Bill Paxton

Paxton in 2013, photo by DFree/Bigstock.com

Birth Name: William Paxton

Date of Birth: May 17, 1955

Place of Birth: Fort Worth, Tarrant, Texas, U.S.

Date of Death: February 25, 2017

Place of Death: Los Angeles, California, U.S.

Ethnicity: English, Scots-Irish/Northern Irish, Scottish, Austrian, German, French, Swiss-French, Dutch, Irish, distant Welsh, remote Norwegian

Bill Paxton was an American actor and director. His roles included the films Mortuary, Streets of Fire, The Terminator, Weird Science, Aliens, Near Dark, Trespass, Indian Summer, Tombstone, True Lies, Apollo 13, The Last Supper, Twister, Titanic, A Simple Plan, Mighty Joe Young, Vertical Limit, Frailty, which he also directed, Million Dollar Arm, Edge of Tomorrow, and The Circle, and television’s Big Love and Hatfields & McCoys.

He was the son of Mary Lou (Gray) and John Paxton (John Lane Paxton), who was a museum executive, businessperson, and actor. He was married to Louise Newbury, until his death. The couple had two children, including actor James Paxton.

He was an eight-year old in the crowd in Dallas, Texas, on the day President Kennedy was killed (though was not there at the exact moment). Bill was later one of the producers of the film Parkland (2013), about the assassination.

Bill’s paternal grandfather was Frank Paxton (the son of John Gallatin Paxton and Mary Neill/Neil Gentry). Frank was born in Independence, Jackson, Missouri, and was President of the Frank Paxton Lumber Company. John was the son of Elisha Franklin Paxton and Elizabeth Hannah White. Elisha was a lawyer and soldier, who served as a brigadier general in the Confederate States Army at the American Civil War, and died in combat while leading the Stonewall Brigade during the Battle of Chancellorsville. Elisha’s paternal grandparents were born in Ireland and Scotland, respectively. Bill’s great-great-grandmother Elizabeth’s father likely was born in Londonderry, Ireland. Bill’s great-grandmother Mary was the daughter of Richard Harrison Gentry and Mary Neil Wyatt. Richard’s father, Richard Gentry, was the founder of Columbia, Missouri, and its first mayor.

Bill’s paternal grandmother was Marjorie R. Lane (the daughter of John Lewis Lane and Myrtle May Ruggles). Marjorie was born in Missouri. John was the son of George Henry Lane. Myrtle was the daughter of Constant Ruggles and Eliza Dunlap.

Bill’s maternal grandfather was Wayne Charter Gray (the son of Levi S. Gray and Olive M. Charter). Wayne was born in Illinois. Levi was the son of Samuel Douglas Gray and Ann/Anna Elizabeth Wood. Olive was the daughter of Robert Howard Charter and Mary Annette Brown.

Bill’s maternal grandmother was Leonie Marie Turk (the daughter of Francis Joseph “Frank” Turk and Marie Leonie/C. Euziere). Bill’s grandmother Leonie was born in Kankakee, Kankakee Co., Illinois. Frank’s father, Joseph Turk, was Austrian, and Frank’s mother, Mary Anna Bear/Bahr, was German. Bill’s great-grandmother Leonie’s father, Leon Euziere, was French, and her mother, Mary Morend/Morrand, was Swiss.

Bill was a fourth cousin, once removed, of actor and comedian Ed Helms. Bill’s paternal great-great-great-grandparents, Elisha Hays Paxton and Margaret McNutt, were also Ed’s maternal great-great-great-great-grandparents.

Sources: Genealogies of Bill Paxton – http://famouskin.com
https://www.geni.com
https://www.wikitree.com

Bill’s maternal grandmother, Leonie Marie Turk, on the 1920 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org