Bill Paxton

William "Bill" Paxton (May 17, 1955 – February 25, 2017) was an American actor and movie director. Notably, he was the protagonist of the movie Twister, as "Bill Harding", with co-star Helen Hunt. Alan Ruck and Philip Seymour Hoffman also co-starred. He is also known for his roles in The Terminator (1984), Weird Science (1985), Aliens (1986), Predator 2 (1990), True Lies (1994), Apollo 13 (1995), and Titanic (1997).

Paxton starred in the HBO series Big Love (2006–2011) and was nominated for an Emmy Award for the miniseries Hatfields & McCoys. He is the father of actor John Paxton. In 1987, he won a Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Aliens.

Paxton was born on May 17, 1955 in Fort Worth, Texas. He was raised as a Roman Catholic.

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 lifted above the crowd.

Paxton died on February 25, 2017 at a hospital in Los Angeles, California from a post-surgical stroke complicated by heart surgery, aged 61.