Image: TMDB
About This Quiz
Bill Paxton was known for his roles in some of the most influential blockbusters of the 1980s and 1990s. Whether he was fighting aliens, chasing tornadoes or searching for lost shipwrecks, he dominated the screen. See how many of these Bill Paxton movies you can figure out from a screenshot.
tmdb
Which Bill Paxton movie is in this screenshot?
The Terminator
Stripes
Bill Paxton played a soldier in this comedy classic. This is one of those movies where the concentration of comedic talent is amazing, and the script actually makes use of their abilities. Bill Murray's finest role.
Twister
Aliens
tmdb
Which Bill Paxton movie is in this screenshot?
The Terminator
Titanic
Tombstone
Remember when Val Kilmer was the next big thing and going to take over Hollywood? His performance as Doc Holliday in this movie was Oscar-worthy, but sadly he more or less went downhill from there.
Stripes
tmdb
Which Bill Paxton movie is in this screenshot?
Apollo 13
True Lies
Twister
Paxton took well to leading-man status with this classic storm flick. Cary Elwes turns in a great performance as a dastardly corporate-funded meteorologist ... and that may be the first time those words have ever been written in that sequence.
Aliens
Advertisement
tmdb
Which Bill Paxton movie is in this screenshot?
Aliens
True Lies
This spy thriller/romcom was a huge hit for Schwarzenegger, and brought Jamie Lee Curtis back into the limelight. The only downside was that it prolonged the career of Tom Arnold.
Stripes
Tombstone
tmdb
Which Bill Paxton movie is in this screenshot?
The Vagrant
Tombstone
The Lords of Discipline
This film, in the vein of Timothy Hutton's "Taps," portrays life at a military academy in a less-than-stellar light. Paxton stars along with fellow future "Terminator" victim Michael Biehn.
Aliens
tmdb
Which Bill Paxton movie is in this screenshot?
Twister
Apollo 13
This is to my mind the best "astronaut movie" ever made. The cast includes Paxton, Tom Hanks, Ed Harris, Gary Sinise and Kevin Bacon, and the film is based on one of the most legendary events in the history of American space travel.
Titanic
Traveller
Advertisement
tmdb
Which Bill Paxton movie is in this screenshot?
The Last Supper
I'm really surprised this movie hasn't made a big cult-circuit comeback, given the subject matter. Paxton plays the first victim of a group of ultra-liberal college students who invite conservatives to dinner in order to murder them.
The Dark Backward
Frank and Jesse
Tombstone
tmdb
Which Bill Paxton movie is in this screenshot?
The Terminator
Commando
Predator 2
With this film, Paxton earned himself the action-movie version of an EGOT. He's the only actor to be killed by a predator, a xenomorph and a Terminator. (Or he may share that distinction with Lance Henriksen.)
Aliens
tmdb
Which Bill Paxton movie is in this screenshot?
Titanic
This epic to end all epics made roughly a hajillion dollars at the box office and elevated Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet to near-godhood. I never understood why people went to a movie when they knew how it ended.
U-571
Commando
True Lies
Advertisement
youtube
Which Bill Paxton movie is in this screenshot?
Titanic
Slipstream
Navy SEALS
Before he joined the ranks of sitcom stars and started drinking Tiger Blood, Charlie Sheen was quite an action star. This military film glamorized the baddest soldiers in the armed forces, and Paxton got to work with his "Terminator"buddy Michael Biehn again.
Aliens
tmdb
Which Bill Paxton movie is in this screenshot?
Terminator
It's almost hard to recognize Bill in this movie, playing a punk who mouths off to the just-arrived, stark naked Terminator with fatal results. His death was just the first of many that also starred Paxton's "Aliens" pal, Lance Henriksen.
Predator 2
Near Dark
Commando
tmdb
Which Bill Paxton movie is in this screenshot?
Commando
Weird Science
This film was every geeky teenage boys' dream come true. Two teens, antagonized by thuggish big brother Chet (Paxton) invent a machine that brings them the girl of their wildest fantasies. It gets weirder from there.
Aliens
Pass the Ammo
Advertisement
tmdb
Which Bill Paxton movie is in this screenshot?
Frailty
Brain Dead
Roger Corman's daughter found this script among hundreds in her father's archives. Bill Pullman stars opposite Paxton as a neurosurgeon trying to unlock a man's mind and stop his psychotic delusions.
Mighty Joe Young
A Simple Plan
youtube
Which Bill Paxton movie is in this screenshot?
Frailty
Impulse
Slipstream
The Atlanta Child Murders
Paxton had a small role in this miniseries, which some critics saw as a naked grab for ratings based on a sensational court case. The presence of Morgan Freeman and James Earl Jones gave the cast some gravitas, however.
tmdb
Which Bill Paxton movie is in this screenshot?
Nightcrawler
Jake Gyllenhaal turns in a chilling performance as a news photographer who hunts for gory crime scenes to get garish shots. Paxton plays an older hand in the game, who runs afoul of Jake's character with bloody results.
Edge of Tomorrow
Million Dollar Arm
2 Guns
Advertisement
tmdb
Which Bill Paxton movie is in this screenshot?
The Colony
Next of Kin
Ever wonder where Liam Neeson got the itch for action movies? In this one, he and Patrick Swayze play Appalachian brothers whose third sibling, played by Paxton, is killed by Chicago mobsters. Neeson insists on the establishment of a mountain-style blood feud, and things get really messy from there.
