George Woodard

George Woodard Jr. was born on June 18, 1952 in Waterbury Center, Vermont, to George and Theresa Woodard, both of whose parents were also farmers.^[1] He had two brothers, Steve and Bernard Woodard, and a sister, Joanna Woodard.^[1] He created various short films, documenting the life of a farmer in Vermont.^[2] After watching the film The Miracle of Paradise Valley, Woodard took an interest in becoming an actor.^[2] This interest stemmed from him watching stage productions at the Hyde Park Opera House, which further persuaded him to take up acting as a career.^[2]

He experimented with acting in high school,^[2] taking part in high school and local summer stock plays and musicals, while rebuilding the family dairy business. Later he moved to Hollywood for three years to explore acting.^[2] In Hollywood, Woodard starred in a few low-budget films.^[2] The need for someone to lead the operation of the Woodard family farm brought him home to Vermont, where he ran the family's dairy business.^[2]

He appeared in the films Time Chasers, Ethan Frome, My Mother's Early Lovers, The Mudge Boy, America's Heart and Soul, along with a few TV commercials.^[3] He also appeared as the host in several episodes of the children's educational television series Little Hardhats.^[4]

In 2010, Woodard wrote the screenplay, directed, edited and acted in The Summer of Walter Hacks, a coming of age story set in rural New England of the 1950s and features Henry, his son.^[5]

In 2023, he released his second feature film The Farm Boy, a story set in the 1940s during World War II about a boy growing up and working as a milkman on the family farm.^[6] The story is based on Woodard's parents growing up on a farm.^[2][7][6] The story features Henry Woodward, George's son, playing the role of Calvin Dillard, a Vermont farmer sent to Europe during World War II.^[8]

George Woodard Jr.'s mother died in 2004.^[9] His brother, Steve, died in 2011.^[9]