The Natural State in Hollywood: Here are some of the biggest actors from Arkansas

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Plenty of Arkansans are spread across pro sports, the music industry and especially Hollywood.

With the Oscars this weekend, KARK 4 News is taking a look through some of the biggest Natural State names to grace the silver screen.

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Billy Bob Thornton

Born in Hot Springs, Billy Bob Thornton is famous for acting and directing “Sling Blade,” which he filmed in Benton. Because of the film, he was nominated for Best Actor and won Best Screenplay at the 1997 Oscars.

Thornton also garnered praise for his roles in “A Simple Plan” and “Fargo,” being nominated for another Academy Award and an Emmy respectively.

Mary Steenburgen

Academy Award-winning actress Mary Steenburgen was born in Newport and attended Hendrix College in Conway.

Steenburgen won an Oscar for her performance in “Melvin and Howard” and had other roles in “Back to the Future Part III” and “Step Brothers.”

Wes Bentley

Wes Bentley was born in Jonesboro, raised in Little Rock and graduated from Sylvan Hills High School in Sherwood.

Bentley is best known for his role in “American Beauty,” for which he got several nominations and a Screen Actors Guild award.

He also has notable roles in “Yellowstone,” “The Hunger Games” and “Interstellar.”

Josh Lucas

Josh Lucas was born in Little Rock and has notable performances in “Ford v. Ferrari,” “Sweet Home Alabama” and  “Glory Road.”

Like Bentley, Lucas also has a role in the show “Yellowstone.”

Joey Lauren Adams

Joey Lauren Adams was born in North Little Rock and is most famous for her Golden Globe-nominated performance in “Chasing Amy.”

She also had notable performances in “Dazed and Confused” and “Big Daddy” with Adam Sandler.

Adams made her directorial debut with the 2006 movie “Come Early Morning.”

Clark Duke

Clark Duke is a native Arkansan and had roles in several comedy movies including the “Hot Tub Time Machine” movies and both of the “Kick-Ass” movies.

Duke also made his directorial debut with the movie “Arkansas” which was shot in and features the Natural State.

Rudy Ray Moore

Born in Fort Smith, comedian and actor Rudy Ray Moore is most famous for his creation and portrayal of the character Dolemite in the “Dolemite” movies.

Moore passed away in October of 2008

Arkansas will be seeing some representation at the 2024 Oscars. Nominated for the Best Documentary Short Film category, “The Barber of Little Rock” focuses on the racial wealth gap and how local barber Arlo Washington aims to combat the issue in his hometown by opening a nonprofit community bank.

‘The Barber of Little Rock’ documentary nominated for Oscar

The 2024 Oscars will be held on Sunday from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KARK.