Biography

BILL PAXTON has accomplished what few others in his craft have managed; he’s struck gold with box-office giants like Titanic, Twister and Apollo 13 and won critical acclaim with independents like One False Move, Traveller and A Simple Plan.

With box- office numbers at over $3 billion worldwide, he is one of the top 10-grossing actors of all time along with Harrison Ford, Tom Cruise and Tom Hanks.

Most recently, Paxton was seen as the Captain in the WWII submarine hit U-571. He was also a part of the phenomenally successful Titanic. The film marked his fourth collaboration with James Cameron, who previously directed Paxton in True Lies, Aliens and The Terminator. He starred in the Steven Spielberg-produced smash hit, Twister, directed by Jan De Bont, and was nominated for a Golden Globe for his role in HBO’s A Bright Shining Lie. In addition, Roger Ebert voted Paxton Best Actor of the Year for his work in A Simple Plan.

Paxton emerged as a leading man, earning wide critical praise, with his performance as a small-town sheriff in One False Move. He also starred with Tom Hanks and Kevin Bacon in Ron Howard’s blockbuster Apollo 13, which was nominated for an Oscar for Best Picture. In 1996, Paxton produced his first feature, Traveller, co-starring Mark Wahlberg and Julianna Margulies, in which he played a modern day gypsy. The film received outstanding reviews.

Moving to Hollywood from his hometown in Texas, Paxton got his start working as a set dresser on Roger Corman’s Big Bad Mama. After working in the art department on several features, he decided to move to New York to study acting. Returning to Los Angeles in 1980, he met James Cameron while moonlighting as one of Cameron’s set dressers on the low-budget sci-fi film Galaxy of Terror. He then began accumulating acting credits, first in B-horror movies like Mortuary, then in studio films like The Lords of Discipline, Streets of Fire and the classic John Hughes comedy, Weird Science. Other film credits include Near Dark, Pass the Ammo, Trespass, Tombstone and Indian Summer.

Fall 20001, Paxton is directing and starring with Matthew McConaughey in the gothic thriller, Frailty, for Lions Gate.

Filmography

Club Dread (2003) .... Coconut Pete
Ghosts of the Abyss (2002) .... Himself
Resistance (2002) .... Ted
Spy Kids 2: Island of Lost Dreams (2002) .... Dinky Winks
2001 IFP/West Independent Spirit Awards, The (2001) (TV)
Frailty (2001) .... Dad Meiks
War Letters (2001) (TV)(voice) .... Narrator
Vertical Limit (2000) .... Elliot Vaughn
U-571 (2000) .... Lieutenant Commander Mike Dahlgren
... aka U-571 (2000) (France)
Twister: Ride it Out (1998) .... Bill Harding
Mighty Joe Young (1998) .... Gregg O'Hara
... aka Mighty Joe (1999) (UK)
Simple Plan, A (1998) .... Hank Mitchell
... aka Einfacher Plan, Ein (1999) (Germany)
... aka Un plan simple (1999) (France)
Bright Shining Lie, A (1998) (TV) .... Col. John Paul Vann
Directors: James Cameron (1997) (V) .... Himself
... aka AFI the Directors: James Cameron (1997) (V) (USA: DVD title)
Titanic (1997) .... Brock Lovett
Traveller (1997) .... Bokky
Lost Moon: The Triumph of Apollo 13 (1996) (V) .... Himself
Evening Star, The (1996) .... Jerry Bruckner
Twister (1996) .... William 'Bill' Harding
Last Supper, The (1995) .... Zachary Cody
Apollo 13 (1995) .... Fred Haise
... aka Apollo 13: The IMAX Experience (2002) (USA: IMAX version)
Frank and Jesse (1994) .... Frank James
100 Years of the Hollywood Western (1994) (TV) .... Himself
True Lies (1994) .... Simon
Future Shock (1993/I) .... Vince
Monolith (1993) .... Tucker
Tombstone (1993) .... Morgan Earp
Boxing Helena (1993) .... Ray O'Malley
Indian Summer (1993) .... Jack Belston
Trespass (1992) .... Vince
... aka Looters (1992)
Vagrant, The (1992) .... Graham Krakowski
One False Move (1992) .... Dale (Hurricane) Dixon
Dark Backward, The (1991) .... Gus
... aka Man with Three Arms, The (1991) (UK)
Back to Back (1990) .... Bo Brand
Predator 2 (1990) .... Jerry Lambert
Navy SEALS (1990) .... Dane
Last of the Finest, The (1990) .... Howard 'Hojo' Jones
... aka Blue Heat (1990)
... aka Street Legal (1990)
Brain Dead (1990) .... Jim Reston
... aka Paranoia (1990) (USA)
Slipstream (1989) .... Matt Owens
Next of Kin (1989) .... Gerald Gates
Pass the Ammo (1988) .... Jesse Wilkes
Near Dark (1987) .... Severen
Riding Fast (1986) .... Bobo
"Fresno" (1986) (mini) TV Series .... Billy Joe Bobb
Aliens (1986) .... Pvt. W. Hudson
Early Frost, An (1985) (TV) .... Bob Maracek
Commando (1985) .... Intercept Officer
Weird Science (1985) .... Chet Donnelly
"Atlanta Child Murders, The" (1985) (mini) TV Series .... Campbell
Terminator, The (1984) .... Punk Leader
Impulse (1984) .... Eddie
Streets of Fire (1984) .... Clyde the Bartender
Making of 'Terminator', The (1984) (TV) .... Himself
Taking Tiger Mountain (1983)
Lords of Discipline, The (1983)(as 'Wild' Bill Paxton) .... Gilbreath
Mortuary (1983/I) .... Paul Andrews
... aka Embalmed (1983) (UK)
Deadly Lessons (1983) (TV) .... Eddie Fox
Fish Heads (1982) .... Main Character
Night Warning (1981) .... Eddie
... aka Butcher, Baker, Nightmare Maker (1981)
... aka Evil Protege, The (1981) (UK)
... aka Momma's Boy (1981)
... aka Nightmare Maker (1981)
... aka Thrilled to Death (1981) (USA)
Stripes (1981) .... Soldier
"Six O'Clock Follies, The" (1980) TV Series
Crazy Mama (1975) .... John