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Bill Paxton is a Actor, Director, Producer and Set Decoration American born on 17 may 1955 at Fort Worth (USA)

Bill Paxton

Bill Paxton
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Birth name William Paxton
Nationality USA
Birth 17 may 1955 at Fort Worth (USA)
Death 25 february 2017 (at 61 years)

William "Bill" Paxton (born May 17, 1955) is an American actor and director. He gained popularity after starring in a number of films, including The Terminator (1984), Weird Science (1985), Aliens (1986), True Lies (1994), Apollo 13 (1995), Twister (1996), and Titanic (1997). He also starred in the HBO series Big Love (2006–2011) and was nominated for an Emmy Award for the miniseries Hatfields & McCoys.

Biography

Enfance, formation et débuts
William Paxton naît et grandit à Fort Worth, au Texas. Il est le fils de Mary Lou (née Gray) et John Lane Paxton, un homme d'affaires, grossiste de bois d'œuvre, directeur de musée et acteur occasionnel. Son père a notamment tourné dans la trilogie Spider-Man de Sam Raimi.

Il est élevé selon la religion catholique de sa mère. L'arrière-arrière-grand-père de Paxton est Elisha Franklin Paxton, un brigadier général de l'armée des États confédérés pendant la guerre de Sécession qui a été tué à la tête de la brigade de Stonewall à la bataille de Chancellorsville.

Il fréquente Arlington Heights High School à Fort Worth et la Texas State University (plus tard appelée Southwest Texas State University) à San Marcos.

Au milieu des années 1970, il déménage à Los Angeles, en Californie, et commence à travailler pour Roger Corman comme décorateur de plateau. Il déménage ensuite à New York pour étudier au conservatoire Stella Adler.

C'est en travaillant pour Roger Corman qu'il rencontre James Cameron, embauché lui aussi comme décorateur ; depuis, une solide amitié lie les deux hommes. De 1974 à 1981, il travaille comme décorateur.


Carrière
Bill Paxton débute devant la caméra dans le film d'action Crazy Mama de Jonathan Demme (1975). Neuf ans et sept petits rôles plus tard, l'acteur fait une apparition courte mais remarquée dans Terminator, de James Cameron, face à Arnold Schwarzenegger nu comme un ver agressé par une bande de punks dont il est le chef. Ces quelques secondes à l'écran marquent le début d'une longue collaboration avec James Cameron.

Dans Une créature de rêve de John Hughes il est le grand frère bourrin. Ensuite il apparaît dans Commando en 1985, puis incarne un marine colonial dans Aliens, le retour un an plus tard. En 1987, l'acteur joue le vampire moderne dans Aux frontières de l'aube, réalisé par Kathryn Bigelow, future épouse de James Cameron.

Predator 2 en 1990 et Tombstone en 1993 confirment encore la propension du comédien aux seconds rôles musclés, avant que True Lies ne l'amène une nouvelle fois au cœur de la galaxie Cameron en 1994, collaborant à nouveau avec Arnold Schwarzenegger. Un an plus tard, il s'envole à bord de la mission Apollo 13 en compagnie de Tom Hanks et Kevin Bacon.

En 1996, il tient sa première véritable tête d'affiche aux côtés d'Helen Hunt dans Twister, l'un des grands vainqueurs de l'été américain. Il assoit encore sa popularité un an plus tard en incarnant un explorateur de fonds sous-marins dans Titanic.



En 1998, Un plan simple de Sam Raimi est une production plus modeste mais saluée par la critique. L'acteur retrouve cependant vite les chemins du cinéma populaire avec Mon ami Joe (1999), puis U-571 et Vertical Limit tous deux produits en 2000.

En 2002, il signe son premier long métrage derrière la caméra avec Emprise, dont il est également l'une des deux têtes d'affiche avec Matthew McConaughey, puis participe à l'aventure de Spy Kids 2 : Espions en herbe. Il retrouve également James Cameron pour le film-documentaire Les Fantômes du Titanic.

En 2006 et 2010, il incarne Bill Henrickson, un mormon fondamentaliste qui vit avec ses trois femmes, dans la série Big Love diffusée sur HBO.

En 2013 et 2014, il joue dans 9 épisodes de la série Marvel : Les Agents du SHIELD où il incarne John Garrett.


Vie privée et mort
De 1979 à 1980, Bill Paxton est marié à l'actrice canadienne Kelly Rowan. Le 12 mai 1987, il épouse Louise Newbury ; le couple a deux enfants : James (né en 1994) et Lydia (née en 1997).

En février 2017, quelques semaines avant son opération de chirurgie cardiaque, l'acteur déclare dans une interview avec Marc Maron qu'il a une valve cardiaque endommagée, résultat de la fièvre rhumatismale qu'il avait contractée dans sa jeunesse.

