Bill Paxton

Biography: Though blessed with leading-man looks, Paxton spent much of his career relegated to playing gung-ho bullies or sleazebags (Aliens, Last Action Hero and his classic turn as a sadistic big brother in Weird Science). Initially, Paxton pursued a career behind the camera as a set dresser and aspiring director before switching to acting. A succession of small bits in the early 1980s (including a part in Pat Benatar's "Shadows of the Night" video) finally led to supporting parts, mainly in action flicks that showcased his imposing presence (Next of Kin, Predator 2). He finally snagged a lead role in the lauded 1992 indie One False Move as a small-town police chief on a crash course with violence. While his nuanced performance upped his profile, he promptly returned to playing second fiddle, albeit in A-list pictures (Apollo 13, Titanic, Twister). He also realized his directing dreams with the 2001 feature Frailty, in which he also starred. As the 2000s wore on, his career slowed down.Though blessed with leading-man looks, Paxton spent much of his career relegated to playing gung-ho bullies or sleazebags (Aliens, Last Action Hero and his classic turn as a sadistic big brother in Weird Science). Initially, Paxton pursued a career behind the camera as a set dresser and aspiring director before switching to acting. A succession of small bits in the early 1980s (including a part in Pat Benatar's "Shadows of the Night" video) finally led to supporting parts, mainly in action flicks that showcased his imposing presence (Next of Kin, Predator 2). He finally snagged a lead role in the lauded 1992 indie One False Move as a small-town police chief on a crash course with violence. While his nuanced performance upped his profile, he promptly returned to playing second fiddle, albeit in A-list pictures (Apollo 13, Titanic, Twister). He also realized his directing dreams with the 2001 feature Frailty, in which he also starred. As the 2000s wore on, his career slowed down. But it got a nice boost when he signed on as a bigamist businessman on the edgy series Big Love, which debuted in 2006 and showcased his heretofore untapped sex appeal. His lead role In that HBO drama as seemingly sincere, though frequently duplicitous, Bill Henrickson expanded his fame and yielded an often mesmerizing performance: As Larry Hagman did as J.R. Ewing on Dallas, Paxton generally managed to rise above specious story lines and make viewing of Big Love a big joy. Paxton continued to find success on the small screen, earning an Emmy nom for the miniseries Hatfields & McCoys and taking on a recurring role on Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Paxton died suddenly, of complications from surgery, in early 2017. Expand

Bill Paxton's Scores

Average career score: 66
Highest Metascore: 85 Big Love: Season 5
Lowest Metascore: 38 Training Day (2017): Season 1
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 10
  2. Negative: 1 out of 10
10 tv reviews
Title: Year: Credit: User score:
38 Training Day (2017): Season 1 Feb 2, 2017 Frank Rourke 4.7
tbd The Talk: Season 7 Sep 12, 2016 Guest tbd
tbd Last Call with Carson Daly: Season 16 Sep 7, 2016 Guest tbd
tbd The Late Late Show with James Corden: Season 2 Mar 29, 2016 Guest tbd
tbd Who Do You Think You Are?: Season 6 Jul 26, 2015 Appearing tbd
52 Texas Rising: Season 1 May 25, 2015 Sam Houston 3.3
tbd Who Do You Think You Are?: Season 5 Jul 23, 2014 Bill Paxton tbd
74 Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D: Season 1 Sep 24, 2013 Agent John Garrett / Agent Garrett / Agent John Garrett 7.1
tbd The Queen Latifah Show (2013): Season 1 Sep 16, 2013 Guest tbd
68 Hatfields & McCoys May 28, 2012 Randall McCoy 7.8
85 Big Love: Season 5 Jan 16, 2011 Bill Henrickson / Bill Henrickson 6.2
tbd Late Night with Jimmy Fallon: Season 3 Sep 14, 2010 Guest tbd
68 Big Love: Season 4 Jan 10, 2010 Bill Henrickson / Bill Henrickson 6.1
tbd Late Night with Jimmy Fallon: Season 2 Sep 15, 2009 Guest 6.4
48 Late Night with Jimmy Fallon: Season 1 Mar 3, 2009 Guest 5.2
79 Big Love: Season 3 Jan 18, 2009 Bill Henrickson / Bill Henrickson 6.7
tbd Martha: Season 4 Sep 16, 2008 Guest tbd
71 Big Love: Season 2 Jun 11, 2007 Bill Henrickson / Bill Henrickson 6.9
72 Big Love: Season 1 Mar 12, 2006 Bill Henrickson / Bill Henrickson 6.8
tbd The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Season 14 Sep 19, 2005 Guest / Guest tbd
tbd The View: Season 9 Sep 5, 2005 Bill Paxton tbd
tbd Jimmy Kimmel Live: Season 2 Jan 1, 2004 Bill Paxton tbd
tbd The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Season 12 Sep 2, 2003 Guest / Guest tbd
tbd Frasier: Season 10 Sep 24, 2002 Voice Of Ernie 8.1
tbd The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Season 11 Sep 23, 2002 Guest / Guest tbd
tbd The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Season 10 Sep 24, 2001 Guest / Guest tbd
tbd The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Season 9 Oct 9, 2000 Guest tbd
tbd The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Season 8 Sep 20, 1999 Guest tbd
tbd Saturday Night Live: Season 24 Sep 26, 1998 Host / Host tbd
tbd Tales from the Crypt: Season 5 Oct 2, 1993 Actor / Bill Paxton / Billy tbd