Bill Paxton is the only person who can claim to be the only person who has been killed by and Alien, a Predator, and a Terminator!!!
So to celebrate the continuing career of thi
Birth name
William Paxton
Nickname
Wild Bill
Height
5' 11" (1.80 m)
Spouse
Louise Newbury (1987 - present) + 2 children
BiographyPossessing a special talent for totally immersing himself in his roles, Bill Paxton does not always get the recognition he deserves. Tall, rangy, and boyishly good looking, Paxton's career is a curiosity that has found the character actor turned filmmaker succeeding in intermittently pulling the rug from under filmgoers' feet with a constantly expanding sense of maturity and range.
Paxton's interest in films emerged during his teens when he began making his own movies with a Super-8 camera. He formally entered the entertainment industry in 1974 as a set dresser for Roger Corman's New World Pictures. Paxton made his acting debut as a bit player in Crazy Mama (1975), and afterward, the young thespian moved to New York to hone his skills. Following performances in a couple of horror quickies, Paxton formally launched his Hollywood career with a tiny part in Ivan Reitman's Stripes (1981) and this led to a steady if not unremarkable career in film and television during the '80s. In addition to acting, Paxton made short independent films such as Fish Heads, (1982) which became a favorite on NBC's Saturday Night Live. Paxton's acting career got a much-needed boost in 1985 when he was cast as Ilan Mitchell-Smith's obnoxious big brother Chet Donolley in John Hughes' Weird Science. Some of Paxton's more memorable subsequent roles include that of a cocky intergalactic soldier in James Cameron's Aliens (1986), a crazed vampire in Kathryn Bigelow's Near Dark, and sickly astronaut Freddie Hayes in Ron Howard's Apollo 13. In 1996, Paxton landed a starring role, opposite Helen Hunt, in the special-effects blockbuster Twister; since then his career has taken an upward turn and Paxton is getting more leads than ever. Though few audiences saw it in its limited release, critics were quick to praise Paxton's turn as con-artist Traveler in the 1997 movie of the same name. Following a doomed voyage on the Titanic the same year, the workhorse actor once again intrigued filmgoers as a small-town dweller struggling with his conscience after stumbling into over a million dollars in usually flamboyant director Sam Raimi's strikingly subdued A Simple Plan. A quiet and intense performance enhanced by a talented cast including Billy Bob Thornton and Bridget Fonda, the psychological crime drama once again provided further proof that Paxton's impressive range of emotion stretched beyond what many filmgoers may have previously suspected. Though subsequent performances in Mighty Joe Young (1998) and U-571 (2000) did little to backup the promise shown in A Simple Plan, Paxton still had a few tricks up his sleeve, as evidenced by his directorial debut Frailty (2002), a surprisingly competent and genuinely frightening tale of religious fervor and questionable sanity. Though cynical filmgoers may have initially viewed the trailer-touting praises of former collaborators Raimi and James Cameron as favors from old friends, the taut tale of a father who claims that God has provided him with a list of "demons" that he and his sons must cast from the earth blind-sided critics and filmgoers with its disturbingly minimalistic yet complex psychological thriller that recalled the thematic elements of previous efforts as Michael Tolkin's The Rapture (1991). His performance as a loving father who reluctantly embarks on God's mission was a vital component of the films emotional impact, and was once again proof that this former supporting player still had a few
tricks up his sleeve.
~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide Trivia
Bill had rheumatic fever in the 7th grade. It kept him hospitalized for a month and bed-ridden for four months. He had to take regular doses of penicillin until he was 18.
As a teen, Bill caddied for golf great Ben Hogan in Fort Worth.
Has two children with Louise Newbury: James Paxton (b. 1994) and Lydia (b. 19 December 1997).
Directed the theatrical short Fish Heads (1982) which won a Special Award at the 1982 Melbourne Film Festival.
Co-authored and produced the short, Scoop (1983), which won a Honorable Mention at the 1983 USA Film Festival.
Member of the 80s rock band Martini Ranch. James Cameron directed a video for their song "Reach" featuring many Cameron alumni ( Kathryn Bigelow, Lance Henriksen, Jeanette Goldstein).
Son of John Paxton.
Attended Arlington Heights High School in Fort Worth, Texas.
Met his wife on a number 13 bus in London.
Bill's paternal grandfather was friend and neighbor to the great American painter, Thomas Hart Benton.
Learned to speak German to prepare for his part in the Pat Benatar video, "Shadows of the Night."
