Diane Lou Oswald is the mother of actor Woody Harrelson. She was born in 1937 in Lebanon, Warren County, Ohio. She worked as a secretary and later as a legal secretary. In 1959, she married Charles Voyde Harrelson, a man who later became a convicted contract killer. The couple divorced in 1964. 

Diane raised three sons largely on her own: Woody, Brett, and Jordan. She is often confused online with a different person of the same name, the daughter of Lee Harvey Oswald. The two are unrelated. This profile separates the verified facts about Woody Harrelson’s mother from the noise around her name.

Who Is Diane Lou Oswald? (Profile Overview)

Diane Lou Oswald grew up in Lebanon, Ohio, a small town in Warren County. Her parents were Kenneth Oswald and Mary Lou Oswald. She was one of three children in the family.

She raised her family with strong community ties. Neighbours knew each other by name, and the local church anchored daily life in Lebanon.

How Old Is Diane Lou Oswald?

Diane Lou Oswald was born in 1937. That makes her 89 years old in 2026. Her exact birthday has never been made public.

Early Life and Background

Diane grew up in Lebanon during the 1940s and 1950s, a period shaped by the Great Depression and then World War II. Families leaned on church and hard work to get through lean years. Discipline and responsibility were part of everyday life in the household.

Kindness and moral guidance came from home, not from wealth or status. That foundation mattered later, when Diane faced single motherhood on her own.

Parents: Kenneth and Mary Lou Oswald

Kenneth Oswald and Mary Lou Oswald raised Diane with Presbyterian faith at the center of the home. They valued diligence and compassion over material success. Those lessons carried Diane through the financial pressure she would face years later as a single mother.

Family Tree and Grandparents

Diane’s grandparents were Dutch and Izora Oswald. Their influence on Kenneth and Mary Lou shaped the family values passed down to Diane, and later to Brett, Woody, and Jordan. Her grandchildren, Deni, Zoe, and Makani Harrelson, extend that same family line through Woody and his wife Laura Louie.

Education and Career

Diane built a career as a legal secretary, a role that demanded precision and confidentiality. She managed court documents and supported attorneys in a law office setting. This work required strong organizational skills at a time when career paths for women were limited.

Her steady employment gave her financial stability during difficult years. It also modeled discipline for her sons, who watched her balance a full workday with raising three boys alone.

Marriage to Charles Voyde Harrelson

Diane married Charles Voyde Harrelson in 1959. Some records place the wedding on February 26, 1958, in Pasadena, Texas, performed by Baptist Reverend L. D. Morgan. Charles had just left the Navy and worked briefly as an encyclopedia salesman in Los Angeles.

He was also a gambler with a charming personality that masked deeper trouble. That charm would not last.

Welcoming Three Sons: Woody, Brett, and Jordan

In 1960, the couple moved to Midland, Texas, where their sons arrived close together. Jordan Kenneth came first, followed by Woodrow “Woody” Tracy on July 23, 1961, and Brett on June 4, 1963. The family later settled in Houston, where Diane managed three young boys while Charles drifted further into crime.

Divorce and Charles Harrelson’s Abandonment

Diane and Charles divorced in 1964 after five years of marriage. Full abandonment came later. In 1968, when Woody was seven, Charles disappeared from the family’s Houston home for good.

Diane never turned her sons against their father. She stayed quiet about his failures and focused on raising her boys with stability instead of bitterness.

Charles Harrelson’s Criminal History and Family Impact

Charles Harrelson was convicted of armed robbery in 1960. He went on to admit involvement in multiple murders through the early 1960s, eventually working as a contract killer. In 1968, he stood trial for the murder of Alan Harry Berg, but a jury in Angleton acquitted him in September 1970.

That same year, he was tied to the murder-for-hire killing of Sam Degelia Jr., a grain dealer from Hearne, Texas, reportedly for $2,000. His first trial ended in a deadlocked jury. A 1973 retrial convicted him, and he served part of a 15-year sentence before release in 1978.

The most serious crime came in 1979. Charles was implicated, along with his later wife Jo Ann, in the assassination of US District Judge John H. Wood Jr. He was convicted and given two life terms. During a standoff with police in September 1980, he claimed involvement in the murder of President John F. Kennedy, then recanted the statement.

Charles later attempted an escape from Atlanta Federal Penitentiary in 1995 before surrendering. He died in prison on March 15, 2007, at age 68, following a heart attack after battling cancer.

Life as a Single Mother

Diane was left raising three young boys at just 27 years old. She worked steadily as a secretary to keep the household running through the 1960s and 1970s. Money was tight, but she gave her sons structure and consistent moral guidance.

Move Back to Lebanon, Ohio (1973)

In 1973, when Woody was 12, Diane moved the family from Texas back to Lebanon, Ohio. The return gave her sons access to extended family and a calmer, safer environment. Woody later graduated from Lebanon High School in 1979.

Help from Her Mother and Grandmother

Diane’s mother and grandmother helped raise the boys once the family settled in Lebanon. Woody has described his great-grandmother Polly as full of energy, while his grandmother brought quiet strength to the household.

Working to Support the Family

Diane worked at a local law firm and managed household expenses through careful budgeting. Neighbours noted her kindness even during hard stretches. Woody later told the Financial Times in 2018, “we were poor,” but added that his mother always kept food on the table.