Il meurt le 25 février 2017 à Ojai, en Californie à l'âge de 61 ans, des suites de complications liées à une opération de chirurgie cardiaque.

Best films

Twister (1996)
(Actor)
True Lies (1994)
(Actor)
Edge of Tomorrow (2014)
(Actor)
Apollo 13 (1995)
(Actor)
Vertical Limit (2000)
(Actor)
Aliens (1986)
(Actor)

Usually with

James Cameron
James Cameron
(8 films)
Tom Hanks
Tom Hanks
(4 films)
Luke Askew
Luke Askew
(5 films)
Source : Wikidata

Filmography of Bill Paxton (74 films)

Display filmography as list

Actor

The Evening Star, 2h9
Directed by Robert Harling
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Comedy, Comedy-drama, Romance
Actors Shirley MacLaine, Bill Paxton, Juliette Lewis, Miranda Richardson, Ben Johnson, Scott Wolf
Roles Jerry Bruckner
Rating59% 2.9503252.9503252.9503252.9503252.950325
Years have passed since the death of her daughter. Aurora Greenway is still her usual strong, willful self, but all is not well with the three grandchildren she raised after Emma's death, particularly eldest boy Tommy, who is serving time in jail on a drug charge.
Twister
Twister (1996)
, 1h53
Directed by Jan de Bont
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Action, Adventure
Themes La fin du monde, Météorologie, Transport films, Catastrophe climatique, Road movies, Disaster films, American disaster films
Actors Helen Hunt, Bill Paxton, Jami Gertz, Cary Elwes, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Alan Ruck
Roles Bill Harding
Rating64% 3.249893.249893.249893.249893.24989
In June 1969, 5-year-old Jo Thornton (Alexa Vega), her parents, and the family dog Toby seek shelter in a storm cellar as a powerful F5 tornado. This tornado is so strong that the storm cellar door is ripped off, and Jo's father (Richard Lineback) is pulled into the storm to his death. Jo, her mother (Rusty Schwimmer), and Toby survive.
Apollo 13
Apollo 13 (1995)
, 2h20
Directed by Ron Howard
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Science fiction, Disaster, Documentary, Adventure, Historical
Themes Space adventure films, La fin du monde, Transport films, Dans l'espace, Films about the Apollo program, Sur la Lune, Aviation films, Space opera, Disaster films, American disaster films, Films about aviation accidents or incidents
Actors Tom Hanks, Gary Sinise, Kevin Bacon, Bill Paxton, Ed Harris, Kathleen Denise Quinlan
Roles Fred Haise
Rating76% 3.8479253.8479253.8479253.8479253.847925
On July 20, 1969, astronaut Jim Lovell hosts a party, where guests watch on television as Neil Armstrong takes his first steps on the Moon during Apollo 11. After the party, Lovell, who had orbited the Moon on Apollo 8, tells his wife Marilyn that he intends to walk on the Moon's surface.
The Last Supper, 1h32
Directed by Stacy Title
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Thriller, Comedy, Comedy-drama, Crime
Actors Cameron Diaz, Ron Eldard, Annabeth Gish, Jonathan Penner, Courtney B. Vance, Ron Perlman
Roles Zachary Cody
Rating66% 3.348633.348633.348633.348633.34863
The film centers on five graduate school students in Iowa who live together in a rustic home: Jude (Cameron Diaz), Pete (Ron Eldard), Paulie (Annabeth Gish), Marc (Jonathan Penner), and Luke (Courtney B. Vance).
True Lies
True Lies (1994)
, 2h24
Directed by James Cameron
Origin USA
Genres Thriller, Comedy, Action, Spy
Themes Spy films, Films about terrorism, Transport films, Road movies, Children's films, Chase films
Actors Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jamie Lee Curtis, Tom Arnold, Bill Paxton, Tia Carrere, Art Malik
Roles Simon
Rating72% 3.648583.648583.648583.648583.64858
Harry Tasker leads a double life, performing covert missions for the U.S government under a counter-terrorism task force called "The Omega Sector" using the cover of a traveling computer salesman. Albert "Gib" Gibson and Faisal assist him in these missions under the command of Spencer Trilby. However, Harry's wife, Helen, and his daughter, Dana, believe he is a boring computer salesman who does a lot of "corporate" travel. Harry's latest mission in Switzerland reveals the existence of a Persian terrorism organization group known as the Crimson Jihad, led by Salim Abu Aziz. Harry suspects that antiques dealer Juno Skinner has ties to Aziz. After visiting her, Harry is chased by Aziz's men through a shopping mall and a large hotel, meanwhile missing the birthday party that his wife and daughter have arranged for him.
Frank & Jesse, 1h45
Directed by Robert Boris
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Action, Adventure, Western
