Tommy Lee Jones' life in pictures

Tommy Lee Jones stars as a retired FBI agent who stirs up trouble at a retirement community in "Just Getting Started," which opens in theaters on Dec. 8, 2017. In honor of the action-comedy's debut, Wonderwall.com is taking a look back at the Oscar winner's life in pictures. Keep reading to see the esteemed actor's biggest moments…

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Tommy Lee Jones was born in Texas on Sept. 15, 1946. He attended Harvard, where he studied English, befriended Al Gore, acted in school productions with classmate John Lithgow and played for the Harvard Crimson football team. He graduated in 1969 and moved to New York City, where he pursued his career as an actor on Broadway.

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A year after he made his feature-film debut in 1970's "Love Story" (he had a small role as Oliver's roommate, Hank), Tommy Lee Jones made his television debut on "One Life to Live" as Dr. Mark Toland, who married Lee Warwick's Julie Siegel. He served as a regular on the drama until 1975.

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After a decade of making a name for himself in Hollywood, Tommy Lee Jones finally earned some recognition in 1981 when he received his first Golden Globe nomination. He got the nod for his performance as Doolittle Lynn opposite Sissy Spacek as Loretta Lynn in "Coal Miner's Daughter."

In 1982, Tommy Lee Jones starred as Gary Gilmore, a convicted murderer who lobbied for his own execution, on the NBC made-for-TV movie "The Executioner's Song." The following year, he won an Emmy for his work in the biopic.

In 1989, Tommy Lee Jones starred alongside Robert Duvall as a former Texas Ranger in the four-part CBS miniseries "Lonesome Dove." He earned Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for his work on the adaptation of the Larry McMurtry novel of the same name.

In 1991, Tommy Lee Jones starred as real-life New Orleans businessman Clay Shaw in "JFK," which centers around the Kennedy assassination. He earned his first Oscar nomination for his performance in the Oliver Stone-directed historical drama, in which Sissy Spacek also starred.

In 1993, Tommy Lee Jones starred in "The Fugitive" as a U.S. marshal on the hunt for an innocent man (Harrison Ford) who's been wrongfully convicted of murdering his wife. The following year, he won a Golden Globe Award — his first — for his performance in the crime drama, but that's not all…

In 1994, Tommy Lee Jones' work in "The Fugitive" won him his first Oscar. He sported a noticeably different 'do while picking up his award: His head had been partially shaved for his role as the titular baseball legend in the biopic "Cobb," which debuted a few months later.

Tommy Lee Jones made his directorial debut with 1995's "The Good Old Boys," which he also wrote. The Western marked his third occasion sharing screen time with Sissy Spacek, who earned an Emmy nomination for her performance in the TNT made-for-TV movie. (The following year, Tommy earned his first SAG Award nomination for his work in the film.)

In June 1995, Tommy Lee Jones attended the Los Angeles premiere of "Batman Forever" with his second wife, Kimberlea Cloughley, and their son, Austin. Just two months later, she filed for divorce after 14 years of marriage. (He was previously married to actress-writer Kate Lardner for seven years during the '70s.)

In 1997, Tommy Lee Jones debuted as Agent K in "Men in Black," which was the third-highest grossing movie of the year ("Titanic" was No. 1 and "The Lost World: Jurassic Park" was No. 2). The sci-fi comedy spawned two sequels and went on to become one of the top-grossing franchises in cinema history.

On March 4, 1998, just six months after they tied the knot, San Antonio-based photographer Dawn Laurel joined Tommy Lee Jones at the Los Angeles premiere of "U.S. Marshals." (The duo reportedly met on the 1995 set of "The Good Old Boys" while Tommy was still married to his second wife.)

Tommy Lee Jones played polo at the Willow Bend Polo Club in Dallas on Oct. 30, 1998. The Oscar-winning actor is a polo enthusiast and, over the years, has owned multiple properties in areas where the sport is popular. (He even helped kick-start Harvard's polo program after he graduated.)

On Aug. 16, 2000, Tommy Lee Jones spoke in support of his college pal, Al Gore, during the Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles.

In July 2002, Tommy Lee Jones took his daughter, Victoria, to a special screening of "Stuart Little 2" in London. (Her mom is the actor's second wife, Kimberlea Cloughley.)

Tommy Lee Jones and college pal Al Gore reunited at the premiere of the actor's sophomore directorial effort, "The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada" — in which he also starred — in New York City on Dec. 12, 2005. The crime drama earned four Independent Spirit Award nominations, including best feature and best screenplay.

In 2007, Tommy Lee Jones starred in "In the Valley of Elah," for which he earned his third Oscar nomination. He portrayed a retired military investigator who teams up with a police detective (Charlize Theron) to look into his son's disappearance following a tour of duty in Iraq. (That same year, he earned raves for his performance in "No Country for Old Men," for which he earned his second SAG Award nomination.)

In 2008, Tommy Lee Jones picked up his first SAG Award after he and his "No Country for Old Men" co-stars were named outstanding motion picture cast. He shared the honor with Garret Dillahunt, Tess Harper, Josh Brolin, Woody Harrelson, Javier Bardem and Kelly Macdonald (not pictured).

In 2012, Tommy Lee Jones starred as Thaddeus Stevens — a member of the U.S. House of Representatives and leader of the Radical Republicans of the 1860s — in "Lincoln." He earned Oscar and Golden Globe nominations for his performance in the Steven Spielberg-directed biopic, for which he also won his first individual SAG Award.

Tommy Lee Jones got some support from his two main girls — daughter Victoria and wife Dawn Laurel-Jones — during the 2014 Cannes Film Festival premiere of "The Homesman," which he wrote, directed and executive produced. The Oscar-winning actor starred alongside Hilary Swank in the Western, which was a family affair: Tommy's son, Austin, served as the movie's music supervisor and had a role in the film as a banjo player.

Tommy Lee Jones and Morgan Freeman will face off as rivals for popularity within a retirement community — and for the affections of Rene Russo's Suzie — in "Just Getting Started," which debuts in theaters on Dec. 8, 2017.