Bill Paxton facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Bill Paxton
Paxton in 2013
Born	William Paxton (1955-05-17)May 17, 1955 Fort Worth, Texas, U.S.
Died	February 25, 2017(2017-02-25) (aged 61) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Resting place	Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Hollywood Hills, California
Occupation	Actor filmmaker musician
Years active	1975–2017
Spouse(s)	Kelly Rowan ​ ​ (m. 1979; div. 1980)​ Louise Newbury ​ ​ (m. 1987)​
Children	2, including James
Musical career
Genres	New wave electronic synth-pop comedy rock
Instruments	Vocals samples

William "Bill" Paxton (May 17, 1955 – February 25, 2017) was an American actor and filmmaker. He was known for his many roles in popular movies. These included Weird Science (1985), Aliens (1986), Twister (1996), and Titanic (1997).

Paxton also starred in the TV show Big Love (2006–2011). For this role, he was nominated for three Golden Globe Awards. He also received nominations for an Primetime Emmy Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award. This was for playing Randall McCoy in the History channel miniseries Hatfields & McCoys (2012).

Bill Paxton: Actor and Filmmaker

Early Life

Paxton as a child in a crowd, as President Kennedy leaves the Hotel Texas in November 1963.

Bill Paxton was born in Fort Worth, Texas, on May 17, 1955. His parents were Mary Lou and John Lane Paxton. His mother was Catholic and raised him and his siblings in her faith. His father was a businessman and also acted sometimes. He appeared in the Spider-Man films and with Bill in A Simple Plan.

Bill Paxton had a diverse family background from many European countries. His great-great-grandfather, Elisha F. Paxton, was a general during the American Civil War. When Bill was eight, he was in the crowd when President John F. Kennedy visited Fort Worth. Pictures of young Bill being lifted above the crowd are shown in a museum in Dallas. He later helped make a film called Parkland about the assassination.

He finished high school in Fort Worth in 1973. Then, he studied in London, England, with his friend Danny Martin. There, they met Tom Huckabee and made short films together. Bill Paxton's first main acting role was in Huckabee's film Taking Tiger Mountain. After that, Paxton moved to Los Angeles. He worked with props and art for movies and as a parking valet. He wanted to direct films but decided to focus on acting instead.

His Career in Movies and TV

Paxton in April 2010

Bill Paxton's early acting jobs included a small part as a punk in The Terminator (1984). He also played Chet Donnelly, a bullying older brother, in Weird Science (1985). One of his most famous early roles was Private William Hudson in Aliens (1986). This role earned him an award for Best Supporting Actor.

He also directed some short films and music videos. One famous music video he directed was for the song "Fish Heads". He also appeared in a music video for Pat Benatar's song "Shadows of the Night".

Paxton worked with director James Cameron on several big movies. These included The Terminator (1984), Aliens (1986), True Lies (1994), and Titanic (1997). Titanic became one of the highest-grossing films ever when it was released.

Famous Roles

Paxton in April 2014

Bill Paxton played many memorable characters. He was Morgan Earp in the Western film Tombstone (1993). He played Fred Haise in the space drama Apollo 13 (1995). In the disaster movie Twister (1996), he played Bill Harding, a storm chaser. He also took on lead roles in darker films like One False Move (1992) and A Simple Plan (1998).

After the year 2000, he continued to appear in many films. Some of these were U-571 (2000), Vertical Limit (2000), Edge of Tomorrow (2014), and Nightcrawler (2014). He also had roles in Spy Kids 2 and Spy Kids 3-D.

On television, he was well-known for his lead role in HBO's Big Love (2006–2011). He played a man with multiple wives. He also received praise for his role in the miniseries Hatfields & McCoys (2012). In 2014, he played the villain John Garrett in the TV show Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.. He also appeared in the video game Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare. His last film was The Circle (2017), released after he passed away.

Directing Films

Bill Paxton also directed two feature films. These were Frailty (2001), where he also acted, and The Greatest Game Ever Played (2005). He joined James Cameron on a real-life trip to explore the wreck of the Titanic. This adventure was made into a film called Ghosts of the Abyss (2003).

Music Adventures

In 1982, Bill Paxton and his friend Andrew Todd Rosenthal started a new wave band called Martini Ranch. They released one album called Holy Cow in 1988. The music video for their song "Reach" was directed by James Cameron. After his passing, some of his musical performances from the movie Broken Lizard's Club Dread were released on an album.

Personal Life

Bill Paxton was married to Kelly Rowan for a short time in 1979. He later met Louise Newbury in London and they married in 1987. They lived in Ojai, California, and had two children: a son named James (born 1994), who also became an actor, and a daughter named Lydia (born 1997).

His Passing

In early 2017, Bill Paxton had heart surgery. Sadly, his condition worsened, and he passed away on February 25, 2017, at the age of 61. He was cremated, and his ashes were buried in Hollywood Hills.

Tributes and Memories

Many actors and filmmakers shared their sadness and respect after Bill Paxton's death. Jennifer Aniston spoke about him at the 89th Academy Awards. His co-star Chloë Sevigny remembered him as someone who truly believed in the magic of entertainment. The TV show Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. also honored him. Many storm chasers paid tribute to his role in Twister by spelling out his initials "BP" on their tracking network.

Several films were dedicated to Bill Paxton's memory. The 2017 film Call Me by Your Name was one of them. His close friend, director James Cameron, wrote a special tribute about their long friendship. The 2019 film The Fanatic, which starred Bill's son James, was also dedicated to him. James later played a younger version of his father's character in the final season as another tribute. James Cameron's 2022 film, Avatar: The Way of Water, was also dedicated to Bill Paxton.

Filmography

Film

Television

Music Videos

Video Games

Production Work

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Bill Paxton para niños