Themes Films about families, Gangster films
Actors Rob Lowe, Bill Paxton, William Atherton, Dana Wheeler-Nicholson, Alexis Arquette, Maria Pitillo
Roles Frank James
Rating56% 2.847862.847862.847862.847862.84786
Following the American Civil War the two James brothers, along with the Younger brothers - Cole Younger (played by Randy Travis) and Bob Younger (Todd Field), Bob Ford (Jim Flowers) and Charles Ford (Alexis Arquette), Clell Miller (John Pyper-Ferguson), and Arch Clements (Nick Sadler), begin to feel oppressed by the Chicago railroad investors. They set off on a trail of bank robberies, train heists, and stage holdups while evading the dogged pursuit of Allan Pinkerton (William Atherton) and his detective agency.
Boxing Helena, 1h47
Directed by Jennifer Lynch
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Thriller, Horror, Crime, Romance
Themes Medical-themed films, Psychologie, Films about sexuality, Erotic films, Films about psychiatry, Films about disabilities, Erotic thriller films
Actors Sherilyn Fenn, Julian Sands, Bill Paxton, Kurtwood Smith, Art Garfunkel, Ted Manson
Roles Ray O'Malley
Rating47% 2.35422.35422.35422.35422.3542
Nick Cavanaugh (Julian Sands) is a lonely Atlanta surgeon obsessed with a woman named Helena (Sherilyn Fenn). After she suffers a high grade tibial fracture in a hit-and-run motor vehicle accident in front of his home, he kidnaps and treats her in his house surreptitiously, amputating both of her legs above the knee.
Tombstone
Tombstone (1993)
, 2h10
Directed by Kevin Jarre, George Cosmatos
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Action, Adventure, Historical, Western
Actors Kurt Russell, Val Kilmer, Michael Biehn, Dana Delany, Sam Elliott, Powers Boothe
Roles Morgan Earp
Rating77% 3.8987253.8987253.8987253.8987253.898725
Wyatt Earp (Kurt Russell), a retired peace officer with a notable reputation, reunites with his brothers Virgil (Sam Elliott) and Morgan (Bill Paxton) in Tucson, Arizona, where they venture on towards Tombstone, a small mining town, to settle down. There they encounter Wyatt's long-time friend Doc Holliday (Val Kilmer), a Southern gambler and expert gunslinger, who seeks relief from his worsening tuberculosis. Josephine Marcus (Dana Delany) and Mr. Fabian (Billy Zane) are also newly arrived in Tombstone with a traveling theater troupe. Meanwhile, Wyatt's wife, Mattie Blaylock (Dana Wheeler-Nicholson), is becoming dependent on a potent narcotic. Wyatt and his brothers begin to profit from a stake in a gambling emporium and saloon when they have their first encounter with a band of outlaws called the Cowboys, led by "Curly Bill" Brocious (Powers Boothe). The Cowboys are identifiable by the red sashes worn around their waist.
Indian Summer, 1h37
Directed by Mike Binder
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Comedy, Comedy-drama
Themes Transport films, Road movies
Actors Alan Arkin, Matt Craven, Diane Lane, Bill Paxton, Elizabeth Perkins, Kevin Pollak
Roles Jack Belston
Rating64% 3.248453.248453.248453.248453.24845
"Unca" Lou Handler (Alan Arkin), the beloved camp director and owner of Camp Tamakwa, invites eight former campers, all now adults, back to the camp to announce his retirement. Lou claims to have chosen these friends as they were the group from the camp's "golden years" 20 years previously. Once there, the group comes to feel nostalgic memories of their youth and the unresolved feelings for each other begin to surface.
Monolith
Monolith (1993)
, 1h35
Origin USA
Genres Science fiction, Action
Themes Films about extraterrestrial life, Alien invasions in films
Actors Bill Paxton, Lindsay Frost, John Hurt, Louis Gossett Jr., Musetta Vander, Paul Ganus
Roles Tucker
Rating45% 2.2618652.2618652.2618652.2618652.261865
Deux inspecteurs aux méthodes peu conventionnelles assistent au meurtre d'un petit garçon abattu froidement dans une ruelle par une femme tout ce qu'il y a de plus sensée. À la suite de son interpellation, des hommes en costume débarquent au commissariat et se présentent comme des agents du gouvernement. Ils exigent la détenue ainsi que la dépouille et leur conseillent d'oublier cette malheureuse affaire. Mais nos deux flics poursuivent parallèlement leur enquête et ne tardent à mettre à jour un vaste projet extraterrestre...
The Vagrant, 1h28
Origin France
Genres Thriller, Comedy, Horror comedy, Horror, Black comedy
Themes Comedy horror films
Actors Bill Paxton, Michael Ironside, Marshall Bell, Colleen Camp, Marc McClure, Stuart Pankin
Roles Graham Krakowski
