Editing James Woods (section)

=== 1978–1989: Breakthrough and acclaim ===
Woods rose to prominence playing the husband of [[Meryl Streep]] in the critically acclaimed four episode miniseries ''[[Holocaust (miniseries)|Holocaust]]'' (1978) which aired on [[NBC]]. The series focuses on the story of a Jewish family's struggle to survive [[Nazi Germany]]'s [[The Holocaust|campaign of genocide against the Jewish people]]. The series also starred [[Michael Moriarty]] and [[Rosemary Harris]]. ''Holocaust'' won the [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Limited Series|Outstanding Limited Series]] as well as seven other [[Primetime Emmy Awards]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.emmys.com/awards/nominees-winners/1978?page=3|title=30th Emmy Awards Nominees and Winners|work=Emmys|access-date=May 6, 2019}}</ref> The following year Woods took a leading role starring in ''[[The Onion Field (film)|The Onion Field]]'' (1979) playing murderer [[Gregory Powell (murderer)|Gregory Powell]]. Critic [[Gene Siskel]] of ''[[The Chicago Tribune]]'' praised Woods' performance writing, "At the center of ''The Onion Field'' is a bunch of superior performances. James Woods (the persecuted artist in "The Holocaust") is a standout as Greg Powell, the ringleader of the crooks, a horrible creature with a scarred face and a quicksilver personality that ranges from murderous to fatherly to murderous in a matter of seconds." He also opined that "Woods deserves an Academy Award nomination for this role."<ref>{{cite news|url= https://www.newspapers.com/article/chicago-tribune-gene-siskel-movie-review/43536729/|title= Gene Siskel Movie Review—THE ONION FIELD (09–28–79)|work= Chicago Tribune|date= September 28, 1979|page= 25|accessdate= March 15, 2024}}</ref> Woods received nominations for Best Actor from the [[Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama|Golden Globe Awards]], the [[National Society of Film Critics]], and the [[New York Film Critics Circle|New York Film Critics Circle Association]], but notably not from the [[Academy Awards]].<ref>{{cite web|url= https://goldenglobes.com/person/james-woods/|title= Awards Profile: James Woods|website= [[Golden Globe Awards]]|accessdate= March 15, 2024}}</ref>

[[File:JamesWoods-3.jpg|thumb|Woods at the [[Primetime Emmy Awards]] in 1992]]
At the start of the 1980s, Woods played an eccentric and unpredictable janitor in the [[Peter Yates]] directed thriller ''[[Eyewitness (1981 film)|Eyewitness]]'' (1981) co-starring [[Sigourney Weaver]], [[William Hurt]], [[Morgan Freeman]] and [[Christopher Plummer]].<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1006917-eyewitness|title= Eyewitness (1981)|website= [[Rotten Tomatoes]]|accessdate= March 15, 2024}}</ref> 
He acted in the prison drama ''[[Fast-Walking]]'' (1982) with ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' giving the film a mixed review but praising him as "always interesting to watch".<ref>{{cite web|url= https://variety.com/1981/film/reviews/fast-walking-1200425216/|title= Fast-Walking|website= Variety|date= January 1982|accessdate= March 15, 2024}}</ref> That same year he acted in the psychological drama ''[[Split Image (film)|Split Image]]'' (1982).<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.metacritic.com/movie/split-image/|title= Split Image|website= Metacritic|accessdate= March 15, 2024}}</ref> 

Woods took the starring role in the [[David Cronenberg]] written and directed [[Science fiction film|science-fiction]] [[body horror]] film ''[[Videodrome]]'' (1983). Critic [[Janet Maslin]] of ''[[The New York Times]]'' praised the film and the leading performance writing, "By far Mr. Cronenberg's most inspired touch is the casting of Mr. Woods, who brings an almost backhanded heroism to the horror genre. In villainous or sinister roles...Mr. Woods has been startling, but that kind of casting is almost a redundancy. Here, his offhand wisecracking gives the performance a sharply authentic edge. And his jittery, insinuating manner even begins to look like a kind of innocence, in comparison with the calm, soothing attitudes of the video-crazed megalomaniacs he's up against."<ref>{{cite news|url= https://www.nytimes.com/1983/02/04/movies/videodrome-lurid-fantasies-of-the-tube.html#:~:text=Cronenberg%2C%20while%20easily%20fulfilling%20the,cleverness%20for%20a%20long%20while.|title= 'VIDEODROME,' LURID FANTASIES OF THE TUBE|work= The New York Times|date= February 4, 1983|accessdate= March 15, 2024|last1= Maslin|first1= Janet}}</ref>

