Diane Lou Oswald Taught Her Son Woody Harrelson Compassion

Woody Harrelson was raised by three women: a story-telling great-grandmother, a very quiet grandmother, and a single mother, Diane Lou Oswald, who took the brunt of the raising.

Oswald had three children, all boys, with her former husband, Charles V. Harrelson, a convicted killer. The three boys, Woody, Brett, and Jordan, were raised by a highly religious Oswald, who worked as a secretary.

Oswald has been a wonderful mother to Woody despite her limited resources early on and managed to keep food on the table. She has also been proud of her son from a young age before he even became a movie star.

Diane Lou Oswald’s Ex-husband Was an Outlaw

Oswald was a secretary who hailed from Lebanon, Ohio. She is regarded as a very religious Presbyterian and raised her kids in that faith to the extent that Woody feels he could have become a church minister. Oswald shared three sons with her former husband, Charles.

Charles was a contract assassin involved in organized crime, and Oswald knew about it; hence, she was not surprised when he ended up in prison. She had fallen out of love by the time Woody passed his pre-teen years. However, she never spoke ill of him despite him not being the best husband or father.

Oswald and Charles had gone their separate ways when Woody was around seven, but Charles was never around even before that. At age 11 or 12, Woody was shocked to hear his father's name on the radio being associated with a murder. Although he tried to talk about it with his mother, there was not much to discuss.

Diane Lou Oswald’s Mother and Grandmother Helped Raise Her Kids

Oswald is a devoted Presbyterian woman who raised her children in the church. However, as Woody grew older, especially when he went to college, he admitted that his belief started to collapse due to his newfound understanding of progressive ideas. Now he thinks Presbyterian "is like Catholic-lite. Half the ritual but all the guilt."

Oswald resided in the Lone Star State of Texas until Woody was 12. Afterward, she and her three sons relocated to Lebanon, Ohio, where she is originally from. There, she found help in raising her children from her mother and grandmother. Woody commented about them, saying:

"My great grandmother Polly was a real pistol. She could tell a story and everything about her was great. And then my grandmother—I never had a conversation as long as you and I have talked before. She is so stoic and she could talk but she was a woman of few words.”

Woody added that their family was relatively poor during his childhood. Still, Oswald cared for her three boys, which Woody agrees was challenging for her as a secretary and single mother. Woody also recalled his mother being proud of him for being popular at school.

Diane Lou Oswald Taught Woody to Love the World and Nature

Oswald has been proud of her son Woody since he was young and has remained that way even in his grown-up years. When Woody received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Captain Stone in "The Messenger," he said:

“I got a note from my mom, and she said, ‘You finally arrived. You’ve been nominated in the same category with Christopher Plummer. So, I got my mom’s approval, which is enough, you know what I mean? I don’t need a statue.”

"The Messenger'' is a war drama film released in 2009 that stars Jena Malone and Samantha Morton. That year, Christopher Waltz eventually won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor as Colonel Hans Landa in "Inglorious Bastards." He beat the likes of Matt Damon for the award.

Woody Harrelson has also publicly spoken about how Oswald has taught him to be compassionate toward the world and nature. That is something that she has instilled in Woody. Furthermore, he credits her for his work ethic, saying she gave him her energy.