Attended Arlington Heights High School in Fort Worth, Texas. The same high school as John Denver and Lee Harvey Oswald (who left before he graduated).
<Filmography
Broken Lizard's Club Dread (2004)
Club Dread/Super Troopers (2004)
Thunderbirds (2004)
Ghosts of the Abyss (2003)
Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over (2003)
Apollo 13: The IMAX Experience (2002)
Frailty (2002)
Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams (2002)
U-571 (2000)
Vertical Limit (2000)
A Bright Shining Lie (1998)
Mighty Joe Young (1998)
A Simple Plan (1998)
Titanic (1997)
Traveller (1997)
The Travellers (1997)
The Evening Star (1996)
Twister (1996)
Apollo 13 (1995)
Frank and Jesse (1995)
The Last Supper (1995)
True Lies (1994)
Boxing Helena (1993)
Future Shock (1993)
Indian Summer (1993)
Monolith (1993)
Tombstone (1993)
One False Move (1992)
Trespass (1992)
The Vagrant (1992)
The Dark Backward (1991)
The Last of the Finest (1990)
Predator 2 (1990)
Brain Dead (1989)
Next of Kin (1989)
Pass the Ammo (1988)
Near Dark (1987)
Aliens (1986)
Weird Science (1985)
Impulse (1984)
The Terminator (1984)
Mortuary (1983)
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Birth name
William Paxton
Nickname
Wild Bill
Height
5' 11" (1.80 m)
Spouse
Louise Newbury (1987 - present) + 2 children
Biography
Possessing a special talent for totally immersing himself in his roles, Bill Paxton does not always get the recognition he deserves. Tall, rangy, and boyishly good looking, Paxton's career is a curiosity that has found the character actor turned filmmaker succeeding in intermittently pulling the rug from under filmgoers' feet with a constantly expanding sense of maturity and range.
Paxton's interest in films emerged during his teens when he began making his own movies with a Super-8 camera. He formally entered the entertainment industry in 1974 as a set dresser for Roger Corman's New World Pictures. Paxton made his acting debut as a bit player in Crazy Mama (1975), and afterward, the young thespian moved to New York to hone his skills. Following performances in a couple of horror quickies, Paxton formally launched his Hollywood career with a tiny part in Ivan Reitman's Stripes (1981) and this led to a steady if not unremarkable career in film and television during the '80s. In addition to acting, Paxton made short independent films such as Fish Heads, (1982) which became a favorite on NBC's Saturday Night Live. Paxton's acting career got a much-needed boost in 1985 when he was cast as Ilan Mitchell-Smith's obnoxious big brother Chet Donolley in John Hughes' Weird Science. Some of Paxton's more memorable subsequent roles include that of a cocky intergalactic soldier in James Cameron's Aliens (1986), a crazed vampire in Kathryn Bigelow's Near Dark, and sickly astronaut Freddie Hayes in Ron Howard's Apollo 13. In 1996, Paxton landed a starring role, opposite Helen Hunt, in the special-effects blockbuster Twister; since then his career has taken an upward turn and Paxton is getting more leads than ever. Though few audiences saw it in its limited release, critics were quick to praise Paxton's turn as con-artist Traveler in the 1997 movie of the same name. Following a doomed voyage on the Titanic the same year, the workhorse actor once again intrigued filmgoers as a small-town dweller struggling with his conscience after stumbling into over a million dollars in usually flamboyant director Sam Raimi's strikingly subdued A Simple Plan. A quiet and intense performance enhanced by a talented cast including Billy Bob Thornton and Bridget Fonda, the psychological crime drama once again provided further proof that Paxton's impressive range of emotion stretched beyond what many filmgoers may have previously suspected. Though subsequent performances in Mighty Joe Young (1998) and U-571 (2000) did little to backup the promise shown in A Simple Plan, Paxton still had a few tricks up his sleeve, as evidenced by his directorial debut Frailty (2002), a surprisingly competent and genuinely frightening tale of religious fervor and questionable sanity. Though cynical filmgoers may have initially viewed the trailer-touting praises of former collaborators Raimi and James Cameron as favors from old friends, the taut tale of a father who claims that God has provided him with a list of "demons" that he and his sons must cast from the earth blind-sided critics and filmgoers with its disturbingly minimalistic yet complex psychological thriller that recalled the thematic elements of previous efforts as Michael Tolkin's The Rapture (1991). His performance as a loving father who reluctantly embarks on God's mission was a vital component of the films emotional impact, and was once again proof that this former supporting player still had a few
tricks up his sleeve.
~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
Trivia
<Filmography