Bill Paxton

He was a close collaborator of director James Cameron, appearing in his films The Terminator (1984), Aliens (1986), True Lies (1994), and Titanic (1997). He made his directorial debut with the 2001 horror film Frailty, in which he also starred, earning him Saturn Award nominations for Best Director and Best Horror Film. On television, Paxton starred as Bill Henrickson on the HBO drama series Big Love (2006–2011), for which he earned three Golden Globe nominations for Best Actor – Television Series Drama during the show's run. He was nominated for an Emmy Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award for portraying Randall McCoy in the History Channel miniseries Hatfields & McCoys (2012).

• Name — Bill Paxton • Born — 17 May 1955 • Birth Name — William Paxton • Birthplace — Fort Worth, Texas, U.S. • Died — 25 February 2017 • Place of death — Los Angeles, California, U.S. • Resting Place — Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Hollywood Hills, California, U.S. • Occupation — * Actor • filmmaker • musician • Years Active — 1975–2017 • Children — 2, including James • Relatives — Elisha F. Paxton (great-great-grandfather)

• Illustration — Paxton being raised above the crowd as a child as President Kennedy emerges from the Hotel Texas before his assassination in November 1963 William Paxton was born in Fort Worth, Texas, on May 17, 1955, the son of Mary Lou (née Gray; 1926–2016) and John Lane Paxton (1920–2011). His mother was a Catholic who raised him and his siblings in her faith. His father was a businessman, lumber wholesaler, museum executive, and (during his son's career) an occasional actor, notably appearing in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man films as Bernard Houseman and alongside Paxton in A Simple Plan (1998). His great-great-grandfather was Elisha Franklin Paxton (1828–1863), a brigadier general in the Confederate Army during the Civil War who was killed commanding the Stonewall Brigade at the Battle of Chancellorsville. Paxton is distantly related to actress Sara Paxton and was the great-nephew of Mary Paxton Keeley, a prominent journalist and close friend of Bess Truman. At the age of eight, he was in the crowd when President John F. Kennedy emerged from the Hotel Texas in Fort Worth on the morning of his assassination on November 22, 1963. Photographs of Paxton being lifted above the crowd are on display at the Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza in Dallas, Texas. He later co-produced the film Parkland about the assassination. He graduated from Arlington Heights High School in Fort Worth in 1973, after which he studied at Richmond College in London, alongside his old high-school friend Danny Martin. There, they met fellow Texas native Tom Huckabee, with whom they made Super 8 short films for which they built their own sets. One of Paxton's first lead roles was in Huckabee's experimental film Taking Tiger Mountain. Paxton subsequently moved to Los Angeles, where he worked in props and art departments and as a parking valet at the Beverly Hills Hotel. After being rejected by film schools in Southern California, he switched his ambitions from directing to acting.

In 1982, Paxton and his friend Andrew Todd Rosenthal formed a new wave musical band called Martini Ranch. The band released its only full-length album, Holy Cow, in 1988 on Sire Records. The album was produced by Devo member Bob Casale, and featured guest appearances by two other members of that band. The music video for the band's single "Reach" was directed by James Cameron. In 2018, his performances as Peter "Coconut Pete" Wabash in Broken Lizard's Club Dread were released posthumously on the album Take Another Hit: The Best of Coconut Pete.

Paxton married Kelly Rowan in 1979 and they divorced a year later. He met Louise Newbury on a bus in Twickenham, London, where she was a student. They were married in 1987. They lived in Ojai, California, and had two children, including James, who also became an actor.

In early February 2017, Paxton stated in an interview on WTF with Marc Maron that he had a damaged aortic heart valve, resulting from rheumatic fever that he contracted as a child. On February 14, 2017, he underwent open-heart surgery at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles to repair the damaged valve and correct an aortic aneurysm. He died of a stroke eleven days later on February 25 at the age of 61. He was cremated and his ashes were buried at the Forest Lawn Memorial Park of Hollywood Hills. In 2018, Paxton's estate filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and surgeon Ali Khoynezhad. The hospital settled the lawsuit.

