‘Big Love’ actor dies following heart surgery complications, aged 61

Actor Bill Paxton, who starred in Aliens, Apollo 13, Twister and television series Big Love died over the weekend, aged 61, following complications from surgery.

Paxton suffered a fatal stroke following an operation on his heart on Saturday evening, U.S.  time (Sunday, Australian time).

Paxton began his acting career playing small roles in big features, the likes of which included Stripes, Weird Science and Terminator in the first half of the 1980s, and later True Lies and Titanic.

He was one of the first big-screen actors to make the tentative move to work on a dedicated television series at the peak of his career while others felt TV to be a non-credible platform for serious acting.

His radical role in Big Love was that of a polygamist living in Utah, married to three women and dealing with the strain of an ever-expanding family and societal prejudices.

Big Love, starring (left to right) Ginnifer Goodwin, Chloe Sevigny, Bill Paxton, and Jeanne Tripplehorn.

Paxton received three Golden Globe nominations for Best Actor for his work in Big Love.

He leaves behind wife, Louise Newbury, and their two children, James and Lydia Paxton.

Antonino Tati