Actor Bill Paxton Dead At 61

One of the most affable actors of a generation has died. Bill Paxton, known for his Emmy winning turn in the Hatfields and McCoys miniseries and for roles in films like Aliens and Twister, was 61.

His death was reported earlier in the morning on February 26, reportedly as the result of complications from surgery.

Known as "Wild Bill" on set due to his reputation for pranking his co-stars, Paxton was known best as a character actor, seemingly preferring instead to flesh out supporting roles in a well-rounded way. With his Texas twang and his easy charm, Paxton often found himself playing military men, cowboys, or men who needed to still somehow grow up.

On occasion, Paxton would find himself in the lead role, as was the case with movies such as Twister, where he played opposite Helen Hunt, and Big Love, the HBO series for which he was nominated for a Golden Globe Award three times.

He garnered accolades for his directorial debut Frailty, a film which Roger Ebert gave the coveted four star ranking to. At the time, Ebert noted, "Perhaps only a first-time director, an actor who does not depend on directing for his next job, would have had the nerve to make this movie. It is uncompromised.”

Paxton was currently starring in the CBS series Training Day, which picked up 15 years after the movie of the same name. He expressed a father's pride when his son, 22-year-old James, had a role in the eighth episode.

“I was thrilled to have my son [James, 22,] guest-star on the eighth episode of Training Day,” Paxton told People. “He plays the son in a father-son robbery team, and my character, whose dad was also a criminal, tells him, ‘We’re both our father’s sons, but that doesn’t have to define us.’ It was surreal saying that to him.”

Paxton is survived by his wife, Louise Newbury, and his two children, James, and 19-year-old Lydia.