Woody Harrelson's Father Was an Alleged Hitman

In the years following his breakout role on Cheers, Woody Harrelson has built a respectable career [...]

By Christian Long

In the years following his breakout role on Cheers, Woody Harrelson has built a respectable career that's been dotted with a number of diverse, memorable roles, including that of Archie Bunker. Now, a new podcast will explore the life of Harrelson's father, Charles, who was a convicted murderer -- and, possibly, a hitman.

As Entertainment Weekly reports, Spotify is releasing a 10-episode series on the subject of Harrelson and his father, titled Son of a Hitman. The podcast will premiere in May, and chronicle the real-time investigation by host Jason Cavanagh. Son of a Hitman will feature in-depth conversations with Harrelson's brothers, Brett and Jordan, as well those who knew Charles before and after his arrest. At this time, the True Detective star has not elected to take part.

Charles Harrelson worked as a professional gambler who was arrested in 1979 for the assassination of U.S. District Judge John Wood Jr. in San Antonio, Texas. He also had connections to two prior murders, carpet salesman Alan Berg, a crime in which he was acquitted, and grain dealer Sam Degelia Jr., which he served five years behind bars for. The elder Harrelson died in prison in back 2007. While stories of the actor's father had circulated for years, Son of a Hitman will attempt to separate the real-life fact from the sensationalized stories that were born out of rumor.

As Cavanagh hopes to leave no proverbial stone unturned in the series, it will also discuss some of the wilder aspects. Namely, the fact that the actor's father also claims to have played an integral role in the assassination of President John F. Kennedy back in 1963.

Before finding success in Hollywood, the ecology-conscious actor himself revealed back in November of 2019 that he'd considered becoming a minister. Harrelson also explained that current Vice President Mike Pence was his mentor, so-to-speak.

"I did a sermon when I was 17, and I did another one at Hanover College," Harrelson told Marc Maron during an interview for WTF. "And this is kind of bizarre, but Mike Pence was two years older than me at Hanover and he was kind of the guy that led me through it. Harrelson stressed that the two weren't exactly friends on campus, and even slightly refuted Maron's comment that he must've been "the frightening guy."

"No, not at all," Harrelson clarified. "Look, we weren't buddies or anything, but you know he was very religious and he was the guy who headed the thing for students who wanted to do religious things."

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