He then took on the role of Maximillian "Max" Bercovicz, a Jewish gangster, in [[Sergio Leone]]'s epic ''[[Once Upon a Time in America]]'' (1984) alongside [[Robert De Niro]], [[Tuesday Weld]], and [[Joe Pesci]]. Woods considers his role in the film as one of his favorites.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20090906092454/http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/participant.jsp?spid=209195 Turner Classic Movies biography], James Woods, accessed January 2, 2011</ref>
The film premiered at the [[1984 Cannes Film Festival]] and received a 15-minute standing ovation.<ref>{{cite web|work=[[GQ]]|title=Have Film Festivals Reached Peak Standing Ovation?|author=Gogarty, Joshiah|date=September 4, 2024|url=https://www.gq.com/story/standing-ovation-inflation}}</ref> [[Rotten Tomatoes]] reports an 86% approval rating with 51 reviews, the consensus reading, "Sergio Leone's epic crime drama is visually stunning, stylistically bold, and emotionally haunting, and filled with great performances from the likes of Robert De Niro and James Woods."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/once_upon_a_time_in_america|title=Once Upon a Time in America (1984)|via=www.rottentomatoes.com}}</ref> That same year, he also starred in ''[[Against All Odds (1984 film)|Against All Odds]]'' as a nightclub owner who hires an aging football star, played by [[Jeff Bridges]], to find his missing girlfriend.

In [[Oliver Stone]]'s drama ''[[Salvador (film)|Salvador]]'' (1986), Woods portrayed real-life journalist [[Richard Boyle (journalist)|Richard Boyle]] as he chronicles events in [[El Salvador]]. Despite his criticism that ""Salvador" is long and disjointed and tries to tell too many stories," [[Roger Ebert]] wrote in the ''[[Chicago Sun-Times]]'', "This is the sort of role Woods was born to play".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/salvador-1986|title=Salvador Movie Review & Film Summary (1986) – Roger Ebert|first=Roger|last=Ebert|website=www.rogerebert.com}}</ref> He won the [[Independent Spirit Award for Best Actor]]. He also received his first [[Academy Award]] nomination for his performance.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://apnews.com/690e10e5469503a7ba7af6d5f8d619d6|title= 'Platoon,' 'Room with a View' Lead Oscar Nominees with 8 Apiece |work=Associated Press News |access-date= May 12, 2020}}</ref> In 1987, Woods won the [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie]] for his role as a disabled man in the made-for-television film ''[[Promise (1986 film)|Promise]]'' (1986). The film also starred [[James Garner]] and [[Piper Laurie]].<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.tvguide.com/movies/promise/2030118600/|title= Promise|website= TV Guide|accessdate= March 15, 2024}}</ref> In 1989, Woods won his second [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie|Primetime Emmy Award]], for his role as the founder of [[Alcoholics Anonymous]], [[Bill W.]] in the made-for-television drama film, ''[[My Name Is Bill W.]]'' starring [[James Garner]] and [[Gary Sinise]].<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097939/|title= My Name is Bill W.|website= [[IMDB]]|accessdate= March 15, 2024}}</ref>

In 1988, Woods portrayed a man struggling with [[cocaine]] addiction in ''[[The Boost]]''. While the film received mixed reviews Woods' was praised for his performance with Critic [[Roger Ebert]] declaring that it was "one of the most convincing and horrifying portraits of drug addiction I've ever seen". He also added, "Woods is one of the most intense, unpredictable actors in the movies today. You watch his characters because they seem capable of exploding – not out of anger, but out of hurt, shame and low self-esteem. They're wounded, but they fight back by being smarter than anyone else and using jokes and sarcasm to keep people at arm's length."<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-boost-1988|title= The Boost|website= Rogerebert.com|accessdate= February 5, 2023}}</ref> On October 28, 1989, Woods hosted ''[[Saturday Night Live (season 15)|Saturday Night Live]]'' with [[Don Henley]] as the musical guest.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/cast/james-woods-60206|title= James Woods on Saturday Night Live|website= nbc.com|access-date= May 12, 2020}}</ref> In 1989, Woods acted in the courtroom drama ''[[True Believer (1989 film)|True Believer]]'' with [[Robert Downey Jr.]] and [[Yuji Okumoto]] and family drama ''[[Immediate Family (film)|Immediate Family]]'' acting alongside [[Glenn Close]], [[Mary Stuart Masterson]] and [[Kevin Dillon]]. Of the latter, critic [[Roger Ebert]] noted of his performance "Woods is toned down from his other recent performances. He is the best actor in Hollywood at playing manics, crazies, hyperactive schemers and intelligent con men, but here he simply plays a more or less normal husband with ordinary desires and passions. He and Close make a convincing couple."<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/immediate-family-1989|title= Immediate Family review|website= Rogerebert.com|accessdate= March 15, 2024}}</ref>