William Paxton (May 17, 1955 – February 25, 2017) was an American actor, filmmaker and musician. A versatilecharacter actor known for his distinctiveTexan drawl andeveryman screen persona,[1] he was a four-timeGolden Globe Award and aPrimetime Emmy Award nominee, among other accolades.
He directed several short films, including the music video forBarnes & Barnes's novelty song "Fish Heads", which aired duringSaturday Night Live's low-rated 1980–81 season and was in heavy rotation during the early days of Canadian music channelMuchMusic. He was cast in a music video for the 1982Pat Benatar song "Shadows of the Night" in which he appeared as a Nazi radio officer.
He also appeared inWeird Science (1985). In 1987, Paxton played the most psychotic of the vampires, Severen, inKathryn Bigelow's critically acclaimed neo-Western horror filmNear Dark.
Paxton in April 2014
In 1990, Paxton appeared inPredator 2 (1990). He collaborated with James Cameron again onTitanic (1997), which was the highest-grossing film of all time at its release. In his other roles, Paxton playedMorgan Earp inTombstone (1993),Fred Haise inApollo 13 (1995), Bill Harding inTwister (1996), and lead roles in dark dramas such asOne False Move (1992) andA Simple Plan (1998). In 1990, he co-starred with Charlie Sheen and Michael Biehn inNavy Seals.
Paxton starred in "A Bright Shining Lie" (HBO 1998), an American war drama television film written and directed by Terry George, based on Neil Sheehan's 1988 book of the same name and the true story of John Paul Vann's experience in the Vietnam War.
His highest-profile television performances received much positive attention, including his lead role inHBO'sBig Love (2006–2011), for which Paxton received threeGolden Globe Award nominations.[15] He also received positive reviews for his performance in theHistory Channel's miniseriesHatfields & McCoys (2012), for which he was nominated for anEmmy Award alongside co-starKevin Costner.
In 1982, Paxton and his friend Andrew Todd Rosenthal formed anew wave musical band calledMartini Ranch. The band released its only full-length album,Holy Cow, in 1988 onSire Records.[22] The album was produced byDevo memberBob Casale, and featured guest appearances by two other members of that band.[23] The music video for the band's single "Reach" was directed by James Cameron.[24] In 2018, his performances as Peter "Coconut Pete" Wabash inBroken Lizard's Club Dread were released posthumously on the albumTake Another Hit: The Best of Coconut Pete.[25]
Paxton married Kelly Rowan in 1979 and they divorced a year later.[26] He met Louise Newbury on a bus inTwickenham, London, where she was a student. They were married in 1987.[4] They lived inOjai, California, and had two children, includingJames, who also became an actor.[4]
In 2018, Paxton's estate filed a lawsuit against Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and surgeon Dr. Ali Khoynezhad for theBentall procedure operation that was performed.[34][35][36][37] Khoynezhad was comfortable with his care and denied any wrongdoing; however, the hospital decided to settle the lawsuit due to publicity reasons.[38]
Filmmakers and actors paid tribute to Paxton after his death.[39][40] On February 26, 2017, while introducing the annualIn Memoriam segment at the89th Academy Awards the day after Paxton's death, a visibly emotionalJennifer Aniston paid tribute to him.[41] HisBig Love co-starChloë 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."[42] The television showAgents of S.H.I.E.L.D. paid tribute at the end of its season-four episode "What If...", and a number ofstorm chasers paid tribute to his role inTwister by spelling out his initials "BP" via theSpotter Network.[43]
The 2017 filmCall 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 directorLuca 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 forVanity Fair, detailing their 36-year friendship and expressing regret over the projects they would not be able to make together.[44] The 2019John Travolta filmThe Fanatic, which co-starred Paxton's sonJames, was dedicated to Paxton. James would later play a younger version ofPaxton's S.H.I.E.L.D. character inthe final season ofAgents 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 toJames Horner, who previously worked with Cameron onAliens,Titanic andthe firstAvatar. Paxton worked with both Cameron and Horner on the former two films. Cameron had hoped to cast Paxton intheAvatar sequels before his death.[45]
^Carmody, John (November 4, 1994). "The TV Column: [Final Edition]".The Washington Post. p. F06.
^Kagan, Jeremy, ed. (2013). "Appendix B".Directors close up 2 : interviews with directors nominated for best film by the Directors Guild of America : 2006–2012 (illustrated ed.). Rowman & Littlefield. p. 348.ISBN978-0-8108-8391-8.
