/2027507497658159367\">Secretary of State Hillary Clinton<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>In March 2026, <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.providencejournal.com\/story\/news\/politics\/2026\/03\/10\/rhode-islands-james-woods-actor-says-he-is-done-with-republican-party-trump-support\/89079822007\/\">Woods announced he is &#8220;done with the Republican Party.&#8221;<\/a> In a post on X from March 8, Woods said that he has been a\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/RealJamesWoods\/status\/2030676209307463854\">registered Republican<\/a>\u00a0since former President Bill Clinton was in office, but would be\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/RealJamesWoods\/status\/2029970608898101267?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2029970608898101267%7Ctwgr%5Ec3d0ca24f8c9a09c68f00bdf4a91977131f332a0%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tvinsider.com%2F1250251%2Fjames-woods-quits-republican-party-fiery-political-message%2F\">changing his party affiliation<\/a>\u00a0to Independent due to frustrations with the Republican Party.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I will NEVER vote for a Democrat in my life, but the RINO elements destroying the Republican party are a disgrace. I am a devout follower of President Trump, and as a registered Independent will continue to vote with Republicans when they stand behind this great President and act like Republicans again,&#8221; reads the\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/RealJamesWoods\/status\/2030676209307463854\">post<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Bailey Allen of the USA TODAY Network contributed to this report.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><em> \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.providencejournal.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;The Gilded Age&#8221; actors talk about the charms of Newport RI Actors Jordan Donica and Den\u00e9e Benton talk about filming season 3 of &#8220;The Gilded Age&#8221; in Newport, RI. From comedians Matt Rife and Conan O&#8217;Brien to popstar Taylor Swift, it is no secret that\u00a0celebrities love to live in the Ocean State. However, Rhode Island [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2355313,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25173],"tags":[39915,22220,21751,239390,22367,373660,146106,43013,305457,22389,6297,21741,373659,363287,432763,318648,358764,371497,21739,298114,305251,317485,370940,21912,211924,21738,28774,239343,239453,29945,363567,346138,378547,378548,67134,24431,29634,29633,23084,23239,24638,21913,239471,239344,342455],"class_list":["post-2355312","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-artists","tag-affiliate","tag-arts","tag-celebrities","tag-celebrities-u0026-entertainment-news","tag-celebrity","tag-clinton","tag-connect","tag-content","tag-donald","tag-donald-trump","tag-eamotion","tag-entertainment","tag-hillary","tag-hillary-clinton","tag-institute","tag-island","tag-james","tag-james-woods","tag-local","tag-local-affiliate-arts-u0026-entertainment","tag-local-connect","tag-massachusetts","tag-massachusetts-institute-of-technology","tag-movies","tag-neutral","tag-news","tag-of","tag-overall","tag-overall-neutral","tag-programs","tag-rhode","tag-rhode-island","tag-ri","tag-ri-content-sharing","tag-sharing","tag-shows","tag-swift","tag-taylor","tag-taylor-swift","tag-technology","tag-trump","tag-tv","tag-tv-shows-u0026-programs","tag-u0026","tag-woods"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Actor-James-Woods-is-from-Rhode-Island-5-things-to.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2355312","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2355312"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2355312\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2355314,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2355312\/revisions\/2355314"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2355313"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2355312"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2355312"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2355312"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}