Rating58% 2.902092.902092.902092.902092.90209
Graham's life is full of promise. He has just purchased a new house, which he can now afford because he has landed a successful job. He is something of a suck up yuppie and his potential companion, Judy Dansig, is a sex-crazed real estate agent. Unfortunately, his new home has an unwanted guest: the ghost of a disgraced and destitute shrink, who is playing mind games. When pieces of people Graham knew begin appearing in his fridge, the police blame him. Graham struggles to figure out what is going on. As the deaths continue he starts to even doubt his own sanity.
One False Move, 1h41
Directed by Carl Franklin
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Thriller, Crime
Actors Bill Paxton, Billy Bob Thornton, Cynda Williams, Michael Beach, Jim Metzler, Earl Billings
Roles Dale 'Hurricane' Dixon
Rating70% 3.5463053.5463053.5463053.5463053.546305
The film opens with three criminals - Ray (Billy Bob Thornton), an immoral and slightly neurotic thief, Fantasia (Cynda Williams), Ray's less violent girlfriend and Pluto (Michael Beach), an intelligent yet psychopathic killer. After Fantasia sets up several friends, Ray and Pluto commit six brutal murders over the course of one night in Los Angeles, with the intention of finding a cache of money and cocaine. The trio leaves town for Houston to sell the cocaine to a friend of Pluto's.
Trespass
Trespass (1992)
, 1h37
Directed by Walter Hill
Origin USA
Genres Thriller, Action, Adventure, Crime
Themes Films about music and musicians, Hip hop films, Gangster films, Disaster films
Actors Bill Paxton, Ice-T, William Sadler, Ice Cube, Art Evans, De'voreaux White
Roles Vince
Rating62% 3.1498953.1498953.1498953.1498953.149895
Two Arkansas firemen, Vince (Bill Paxton) and Don (William Sadler), meet an hysterical old man in a burning building. The old man hands them a map, prays for forgiveness, then allows himself to be engulfed in flames. Outside the fire and away from everyone else, Don does a little research and finds out that the man was a thief who stole a large amount of gold valuables from a church and hid them in a building in East St. Louis. The two decide to drive there, thinking they can get there, get the gold, and get back in one day.
The Dark Backward, 1h41
Directed by Adam Rifkin
Origin USA
Genres Fantastic, Comedy
Actors Judd Nelson, Bill Paxton, Wayne Newton, Lara Flynn Boyle, James Caan, Rob Lowe
Roles Gus
Rating57% 2.850232.850232.850232.850232.85023
Marty Malt (Judd Nelson) is an unhappy garbage man who moonlights as an atrociously unfunny standup comic. He lives in a dark, grimy, garbage-strewn urban netherworld, where a company named Blump's apparently owns everything. His best friend and fellow trash collector, Gus (Bill Paxton), is the only one who laughs at his jokes, and his sincerity is questionable. The obnoxiously exuberant Gus plays an accordion, which he always carries with him. Marty is seeing Rosarita (Lara Flynn Boyle), a waitress, but she doesn't seem too interested in him.
Predator 2
Predator 2 (1990)
, 1h48
Directed by Stephen Hopkins
Origin USA
Genres Science fiction, Thriller, Fantastic, Action, Horror
Themes Medical-themed films, Films about drugs, Films set in the future, Films about extraterrestrial life, Children's films, Films about extraterrestrial life
Actors Danny Glover, Gary Busey, Kevin Peter Hall, Bill Paxton, María Conchita Alonso, Rubén Blades
Roles Jerry Lambert
Rating62% 3.1498353.1498353.1498353.1498353.149835
In 1997, Los Angeles is suffering from both a heat wave and a turf war between heavily armed Colombian and Jamaican drug cartels. A Predator watches a shootout between the police and Colombians, observing as Lieutenant Michael Harrigan charges into the firefight to rescue two wounded officers and drive the Colombians back into their hideout. While the police are ordered to wait for a federal task force to arrive on the scene, the Predator crashes through a skylight and attacks the Colombians. Harrigan and his police detectives Leona Cantrell and Danny Archuleta enter against orders and find the Colombians have been slaughtered. Harrigan pursues the gang leader onto the roof and shoots him, catching a glimpse of the camouflaged Predator's silhouette, but dismissing him as an effect of the heat. Harrigan is rebuked by his superiors for his disobedience. He is also introduced to Special Agent Peter Keyes, leader of the task force who are purportedly investigating the cartels, and Detective Jerry Lambert, the newest member of Harrigan's team.