James Woods

Woods graduated from MIT with a degree in political science, originally intending a career in academia or politics before an unexpected turn toward acting during his college years redirected his entire life's path.

He played sleazy cable-TV programmer Max Renn with exactly the right mix of cynicism and hunger — a man who goes looking for the next shocking broadcast and finds one that starts rewriting his body. His MIT background gave him an unusually analytical approach to playing morally compromised, quick-talking characters.

This performance remains one of the defining roles of his early film career, and he went on to a long, prolific career across film and television known for intensity and rapid-fire delivery.