Filmmakers and actors paid tribute to Paxton after his death. On February 26, 2017, while introducing the annual In Memoriam segment at the 89th Academy Awards the day after Paxton's death, a visibly emotional Jennifer Aniston paid tribute to him. His Big Love co-star Chloë Sevigny remembered him as "one of the less cynical, jaded people [she'd] ever met in the business" and said, "He believed in entertainment being transportive and transformative. He believed in the magic of what we can bring to people. That was really a gift that he gave to me." The television show Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. paid tribute at the end of its season-four episode "What If...", and a number of storm chasers paid tribute to his role in Twister by spelling out his initials "BP" via the Spotter Network.

• Year — Title — Role — Notes — Ref. Reference • 1983 — Deadly Lessons — Eddie Fox — Movie • 1985 — An — Bob Maracek • The Atlanta Child Murders — Campbell — Miniseries • 1986 — Fresno — Billy Joe Bobb — Miniseries (4 episodes) • Miami Vice — Detective Victor "Vic" Romano — Episode: "Streetwise" • 1987 — The Hitchhiker — Trout — Episode: "Made for Each Other" • 1993 — Tales from the Crypt — Billy DeLuca — Episode: "People Who Live in Brass Hearses" • 1998 — A — John Paul Vann — Movie • 2003 — Frasier — Ernie — Episode: "Analyzed Kiss" • 2006–2011 — Big Love — Bill Henrickson — Lead role (53 episodes) • 2012 — Hatfields & McCoys — Randolph McCoy — Miniseries (3 episodes) • 2013 — JFK: The Day That Changed Everything — The Narrator — Documentary • 2014 — Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. — John Garrett — 6 episodes • 2015 — Texas Rising — Sam Houston — Miniseries • The Gamechangers — Jack Thompson — Movie • 2017 — Training Day — Detective Frank Roarke — Lead role (13 episodes)

• Year — Title — Artist — Role — Notes — Ref. • 1980 — "Fish Heads" — Barnes & Barnes — Main character — Also director • 1982 — "Love Tap" — Main character • "Shadows of the Night" — Pat Benatar — Wehrmacht-Unteroffizier • 1983 — "Soak It Up" — Barnes & Barnes — Main character • 1984 — "Ah Ā" • 1986 — "How Can the Labouring Man Find Time for Self-Culture?" — Martini Ranch • 1987 — "Touched by the Hand of God" — New Order • 1988 — "Reach" — Martini Ranch — Main character • 2003 — "Eat You Alive" — Limp Bizkit — Sheriff

• Year — Title — Role — Notes — Ref. • 2015 — Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare — Kahn — Exo Zombies • 2026 — Dead by Daylight — Private William Hudson — Playable character; likeness (posthumous release)

• Year — Title — Role — Notes • 1998 — Twister...Ride it Out — Himself — Pre-show co-host with Helen Hunt

• Year — Title — Director — Producer — Writer — Notes • 1977 — The Egyptian Princess, an Unfolding Fantasy — Short • 1980 — Saturday Night Live — 1 episode • Barnes & Barnes: Fish Heads — Video short; Executive producer • 1981 — Barnes & Barnes: Love Tap — Video short; Head writer • 1982 — Scoop — Short Co-writer • 1988 — Martini Ranch: Reach — Video short • Martini Ranch: How Can the Laboring Man Find Time for Self-Culture — Video Short • 1997 — Traveller • 2001 — Frailty • 2005 — The • 2007 — The Good Life — Executive producer • 2011 — Tattoo — Short • 2013 — Parkland

The authorities additionally record the headings William Paxton, William "Bill" Paxton, William Archibald Paxton and Wild Bill. His recorded language was English. He was the child of John Lane Paxton. He married Kelly Rowan and Louise Newbury. One child is recorded: James Paxton.

Bill Paxton is recorded as television actor, film actor, film director and actor.

