William "Bill" Paxton (born May 17, 1955) is an American actor and
film director. He gained in
popularity after his
starring roles in the movies
Apollo 13,
Twister, and
True Lies. Paxton is currently working on the fourth season of the
HBO series
Big Love which is set to premiere in 2010.
Biography
Early life
Bill Paxton grew up in
Fort Worth, Texas, the son of Mary Lou Gray and John Lane Paxton, who was a businessman, a lumber wholesaler, a
museum executive, and occasionally an actor.
[Bill Paxton Biography (1955-)] Paxton was raised in his mother's
Catholic religion. Paxton attended
Arlington Heights High School in Fort Worth, Texas, and then
Texas State University (then called Southwest Texas State Univ.) in
San Marcos, Texas, and then moved to
Los Angeles, California, and began working for the movie director
Roger Corman as a set designer on his movies. Exposure to movies and actors at that age influenced Paxton's decision to pursue acting, which lead him to relocate to
New York City, where he studied under
Stella Adler.
