William “Bill” Paxton was an actor and director, born on 17 May 1955, in Fort Worth, Texas USA, of English, Scots-Irish, German, Swiss, Austrian and French descent. He is perhaps best known for his roles in films such as “Aliens” (1986), “True Lies” (1994), and “Apollo 13” (1995), but also in TV series like HBO’s “Big Love” (2006-2011) and “Hatfields & McCovs” (2012). He was an active member of the entertainment industry from 1975 until his passing in February 2017.
Have you ever wondered how rich Bill Paxton was? Reportedly, it is estimated that Paxton’s overall net worth was $30 million, with most of his wealth Bill earned by making appearances in films of varied success, some of which have turned out to be blockbusters. His later direction in his career as a director all the more contributed to his net worth growth.
Bill Paxton Net Worth $30 Million
Raised in Fort Worth, Paxton was artistically stimulated by his father, who was a supporter of arts and an occasional actor himself. Bill often went to cultural events and the cinema with his father and siblings, so he showed an early interest in film-making. He matriculated from Arlington Heights High School in 1973, and then went on to study at Richmond College in England, along with his friend Danny Martin, but in 1974, Paxton decided to move to Los Angeles in order to make his way in the film industry. After working on a few side jobs, he obtained his first role, a small part in the movie “Crazy Mama” (1975). Soon after, he enrolled in New York University, where his acting instructor was the famous Stella Adler, but although Bill was amazed by her, he left his studies after the second year and returned to Los Angeles, claiming he didn’t see any point in having the degree.
At the very beginning of the ‘80s, Paxton had some success with “Fish Heads”, a short film he had made. Some of his earliest roles include a short appearance in “The Terminator” (1984) and a supporting role in “Weird Science” (1985). In the 1986 movie “Aliens” he played a sarcastic character, Private William Hudson. Paxton showed his true acting talent as a lead actor in a small thriller “One False Move” (1992), in which he starred with Billy Bob Thornton. This role earned him excellent reviews, which also added to his net worth and then led to his involvement in much bigger films, such as the space-drama “Apollo 13” (1995) and disaster drama film “Twister” (1996). Bill then co-operated with director James Cameron on his films “True Lies” 1994 and “Titanic” (1997), with other notable film appearances being his roles in “A Simple Plan” (1998) and “The Edge Of Tomorrow” (2014).
Paxton also received recognition for some of his television performances. For his lead role in “Big Love” (2006-2011) he received three Golden Globe nominations. His performance in the History Channel’s miniseries “Hatfields & McCovs” (2012) also gained him an Emmy Award nomination, plus increasing his net worth significantly.
Besides being an active actor, Bill also dedicated himself to directing, mostly short films, including “Frailty” (2001), in which he starred, and “The Greatest Game Ever Played” (2005).
Some of his later engagements included the “The Gamechangers” television movie, and “The Circle”, released in late 2015.
In his personal life, Bill Paxton was married to Kelly Rowan for one year(1979-80). He married Louise Newbury in 1987: they have two children, and lived in Ojai, California until his passing from a stroke following heart surgery on 25 February 2017.
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