Bill Paxton, RIP at Age 61 Due to Complications During Surgery

He had finished filming the CBS series "Training Day" (based on the movie). But what "completed filming" can mean with respect to an ongoing series, I don't know. I guess they mean he completed the first order of 8 or 13 shows or whatever.

Although he is well known as a high-impact actor who walked into movies already wearing the character with little need of a screenwriter's help, he also directed the interesting, weird, unexpected existential thriller "Frailty."

I'm surprised he didn't direct more. He certainly earned his ticket to direct more movies. But directing, I'm given to understand, takes a lot of time, whereas an actor working as an actor can appear in 4, 5, 6 movies in a year. As a director, I think you have to spend a full year on a project, from casting rewriting to location-scouting to shooting to editing to promotion.

Correction: Actually he did direct another feature -- The Greatest Game Ever Played, about a famous golf match.

Apparently he also had a minor role as a "Soldier" in Stripes. I don't remember that.

posted by Ace at 01:03 PM

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