Willie Nelson

Born: April 30 1933
Where: Abbott, Texas, USA

The legendary country & western singer/songwriter has also made forays into films such as Honeysuckle Rose and Wag the Dog.

As a child he worked in the cotton fields and was raised by his grandparents after his mother deserted the family and his father died.

He started playing the guitar as a boy and moved to Nashville with hopes of pursuing a career in the music industry.

While working at a radio station, he landed a record deal with RCA and went on to write classic songs including Crazy (for Patsy Cline) and You Are Always My Mind, which was covered by acts ranging from Elvis to Pet Shop Boys.

Turning to writing and performing his own songs, his music career hit a high with Red-Headed Stranger, reputedly the bestselling C&W record in history.

He made his big screen debut in 1979 opposite Robert Redford and Jane Fonda in The Electric Horseman.

The following year he has his first lead role in Honeysuckle Rose and his featured song On The Road Again was nominated for an Oscar.

Subsequent appearances included Thief with Tuesday Weld and James Caan and the legendary outlaw in the movie Barbarosa.

After teaming up with Kris Kristofferson for Songwriter, the two went on to form The Highwaymen with the late Johnny Cash and Waylon Jennings.

After several unmemorable roles, he won critical acclaim in 1997 for the Barry Levinson comedy Wag The Dog with Dustin Hoffman and Robert De Niro.

He has gone on to land roles in the likes of the James Crowley Western The Journeyman and the comedy thriller The Big Bounce with Owen Wilson.

During his career, Nelson has also provided songs for movies ranging from Forrest Gump to Shrek to Bride of Chucky.

Recent work includes the role of Uncle Jesse in the big screen version of the TV series The Dukes of Hazzard.