Bill Paxton

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Bill Paxton
BillPaxtonAug2011.jpg
Paxton in August 2011
Born William Paxton
(1955-05-17) May 17, 1955 (age 58)
Fort Worth, Texas, U.S.
Occupation Actor, director
Years active 1974–present

William "Bill" Paxton (born May 17, 1955) is an American actor and film director. He gained popularity after starring roles in the films Apollo 13, Weird Science, Twister, Aliens, True Lies, and Titanic. Paxton starred in the HBO series Big Love (2006–2011) and was nominated for an Emmy Award for the miniseries Hatfields & McCoys.

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Early life [edit]

Paxton was born and raised in Fort Worth, Texas, the son of Mary Lou (née Gray) and John Lane Paxton, a businessman, lumber wholesaler, museum executive, and occasional actor.[1] He was raised Roman Catholic, his mother's religion.[2] He attended St. Anne's Catholic School, Arlington Heights High School, and Southwest Texas State University (San Marcos).[citation needed]

Career [edit]

Paxton in April 2010

Paxton has appeared in such films as Weird Science, Aliens, Apollo 13, Near Dark, Twister, Titanic, One False Move and True Lies. Four years after appearing in Titanic, he joined James Cameron on an expedition to the actual Titanic. A film about this trip, Ghosts of the Abyss, was released in 2003.

Paxton has also directed a number of short films, including Fish Heads, which aired during Saturday Night Live's low-rated 1980-1981 season. He directed the feature films Frailty and The Greatest Game Ever Played.

Paxton was cast in a music video for the 1982 Pat Benatar song "Shadows of the Night," in which he appeared as a Nazi radio officer. He also appears in the Limp Bizkit video Eat You Alive.

In 1988, Paxton and the vocalist/guitarist Andrew Todd Rosenthal formed a short-lived rock duo Martini Ranch.

Personal life [edit]

Paxton was in the crowd waving when President John F. Kennedy emerged from the Hotel Texas in Fort Worth, on the morning of his assassination, November 22, 1963. There are pictures at the Sixth Floor Museum in Dallas where 8-year-old Paxton can be seen astride his father's shoulders.[3][4]

Filmography [edit]

Film and television roles
Year Title Role Notes
1975 Crazy Mama John
1980 Fish Heads Main Character Short film
1981 Stripes Soldier
1983 Night Warning Eddie
1983 Taking Tiger Mountain Billy Hampton
1983 Deadly Lessons Eddie Fox Television film
1983 Mortuary Paul Andrews
1983 Lords of Discipline, TheThe Lords of Discipline Gilbreath
1984 Impulse Eddie
1984 Streets of Fire Clyde the Bartender
1984 Terminator, TheThe Terminator Punk Leader
1985 Early Frost, AnAn Early Frost Bob Maracek
1985 Atlanta Child Murders, TheThe Atlanta Child Murders Campbell TV miniseries
1985 Commando Intercept Officer
1985 Weird Science Chet Donnelly
1986 Miami Vice Detective Vic Romano TV series (1 episode: "Streetwise")
1986 Fresno Billy Joe Bobb
1986 Aliens Private Hudson Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor
1987 Near Dark Severen Nominated-Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor
1989 Slipstream Matt Owens
1989 Next of Kin Gerald Gates
1989 Back to Back Bo Brand
1990 Brain Dead Jim Reston
1990 Last of the Finest, TheThe Last of the Finest Howard 'Hojo' Jones
1990 Navy SEALs Dane
1990 Predator 2 Jerry Lambert
1991 Dark Backward, TheThe Dark Backward Gus
1992 Vagrant, TheThe Vagrant Graham Krakowski
1992 One False Move Dale 'Hurricane' Dixon
1992 Trespass Vince
1993 Monolith Tucker
1993 Indian Summer Jack Belston
1993 Boxing Helena Ray O'Malley
1993 Tombstone Morgan Earp
1994 Frank and Jesse Frank James
1994 True Lies Simon Nominated-Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor
1994 Future Shock Vince
1995 Last Supper, TheThe Last Supper Zachary Cody
1995 Apollo 13 Fred Haise Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
1996 Twister Bill Harding Nominated-Saturn Award for Best Actor
1996 Evening Star, TheThe Evening Star Jerry Bruckner
1997 Titanic Brock Lovett Nominated-Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
1997 Traveller Bokky
1998 Bright Shining Lie, AA Bright Shining Lie John Paul Vann Television film
Nominated-Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Miniseries or Television Film
1998 Simple Plan, AA Simple Plan Hank
1998 Mighty Joe Young Professor Gregory 'Gregg' O'Hara
2000 U-571 Lt. Commander Mike Dahlgren
2000 Vertical Limit Elliot Vaughn
2001 Frailty Dad Meiks Nominated-Saturn Award for Best Director
2002 Spy Kids 2: Island of Lost Dreams Dinky Winks
2003 Ghosts of the Abyss Narrator
2003 Resistance Major Theodore 'Ted' Brice
2003 Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over Dinky Winks
2004 Club Dread Coconut Pete
2004 Haven Carl Ridley
2004 Thunderbirds Jeff Tracy
2005 Greatest Game Ever Played, TheThe Greatest Game Ever Played Director
2005 Magnificent Desolation: Walking on the Moon 3D Edgar Mitchell (voice) IMAX film
2006-2011 Big Love Bill Henrickson TV series (53 episodes)
Nominated-Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Television Series Drama (2007-2008, 2010)
Nominated-Satellite Award for Best Actor - Television Series Drama (2006-2007, 2009)
2007 Good Life, TheThe Good Life Robbie
2011 Haywire John Kane
2011 Tattoo Director
2012 Hatfields & McCoys Randolph "Ole Ran'l" McCoy TV miniseries (3 episodes)
Nominated–Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie
Pending-Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie
2012 Shanghai Calling Donald
2013 The Colony Mason
2013 2 Guns Earl Post production
2014 All You Need Is Kill General Farrell Bartolome Post production

References [edit]

External links [edit]