Faith, Values, and Influence on Woody Harrelson

Diane raised her sons in the Presbyterian faith, with church attendance and Bible study built into weekly life. Woody told GQ in 2012 that his family did Bible study at home. At 17, he delivered his first sermon and later pursued theology at Hanover College in Indiana on a Presbyterian scholarship.

College introduced him to progressive ideas that shifted his beliefs. On Jimmy Kimmel Live in 2018, he described Presbyterianism as “Catholic-lite, half the ritual but all the guilt.”

Diane’s biggest lesson was compassion. Woody told the Guardian in 2018 that she instilled good values in how he treats people. Her work ethic left a mark too; he has said he has “a good work ethic even though I have a better play ethic.”

Love for Nature and Environmental Activism

Woody has credited his mother with his care for the natural world. That influence showed up later in his activism, including a 1997 arrest at an anti-logging protest and his narration of the 2020 climate documentary Kiss the Ground.

Woody’s Public Tributes to His Mother

When Woody earned an Oscar nomination for The Messenger, Diane sent him a note comparing him to fellow nominee Christopher Plummer. Woody has said her approval mattered more to him than any statue.

Diane Lou Oswald’s Children and Grandchildren

Woody is the best known of Diane’s three sons, rising to fame as Woody Boyd on the sitcom Cheers before building a film career. Brett Harrelson, born in 1963, also became an actor. Jordan Harrelson has kept a lower profile, appearing in projects including Between the Stars, Well, and Broken Promise.

Diane’s grandchildren, Deni, Zoe, and Makani Harrelson, were born to Woody and his wife Laura Louie.

About Woody Harrelson’s Career and Family

Woody Harrelson was born on July 23, 1961, making him 64 in 2026. His film career includes The People vs. Larry Flynt, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, No Country for Old Men, and The Hunger Games franchise. His net worth is estimated at $70 million, earned as an actor, playwright, and activist.

He married Laura Louie in 2008. The two met in 1987 when she worked as his personal assistant. Louie co-founded the organic food delivery service Yoganics and is of Asian descent. The couple has three daughters, born in 1993, 1996, and 2006, and lives in Maui, Hawaii.

Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson’s Relationship

Woody has said there may be real substance behind the long-running rumor that he and Matthew McConaughey are half-brothers, reportedly tied to a past relationship between Charles Harrelson and McConaughey’s mother. Neither actor has confirmed it with a DNA test. The two now explore a fictionalized version of that idea in Brothers, an eight-episode Apple TV+ comedy from David West Read and Lee Eisenberg, set to premiere on September 23, 2026.

Is Diane Lou Oswald Related to Lee Harvey Oswald?

Diane Lou Oswald is not related to Lee Harvey Oswald. The two share only a surname. Diane’s parents were Kenneth and Mary Lou Oswald, while Lee Harvey Oswald’s parents were Robert Edward Lee Oswald Sr. and Marguerite Frances Claverie.

Part of the confusion online comes from a separate, unrelated woman also named Diane Lou Oswald, who is actually Lee Harvey Oswald’s daughter. That is a different person entirely, and search results sometimes blend the two.

Where Is Diane Lou Oswald Now?

Diane Lou Oswald continues to live privately in Lebanon, Ohio. She has avoided interviews, red carpets, and media attention throughout her son’s rise to fame. Most public information about her still comes through Woody’s own comments in interviews rather than from Diane herself.

Diane Lou Oswald’s Legacy and Impact

Diane’s legacy shows up most clearly in her sons’ lives, particularly Woody’s career and his stated values. Her steady parenting through financial pressure and public scrutiny gave her children stability without wealth or status behind it. That consistency, more than any single achievement, is what she is remembered for.

Conclusion

Diane Lou Oswald built a private life around faith, work, and her three sons. She raised Woody, Brett, and Jordan largely alone after her divorce from Charles Harrelson in 1964, working as a legal secretary while he served time for serious crimes. She remains in Lebanon, Ohio, away from the spotlight her son’s career brought to the family name.

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FAQs

Is Diane Lou Oswald related to Lee Harvey Oswald?

No, Diane Lou Oswald is not related to Lee Harvey Oswald. Her parents were Kenneth and Mary Lou Oswald, while his parents were a different family entirely.

How old is Diane Lou Oswald?

Diane Lou Oswald was born in 1937, which makes her 89 years old in 2026.

What did Diane Lou Oswald do for a living?

Diane Lou Oswald worked as a secretary and later as a legal secretary at a local law firm to support her family.

How many children does Diane Lou Oswald have?

Diane Lou Oswald has three sons: Woody Harrelson, Brett Harrelson, and Jordan Harrelson.

What values did Diane Lou Oswald teach Woody Harrelson?

She taught him compassion, honesty, and a strong work ethic, along with Presbyterian faith and a lasting respect for nature and the environment.

What happened to Diane Lou Oswald’s ex-husband, Charles Harrelson?

Charles Harrelson was convicted of murdering federal judge John H. Wood Jr. in 1979, received two life sentences, and died in prison in 2007.

Is Diane Lou Oswald still alive today?

Diane Lou Oswald reportedly continues to live privately in Lebanon, Ohio, and has avoided public appearances and media attention for years.

Is Woody Harrelson related to Matthew McConaughey?

Woody Harrelson has said there may be truth to rumors that he and Matthew McConaughey are half-brothers, but neither has confirmed it with a DNA test.