Bill Paxton: R.I.P.

From Variety:

Bill Paxton the versatile actor who appeared in films incuding “Aliens” and “Titanic” and played a bigamist on HBO’s “Big Love,” has died from complications following a surgical procedure. He was 61.

With a Texas twang and grizzled visage, Paxton often found himself playing military men and cowboys. He was closely associated with James Cameron, playing a punk leader in “The Terminator, as well as an ill-fated technician in “Aliens,” a venal car deal in “True Lives” and a treasure hunter in “Titanic.”

Paxton anchored a few films, portraying a tornado-chasing scientist in the box office smash “Twister” (1996), and a wildlife refuge director in the flop, “Mighty Joe Young” (1998).  In most movies, Paxton cut a morally upright figure, the character actor equivalent of a Kevin Costner or Gary Cooper. But he earned the best reviews of his career for roles that upended his persona. He was gripping as a family man trying to hide stolen money in Sam Raimi’s “A Simple Plan” (1998), and similarly effective playing against type as an ethically compromised lawman in Carl Franklin’s “One False Move” (1992).

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