HE PLAYED SOLDIERS AND PUNKS,
cowboys and cowards, good ol’
boys and good, honest men. BillPaxton could personify bygone ideals of
American masculinity—he was born and
raised in Fort Worth, so Texan that he was
related to Sam Houston—but he also exuded
a wild-eyed comic spirit: his heroes half
crazy, his villains strangely lovable. He’d play
the most regular of guys—who would invari-
ably turn criminal or marry three wives. “He
could do a wild character that a lot of people
wouldn’t be able to pull off,” saysBig Love
costar Chloë Sevigny. “I think it’s because he
was so rooted, such a good person.”
Paxton died in L.A. on Feb. 25 at age 61 due
to complications from heart surgery, leaving
behind his wife of 30 years, Louise Newbury,
and their children, James, 23, and Lydia, 19.
In the wake of his passing, the outpouring of
grief from collaborators spoke, more than
anything, to his decency. Arnold Schwar-
BILL PAXTON
1955–A True
Tex a s
Gentleman
The 61-year-old’s
decency and genuine
spirit informed every
role—whether in front of
or behind the camera.
By Darren Franich12 EW.COM MARCH 10, 2017
2017EW03 10PHOTOGRAPH BYMICHAEL MULLER