'Apollo 13,' 'Titanic' actor Bill Paxton dies at 61

LOS ANGELES -- Bill Paxton, a prolific and charismatic actor who had memorable roles in such blockbusters as "Apollo 13" and "Twister" while also cherishing his work in "One False Move" and other low-budget movies and in the HBO series "Big Love," has died from complications due to surgery. He was 61.

A family representative issued a statement Sunday on the death but provided no other details.

Paxton, a Fort Worth, Texas, native, appeared in dozens of movies and television shows and seemed to be around when history was made on and off screen.

As a boy, he was in the crowd that welcomed President John F. Kennedy in Texas on the morning of Nov. 22, 1963, hours before Kennedy was killed in Dallas. As a young man, he worked in the art department for "B" movie king Roger Corman, who helped launch the careers of actors and filmmakers.

Paxton's movie credits included some of the signature works of the past 40 years, from "Titanic" and "Apollo 13" to "The Terminator" and "Aliens."

Television fans knew him for his role as a polygamist, with three wives who expected the best from him, in the HBO series "Big Love," for which he received three Golden Globe nominations.

"Bill Paxton was a big-hearted, thoughtful and honorable person," his "Big Love" co-star Chloe Sevigny said in a statement. "He always had a smile on his face and could entertain any room with his wonderful stories of his many amazing years in Hollywood."

Paxton was currently starring in the CBS drama "Training Day," which premiered Feb. 2.

The network has not yet announced whether it will continue to air the completed episodes.

Paxton is survived by his wife of 30 years, Louise Newbury, and their two children. His first marriage, to Kelly Rowan, ended in divorce.

Nearly 200 storm chasers paid tribute Sunday to the late actor by spelling out his initials using GPS coordinates on a map depicting the heart of Tornado Alley.

The effort was to honor the leading man in the disaster movie "Twister," which inspired a generation of storm chasers.

Paxton brought a human dimension to big-budget action adventures and science fiction.

He was, sci-fi fans like to point out, the only actor killed by a Predator, a Terminator and an Alien.

But Paxton, famously genial and approachable, defined his career less by his marquee status than as a character actor whose regular Joes appeared across the likes of "One False Move," "A Simple Plan" and "Nightcrawler."