Bill Paxton Dead at 61

God, that's a shock. I immediately thought of him in Aliens but also Weird Science.

Sad. Will always remember him as Chet

Seriously? Couldn't have predicted this one in a million years...The Terminator, Aliens, Twister, A Simple Plan, True Lies, Titanic, Apollo 13, Tombstone...like Amy Adams, this was one of those actors who I originally thought of as a one-trick pony who proved to be an actor of some range and built up a pretty impressive resume over 40 years. Serious loss to the industry...RIP.

I saw a post on fb where a guy said he was watching a film shoot and Bill walked over and introduced himself, then asked him to critique his scene. Told the guy where his next few days locations were and said to drop by and say HI. Seemed not at all ffected by hollyweed. Always good to see rather than the stories about self entitled tinsel town brats.

RIP Bill. You were always a great actor.

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An always welcome character actor - especially liked him in slightly sleazy but endearing mode. Shame he never directed again after making one of the best horror movies of the 00s

RIP Bill. Really sad. Should've had more years

Terrible news.

I just saw the news and now my first post is over his death.
"Game over, Man!" but you did it well.

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The older I get, the more I understand Michael Douglas' character in "Falling Down"

Bill Paxton, no matter how big or small his role was, made an impression.

I think my first introduction to him was in the 1996 nature disaster flick Twister. While the film had great visual effects, it was his confidence that made the film a success in my mind. The man oozed confidence in that role, he stared down twisters in the face and didn't care. There was always something about him that just seemed like he loved what he was doing. He came off as one of the few people in Hollywood that didn't care about his image and genuinely loved making movies and entertaining people.

He might not have had leading roles in films in the last few years, but the small roles he did have, he made memorable. Edge of Tomorrow and Nightcrawler come to mind. He would pop up on screen and a huge smile would come across my face. He never seemed to phone in a performance.

Looking back at his filmography, you immediately recall iconic lines and scenes in films. When people think of Aliens, what's the first thing they think of? Game over man, Game over!

An underrated film that I think people should visit is Sam Rami's A Simple Plan. In that film, Paxton, along with his friend and brother, discover a plane in the forrest. Upon inspection they see a duffle bag full of money. They take it for themselves and watch as it tears their world apart. Paxton is great at playing an ordinary guy, he delivers a solid performance here. A great film to watch with Fargo as a double feature!!!!

Whether it's comedy (Club Dread), action (Twister), drama (A Simple Plan) or horror (Frailty), Paxton excels.


I always really liked him, never seen a bad performance. His small bit in True Lies has me dying from laughter every single time.

Harry: [holding Simon at the edge of an aquaduct] Son of a b*tch, Did you think you can elude us forever, Carlos, huh?
Simon: Hey, you got the wrong guy! My name's Simon! Just let me go. There's no need to kill me. I haven't seen your...
[Harry and Gib remove their masks]
Simon: face. No, no, no I didn't see it, I didn't see it!
[realizes that it is Harry]
Simon: Oh, it's you! Hey, you still interested in that 'Vette at all?

Paxton has done some interesting work behind the camera as well, most notably Frailty, where he did double duties and acted as well. As a father who claims to have had a vision from God, he takes his two sons and goes on a demon killing spree. The only issue is that his one son doesn't believe that he sees demons and that his father has gone insane. Four years later he made a family film, The Greatest Game Ever Played, which made golf kind of exciting. One of the sad things about this is that we never got to see him continue beyond those two films. There was tremendous potential there and I imagine if he stuck with it, he would have had an impressive directing resume.

I mentioned earlier Club Dread for comedy and that film doesn't seem to have a lot of fans, but I'll be damned if Bill Paxton isn't hilarious in it. As an alcoholic washed up singer, Coconut Pete, Paxton in his hippie glory looks nails every scene with comedic precision. My favourite of the Broken Lizard films and a lot of that has to do with him.


Go chase some storms up there with Hoffman buddy. Rest In Peace.

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"A laugh can be a very powerful thing. Why, sometimes in life, it's the only weapon we have."

Suspect's Reviews

Good God, Suspect. He must have been your idol. Your hero.

In the next Survivor - IF there's one - Suspect has to be a Bill Paxton character.

I wrote a longer tribute to Wes Craven, who is not my favourite director.

You're like the big, fat guy who never talks, but when the town's barber/derelict/mailman/gardener/old grumpy porch bastard dies, BOYYYYYYYY can he give a heartfelt eulogy.

Man, that really cracked me up. It's not about Suspect but whoever that guy is that noone knows until he steps in with a great and baffling eulogy. I wan't to meet that guy.

Nice interview by Marc Maron for his podcast. The Paxton part starts at about the 24-minute mark.

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"Film is a disease. When it infects your bloodstream it takes over as the number one hormone. It bosses the enzymes, directs the pineal gland, plays Iago to your psyche. As with heroin, the antidote to Film is more Film." - Frank Capra

My favorite Bill Paxton performances:

1. One False Move
2. Frailty
3. "Big Love"
4. A Simple Plan
5. Traveller
6. "Hatfields & McCoys"
7. Near Dark
8. The Dark Backward
9. Aliens
10. Apollo 13

That really sucks-- I loved so many of his performances -- RIP BP

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Under-the-radar Movie Awesomeness.
http://earlsmoviepicks.blogspot.com/

This was such a shock, when I saw it on the internet early today. I love a lot of his work. I decided to go to IMDB, and see his list as an actor. I was surprised, but I haven't watched anything of his since 2001. I went ahead and copy/pasted everything that he's been in, that I own. No matter what the part, or how long he was in it. I've seen just about all of these movies, and more than once. I'd say out of what I own, the only films that you all maybe haven't heard of, are The Last of the Finest, Impulse, and Deadly Lessons. I believe they were all made for TV movies. Maybe not. I actually love those first two a lot. Impulse was pretty nuts. Ironically, so were the people in it. Well, here's the list. I truly wish he was going to be around a lot longer. He was an amazing actor, in my opinion, and I will truly miss him. He was much too young, as well. R.I.P. my dear. I'll pray for your family, and friends. XOXOXOX

Frailty (2001)
Vertical Limit (2000)
U-571 (2000)
Mighty Joe Young (1998)
A Simple Plan (1998)
Titanic (1997)
The Evening Star (1996)
Twister (1996)
Apollo 13 (1995)
True Lies (1994)
Tombstone (1993)
Indian Summer (1993)
Predator 2 (1990)
Navy Seals (1990)
The Last of the Finest (1990)
Brain Dead (1990)
Next of Kin (1989)
Near Dark (1987)
Aliens (1986)
Commando (1985)
Weird Science (1985)
The Terminator (1984)
Impulse (1984)
Streets of Fire (1984)
Deadly Lessons (1983)
Stripes (1981)

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After reading over his list, this film sounded very good. A movie that I would really like. I'm going to look into purchasing it. Either DVD, or stream through Amazon.