# Bill Paxton died **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 26, 2017, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-paxton-died/780828 "2017-02-26T15:45:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2017, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-paxton-died/780828/21 "2017-02-26T17:50:49Z")
> [@MichaelEmouse](#): > > Can someone explain how he was in some many movies? Looking at his filmography, he was usually in more than 1 per year, often 3. He was rarely a headliner, so he probably wasn’t needed for all of filming. Plus, he wouldn’t get top billing money, so he needed to keep working. That said, to get that much continuous work probably means that he was very professional and someone that most people enjoyed to work with. ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2017, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-paxton-died/780828/22 "2017-02-26T17:51:55Z")
> [@MichaelEmouse](#): > > Can someone explain how he was in some many movies? Looking at his filmography, he was usually in more than 1 per year, often 3. Solid, dependable, fairly versatile, relatively cheap to hire, people liked him and liked working with him. That stuff can take you a long way, really. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2017, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-paxton-died/780828/23 "2017-02-26T17:52:00Z")
> [@MichaelEmouse](#): > > Can someone explain how he was in some many movies? Looking at his filmography, he was usually in more than 1 per year, often 3. He was a good actor with a good agent. From all I’ve read he was also a consummate professional who was easy to work with. It pains me to write that in the past tense. ---
**Author:** ![outlierrn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/outlierrn/32/3005_2.png) [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2017, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-paxton-died/780828/24 "2017-02-26T17:56:28Z")
Well, this is some real pretty shit. ---
**Author:** ![bucketybuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/898d66/32.png) [@bucketybuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bucketybuck)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2017, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-paxton-died/780828/25 "2017-02-26T18:00:20Z")
> [@Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](#): > > Only actor ever killed by the Alien, the Terminator, and the Predator. Wasn’t Lance Henriksen also killed by all three? ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2017, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-paxton-died/780828/26 "2017-02-26T18:00:57Z")
> [@MichaelEmouse](#): > > Can someone explain how he was in some many movies? Looking at his filmography, he was usually in more than 1 per year, often 3. He was the generic average white guy needed in the background or supporting role, and he fit that character very well. Viewers weren’t likely to exclaim, "hey, it’s Bill Paxton!', he wasn’t that kind of stand out actor. So he could be used over and over in film after film without much notice. Kind of like Jack Elam used to be the generic bad guy in the background of so many westerns. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2017, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-paxton-died/780828/27 "2017-02-26T18:01:56Z")
> [@MichaelEmouse](#): > > Can someone explain how he was in some many movies? Looking at his filmography, he was usually in more than 1 per year, often 3. Don’t think it is that unusual - he was a reliable, well-liked character actor with just enough charisma to hold down the occasional lead in ensemble pieces. Folks like that can get a lot of work once they’re established, especially if they’re not terribly picky. He worked his way into a thriving career. I watched the first season of _Big Love_ before getting bored with it, but I agree that’s not the ‘best known’ tag I would have gone with. _Frailty_ is what I think of, but really _Aliens_ is the iconic one that still gets quoted today. He made an impression on the cultural zeitgeist and that’s not nothing. RIP. ---
**Author:** ![SaharaTea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@SaharaTea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SaharaTea)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2017, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-paxton-died/780828/28 "2017-02-26T18:03:26Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > He was in the crowd at age 8 when JFK was killed. The museum on the killing has a picture of him there. That’s an interesting tidbit I never knew. He was not at the Dallas motorcade (or was he??? ;)), but he saw JFK emerge from his hotel in Ft. Worth that morning. \*\*Twister \*\*is one of my guilty pleasure films. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2017, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-paxton-died/780828/29 "2017-02-26T18:07:51Z")
Yes, Paxton wasn’t in the crowd when Kennedy was killed. He was in the crowd earlier in the day as Kennedy emerged from his hotel: > **[Bill Paxton](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Paxton)** > > William Paxton (May 17, 1955 – February 25, 2017) was an American actor and filmmaker. He appeared in films such as Weird Science (1985), Aliens (1986), Near Dark (1987), Tombstone (1993), True Lies (1994), Apollo 13 (1995), Twister (1996), Titanic (1997), A Simple Plan (1998), Edge of Tomorrow (2014), and Nightcrawler (2014). > Paxton starred in the HBO drama series Big Love (2006–2011), for which he earned three Golden Globe Award nominations during the show's run. He was nominated for a Pr... ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2017, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-paxton-died/780828/30 "2017-02-26T18:10:20Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > I watched the first season of _Big Love_ before getting bored with it, but I agree that’s not the ‘best known’ tag I would have gone with. _Frailty_ is what I think of, but really _Aliens_ is the iconic one that still gets quoted today. He made an impression on the cultural zeitgeist and that’s not nothing. RIP. I use that “How do I get out of this chicken shit outfit?” line as often as I can, but few get the reference. ☹ It was only after _Aliens_ that, when rewatching _Weird Science_, I thought to myself ‘hey, that’s Pvt. Hudson’. I liked Chet much more after that. That said, _Iron Man_ never made me like Ian more - he’s still a smarmy asshole. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_John\_Marcej](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Richard\_John\_Marcej](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_John_Marcej)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2017, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-paxton-died/780828/31 "2017-02-26T18:28:49Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > He was great in “[A simple Plan](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120324/)" This, right there, IMO was his best work. Gut wrenching and gripping. Awesome performance and film. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2017, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-paxton-died/780828/32 "2017-02-26T18:47:08Z")
I’ve always thought it was a real dick move on Rose’s part to drop the necklace into the ocean, considering the effort and money spent on the Keldysh Expedition. The least she could have done was keep it in her baggage for them to find, or (even better) willed it to her granddaughter. :mad: RIP, Bill. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2017, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-paxton-died/780828/33 "2017-02-26T19:12:44Z")
Aliens and True Lies are my two favorite Bill Paxton movies. Damn. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2017, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-paxton-died/780828/34 "2017-02-26T19:13:45Z")
> [@Richard\_John\_Marcej](#): > > This, right there, IMO was his best work. Gut wrenching and gripping. Awesome performance and film. Yeah, okay. But how great was he in **True Lies** , as the enthusiastic guy you totally believe is ten seconds away from getting his neck snapped by Schwarzenegger? _“And she’s got the most incredible body, too! Pair o’titties make you stand up and beg for buttermilk! Ass like a ten-year-old boy! aHaHaHaHaHaHaHa!”_ ---
**Author:** ![E-DUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/e-dub/32/403_2.png) [@E-DUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-DUB)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2017, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-paxton-died/780828/35 "2017-02-26T19:31:15Z")
One neglected performance was as a hayseed cop in “One False Move”. RIP. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2017, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-paxton-died/780828/36 "2017-02-26T19:37:48Z")
> [@Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](#): > > Only actor ever killed by the Alien, the Terminator, and the Predator. > [@bucketybuck](#): > > Wasn’t Lance Henriksen also killed by all three? [Technically.](http://www.blumhouse.com/2016/06/02/your-alien-predator-and-terminator-trivia-is-wrong/) > [@](#): > > For starters, let’s cover our bases. Bill Paxton was killed by a Xenomorph in ALIENS and by a Predator in PREDATOR 2, no doubt about that. As for THE TERMINATOR, well, all we actually saw was that Bill Paxton got thrown into a pretty flimsy gate by Arnold Schwarzenegger’s cybernetic supervillain, so whether or not he actually “died” is already a matter of some debate. As for Henriksen: > [@](#): > > His death in the ALIEN franchise is a little less cut-and-dry, but it’s only reasonable to argue that he was also killed by the Xenomorphs in ALIENS and ALIEN 3. If you’ll recall, at the end of ALIENS the android – er, sorry, “artificial person” – called Bishop was catastrophically damaged by the Alien Queen. And although he wasn’t officially taken offline until ALIEN 3, he never would have “died” unless he had previously been impaled by a Xenomorph. But, technicalities aside, yes, they were both killed by all three creatures. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2017, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-paxton-died/780828/37 "2017-02-26T20:21:38Z")
Holy shit. That’s so unexpected. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Steophan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steophan/32/9595_2.png) [@Steophan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steophan)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2017, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-paxton-died/780828/38 "2017-02-26T20:36:48Z")
I’ll always remember him as Morgan Earp in Tombstone, my all-time favourite film. “It said that a lot of people, when they die, they see this light. Like in a tunnel. They say it’s the light leadin’ you to heaven.” RIP. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2017, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-paxton-died/780828/39 "2017-02-26T20:41:04Z")
> [@D\_Odds](#): > > Even Wyatt is sad at the passing of his asshole older brother, Chet (“You two donkey-dicks couldn’t get laid in a morgue.”) “You’re stewed, buttwad!” “Hey girls…how about a nice, _greasy_ pork sandwich, served in a dirty ashtray?” “That looks good…now make yourself some!” _Weird Science_ is one of those movies my brother and I quote to one another at will and at random…along with _History Of The World_ and it’s ilk. RIP Chet. ---
**Author:** ![Penfeather](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penfeather/32/384_2.png) [@Penfeather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Penfeather)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2017, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-paxton-died/780828/40 "2017-02-26T20:41:10Z")
Maybe we can build a fire, sing a couple of songs, huh? Why don’t we try that? Rest in peace, Mr Paxton. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-paxton-died/780828.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-paxton-died/780828.md?page=3)