The 2017 film Call Me by Your Name was dedicated to Paxton's memory. The film's producer, Peter Spears, explained that his husband Brian Swardstrom, who was also Paxton's best friend and agent, once visited the set with Paxton during filming and befriended the film's director Luca Guadagnino, who ultimately decided to dedicate the film "in loving memory of Bill Paxton". Close friend and frequent collaborator James Cameron wrote a tribute in an article for Vanity Fair, detailing their 36-year friendship and expressing regret over the projects they would not be able to make together. The 2019 John Travolta film The Fanatic, which co-starred Paxton's son James, was dedicated to Paxton. James would later play a younger version of Paxton's S.H.I.E.L.D. character in the final season of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., which served as a tribute to his role in the show. Cameron's 2022 film, Avatar: The Way of Water was dedicated to the memory of Paxton as well as to James Horner, who previously worked with Cameron on Aliens, Titanic and the first Avatar. Paxton worked with both Cameron and Horner on the former two films. Cameron had hoped to cast Paxton in the Avatar sequels before his death.

• Year — Title — Role — Notes — Ref. Reference • 1975 — Crazy Mama — John — Uncredited • 1981 — Butcher, Baker, Nightmare Maker/Night Warning — Eddie — as William Paxton • Stripes — Soldier #8 • 1983 — Reckless — "Bobo" • The — Gilbreath • Mortuary — Paul Andrews • Taking Tiger Mountain — Billy Hampton • 1984 — Streets of Fire — Clyde, The Bartender • Impulse — Eddie • The — Johnny • 1985 — Weird Science — Chet Donnelly • Commando — Intercept Officer #1 • 1986 — Aliens — Private William Hudson • 1987 — Near Dark — Severen • 1988 — Pass the Ammo — Jesse Wilkes • 1989 — Slipstream — Matt Owens • Next of Kin — Gerald Gates • Back to Back — Bo Brand • 1990 — Brain Dead — Jim Reston • The — Howard "Hojo" Jones • Navy SEALs — Floyd "God" Dane • Predator 2 — Detective Jerry Lambert • 1991 — The — Gus • 1992 — One False Move — Sheriff Dale "Hurricane" Dixon • The — Graham Krakowski • Trespass — Vince Gillian • 1993 — Boxing Helena — Ray O'Malley • Indian Summer — Jack Belston • Monolith — Tucker • Tombstone — Morgan Earp • 1994 — Future Shock — Vince • True Lies — Simon • 1995 — Apollo 13 — Fred Haise • The — Zachary Cody • Frank and Jesse — Frank James • 1996 — Twister — Dr. Bill Harding • The — Jerry Bruckner • 1997 — Traveller — Bokky • Titanic — Brock Lovett • 1998 — A — Hank Mitchell • Mighty Joe Young — Professor Gregory O'Hara • 2000 — U-571 — Lieutenant Commander Mike Dahlgren • Vertical Limit — Elliot Vaughn • 2001 — Frailty — Dad Meiks — Also director • 2002 — Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams — "Dinky" Winks — Cameo • 2003 — Ghosts of the Abyss — Himself / The Narrator • Resistance — Major Ted Brice • Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over — "Dinky" Winks — Cameo • 2004 — Broken Lizard's Club Dread — Pete "Coconut Pete" Wabash • Thunderbirds — Jeff Tracy • Haven — Carl Ridley • 2005 — Magnificent Desolation: Walking on the Moon 3D — Edgar Mitchell — Short film • 2007 — The — Robbie • 2011 — Haywire — John Kane • Tornado Alley — The Narrator • 2012 — Shanghai Calling — Donald • 2013 — The Colony — Mason • 2 Guns — CIA Agent Earl • Red Wing — Jim Verret • 2014 — Million Dollar Arm — Tom House • Edge of Tomorrow — Master Sergeant Farell • Nightcrawler — Joe Loder • 2015 — Pixies — Eddie Beck — Voice • 2016 — Term Life — Detective Joe Keenan • Mean Dreams — Wayne Caraway • 2017 — The Circle — Vinnie Holland — Posthumous release