Bill Paxton

Character actor and filmmaker Bill Paxton was born on May 17, 1955, in Fort Worth, Texas. Bill became interested in films early on in his life and began making his own movies as a teenager. He landed his first job in the entertainment industry when he was nineteen years old, working as a set dresser for Roger Corman's New World Pictures. One year later in 1975, Bill made his acting debut in Crazy Mama, and soon after moved to New York to study under the tutelage of Stella Adler and pursue more acting opportunities.

After starring in various horror films, Bill kicked off a steady film career in the 1980s with a minor role in Ivan Reitman's Stripes in 1981. He also continued his passion for making movies, such as the short independent film Fish Heads in 1982, which became a Saturday Night Live favorite and won a Special Award at the 1982 Melbourne Film Festival. The following year, Paxton co-authored and produced the short SCOOP, which received an honorable mention that year at the USA Film Festival.

In 1985, Bill’s profile was given a boost with a role in John Hughes' Weird Science. He subsequently appeared in The Terminator in 1984, alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger; in James Cameron's Aliens in 1986, with Sigourney Weaver; and in Kathryn Bigelow's Near Dark in 1987. By the end of the decade, Bill had been killed onscreen by an alien, a predator, and a terminator.

In 1985, Paxton married Louise Newbury, whom he met on a bus in London. The couple has two children. Their son, James, was born in 1994, and their daughter, Lydia, was born in 1997.

In 1995, Bill appeared in Ron Howard's Apollo 13, followed one year later by blockbuster tornado

film Twister, in which he starred opposite Helen Hunt. Throughout the filming of Twister, Paxton suffered minor retinal burns caused by high intensity lighting which flooded the set in order to create a stormy sky effect. After Twister, Bill began getting more roles than ever, including his critically-acclaimed performance as a con-artist in the 1997 film Traveler. Bill commented, “I've always loved movies about conmen. I think conmen are as American as apple pie.”

In 1997, Bill starred in James Cameron’s epic Titanic. In 1998, he had the opportunity to show his range when he was cast as a mild-mannered accountant in the crime drama A Simple Plan, also starring Billy Bob Thornton and Bridget Fonda. That same year, Bill starred alongside Charlize Theron and a computer-animated ape in Mighty Joe Young.

The year 2002 marked Paxton’s directorial debut in the psychological thriller about religious zealotry, Frailty. Bill also had a role in the film as a frenetic father who feels that God has chosen him to slay demons in human form.

In addition to film and television, Bill has also starred in videos. As a member of the 80s rock band, Martini Ranch, Bill enlisted James Cameron’s directorial skills on the video for the band’s song “Reach.” Bill also appeared in the video for Pat Benatar’s “Shadows of the Night” and more recently on Limp Bizkit's video for “Eat You Alive.”

In 2006, Bill took on the role of a polygamist for the television series Big Love, a role he chose over the part of Dr. Robert Langdon in 2006’s Da Vinci Code, which went to Tom Hanks instead.

YUDDY