Last updated: October 2026
Diane Lou Oswald is an American woman best known as the mother of actor Woody Harrelson. She worked as a legal secretary and raised three sons largely on her own after her marriage to Charles Harrelson ended. She has never been a public figure, and she rarely appears in interviews, so most of what is known about her comes from biographies of her famous son and from reference pages about her former husband. This profile explains what is supported by those sources and what is only repeated by small websites.
Quick Facts About Diane Lou Oswald
| Full name | Diane Lou Oswald (also called Diane Lou Harrelson) |
| Known for | Mother of actor Woody Harrelson |
| Born | Lebanon, Ohio, reported as 1937 (not confirmed by a primary source) |
| Profession | Secretary and legal secretary |
| Former husband | Charles Voyde Harrelson; married in 1958 or 1959, divorced in 1964 |
| Children | Three sons, including Woody Harrelson and Brett Harrelson |
| Moved to Lebanon, Ohio | 1973, with her sons |
| Current status | Not publicly confirmed |
Who Is Diane Lou Oswald?
Diane Lou Oswald is mainly described as a working mother who kept her family together during a difficult period. Woody Harrelson’s reference biography says he was born in Midland, Texas, in 1961 to a secretary named Diane Lou and a convicted contract killer named Charles Voyde Harrelson. It also says the family was poor and depended on his mother’s wages. That short description is the most reliable summary of her life, and everything else should be read with care.
Early Life in Lebanon, Ohio
Most profiles say Diane was born in 1937 in Lebanon, a small city in Warren County, Ohio. Woody’s reference page supports the Ohio connection, since it calls Lebanon his mother’s native city and says he moved there in 1973. The 1937 birth year appears on many websites, but I could not find a birth
record or an interview that confirms it, so I treat it as reported. A few sites also say that she was 87 years old in 2024, which only repeats the same unconfirmed year.
Several pages name her parents as Kenneth Oswald and Mary Lou Oswald and say she was raised in a Presbyterian household. Those details appear on a group of similar websites and not in a reference biography, so I would call them possible but unproven. Her schooling is described only in general terms. One article says she enrolled in college, where she met Charles Harrelson, but it gives no school name or year.
Marriage to Charles Harrelson
Diane married Charles Voyde Harrelson, who was born in Lovelady, Texas, in 1938. Different sources give 1958 or 1959 as the wedding year, and one report says the Texas State Historical Association records it as 1958. I could not settle the difference, so I say it was the late 1950s. Their sons were born in the early 1960s, including Woody in 1961 and Brett in 1963, according to reference pages.
Reference biographies say the couple divorced in 1964. Charles Harrelson later became a notorious figure: according to his reference page, he received a life sentence for the 1979 killing of a federal judge named John H. Wood Jr., and he died in 2007. Diane was no longer his wife at the time, and she is not accused of any wrongdoing in any source I found. Her role in the story is that of the parent who stayed with the children.
Raising Three Sons as a Single Mother
After the divorce, Diane raised her sons largely by herself. Woody’s reference page says the family relied on her earnings, and that he attended a school in Houston before the move to Ohio. Many biographies say she worked as a legal secretary, and several describe her as hard-working and steady. Those descriptions match the general pattern of a single mother supporting a family in the 1960s and 1970s.
In 1973, when Woody was about twelve, Diane moved the family to Lebanon, Ohio, her hometown. Both Woody and his brother Brett attended Lebanon High School, and Woody graduated in 1979. Brett’s reference page says he later joined the U.S. Army and spent two years in Germany. Some websites say Diane’s mother and grandmother helped raise the boys in Lebanon, but that detail comes from a single small site and is unverified.
Her Sons
Diane Lou Oswald is the mother of three sons: Jordan, Woody and Brett Harrelson. Woody became an Academy Award-nominated actor known for Cheers and many films, and Brett also worked as an actor. Jordan has stayed out of the public eye, and little is documented about him. Websites also list Woody’s wife, Laura Louie, and their daughters as Diane’s grandchildren, which is consistent with
Woody’s own family but not confirmed in a source about Diane.
Faith and Values
Many pages say Diane raised her sons with strong Christian values and mention a Presbyterian background. Woody has spoken in interviews about his upbringing in general terms, but I could not
find a direct quote from him that gives details about his mother’s church. For that reason, I describe the faith claim as widely repeated and not documented. It is a believable detail, but it should not be treated as proven.
Where Is Diane Lou Oswald Now?
My search found no credible recent news about Diane Lou Oswald, so I did not add a “Latest Updates” section. Some websites say she is retired and lives in Lebanon, Ohio, and others say she would be 87 or older. None of them cites a source such as an obituary or an interview, so I cannot confirm whether she is living or where she is. Because she is a private person, it is better to leave that question open.
Net Worth and Other Claims
A few biography sites list a net worth for Diane Lou Oswald, but there is no record, filing or interview that supports any figure. Details such as height or hobbies also appear without sources. I left all of these out. A biography of a private person should not include numbers that nobody can check.
It is useful to remember that most of what the public knows about Diane comes through the stories her sons tell. Woody Harrelson has talked in interviews about growing up with little money and about the family’s move to Ohio, and those general comments match what reference biographies say. However, he has not given a detailed public account of his mother’s life, and she has not given interviews herself. This profile therefore stays with the broad facts that sources agree on.
The contrast with her former husband is also striking. Charles Harrelson is the subject of a long reference article because of his crimes, while Diane appears only in passing. Writers who want a more balanced picture of the family should read about the working parent who stayed with the children, not only about the man in the headlines. That is the gap this profile tries to fill.
What Is Still Unconfirmed
To be clear about the gaps, these details are not reliably confirmed: her exact birth date and year, her parents’ names, her schooling, the exact wedding year, her religion, her work history beyond the legal secretary description, her current location and whether she is living. I also could not confirm the claims about who helped raise her sons in Ohio. Anyone who needs these facts should look for official records or a direct statement from the family.
How This Was Researched
I wrote this profile after reviewing about a dozen biography pages about Diane Lou Oswald, along with the reference pages for Woody Harrelson, Brett Harrelson and Charles Harrelson. I compared dates across sources and left out claims that appeared only once or contradicted each other, such as the wedding year and her age. I did not speak to anyone connected to her and I have no inside access. The gap I tried to fill is that many existing pages repeat a birth year, parent names and a current address as fact, while this article marks which parts are supported by reference biographies.
Accuracy Note
This biography is based on publicly available information, including reference pages and published profiles. Because Diane Lou Oswald is a private person, some details may be incomplete. If you spot anything outdated or incorrect, please let us know so we can update it.
Written and researched by Usama Khan, contributor at lopin magazine.
FAQ
Who is Diane Lou Oswald?
She is an American legal secretary and the mother of actor Woody Harrelson.
When was Diane Lou Oswald born?
Many sites say 1937 in Lebanon, Ohio, but the date is not confirmed by a primary source.
Who was Diane Lou Oswald married to?
She was married to Charles Voyde Harrelson. They married in the late 1950s and divorced in 1964.
How many children does she have?
She has three sons: Jordan, Woody and Brett Harrelson.
Why did she move to Lebanon, Ohio?
Reference pages say she moved her sons there in 1973, to her hometown, after the divorce.
What did Diane Lou Oswald do for a living?
She worked as a secretary and legal secretary.
Is Diane Lou Oswald still alive?
That is not publicly confirmed. Sites that give her current age or address do not cite a source.
Usama Khan is the founder and editor-in-chief of Lopin Magazine, where he oversees the site’s biography and news coverage with a focus on accuracy and well-researched storytelling.