2 Guns
Haven
tmdb
Which Bill Paxton movie is in this screenshot?
A Simple Plan
U-571
Nightcrawler
An Early Frost
Bill had a fairly small role in this groundbreaking TV movie that gives a stark look at how AIDS patients were treated in the early '80s. Aidan Quinn plays the lead role as an AIDS patient who is refused ambulance transport, shunned by his family and isolated in the hospital.
tmdb
Which Bill Paxton movie is in this screenshot?
Commando
True Lies
Aliens
"Aliens" may be the most quotable sci-fi movie in history. Anyone who's seen it knows at least one or two, and "Nuke the site from orbit" has become a favorite internet meme, especially when spiders are the topic. Paxton's Pvt. Hudson provides his own share of them, including the one in the hint - "Game over, man."
Edge of Tomorrow
Advertisement
tmdb
Which Bill Paxton movie is in this screenshot?
Aliens
Edge of Tomorrow
This outstanding sci-fi war flick started out as a Tom Cruise vehicle, but Emily Blunt ended up running the show and getting most of the critical praise. Paxton, by this time the ultimate go-to for gruff military types, plays a master sergeant who has no interest in the time-travel shenanigans.
Commando
Haywire
tmdb
Which Bill Paxton movie is in this screenshot?
Near Dark
If you think vampire movies are all "Twilight"-style, you need to see this one. Paxton plays a psychotic vampire, with his "Aliens" pal Lance Henriksen leading the band of bloodsuckers.
Slipstream
U-571
Frank and Jesse
tmdb
Which Bill Paxton movie is in this screenshot?
Edge of Tomorrow
The Colony
Does the term "Canadian science fiction-horror film" fill you with thoughts of cybernetic back bacon and vampires? This is a nifty climate change flick, with humans living underground when their weather machines fail.
Haven
Ghosts of the Abyss
Advertisement
tmdb
Which Bill Paxton movie is in this screenshot?
Trespass
Slipstream
The Good Life
This ensemble comedy-drama featured the nearly irresistibly cute pairing of Mark Webber and Zooey Deschanel. How can you resist a girl named Zooey?
Red Wing
youtube
Which Bill Paxton movie is in this screenshot?
Frank and Jesse
Tombstone
Slipstream
Pass the Ammo
There may have never been a more perfectly timed satirical film than this one. Following the Jim Bakker and Jimmy Swaggart scandals, this movie featuring Tim Curry as a televangelist who is robbed by a group of members of his flock who've been fleeced was right on target.
youtube
Which Bill Paxton movie is in this screenshot?
Fresno
This laugh riot of a miniseries spoofed "Dallas," "Falcon Crest," "Dynasty" and its ilk. Carol Burnett, Dabney Coleman, Teri Garr and Charles Grodin provided the comic firepower, with an excellent supporting cast, including Paxton in a small role.
A Bright Shining Lie
Hatfields & McCoys
Trespass
Advertisement
tmdb
Which Bill Paxton movie is in this screenshot?
Tombstone
Frank and Jesse
Apollo 13
Texas Rising
Paxton got back to his Texas roots with this miniseries about Texas' war for independence from Mexico. He got to play legendary Gen. Sam Houston, with "Walking Dead" baddie Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Capt. Deaf Smith.
youtube
Which Bill Paxton movie is in this screenshot?
Next of Kin
Near Dark
Deadly Lessons
In the early '80s, there were so many slasher flick screenplays that some of them had to be made for TV. This was one, and there's really not a lot more that needs said about it. Paxton had a very small role.
The Dark Backward
tmdb
Which Bill Paxton movie is in this screenshot?
Brain Dead
The Last of the Finest
Commando
Vertical Limit
This mountain-climbing epic had sequences that were so realistic, you almost feel short of breath. Paxton plays a wealthy industrialist determined to climb K2, one of the world's most dangerous peaks, regardless the cost.
Advertisement
tmdb
Which Bill Paxton movie is in this screenshot?
Indian Summer
Think of this movie as a combination of "Meatballs" and "The Big Chill." A retiring camp director invites some of his most memorable former charges to the camp to announce his retirement. Pranks are played, and long-simmering feelings are aired and dealt with.
True Lies
Frank and Jesse
One False Move
youtube
Which Bill Paxton movie is in this screenshot?
The Dark Backward
Impulse
Another favorite '80s horror movie theme was shadowy government entities testing nefarious plots on the public. An earthquake ruptures a toxic dump in this one, and its homicidal effects on the townsfolk draw government involvement.
Commando
U-571
tmdb
Which Bill Paxton movie is in this screenshot?
Traveller
A crime drama that had a promising cast and good reviews, but ended up going straight to video, this one is worth a watch. Paxton takes top billing, opposite Julianna Margulies (post-ER) and a still-wet-behind-the-ears Mark Wahlberg.
Slipstream
Commando
The Terminator
Advertisement
youtube
Which Bill Paxton movie is in this screenshot?
Slipstream
"Slipstream" is an entertaining dystopian sci-fi flick from the late '80s that gave Mark Hamill a post-"Star Wars" paycheck. The conceit is unique: A global disturbance has spread the jet stream around the globe, making the surface all but unlivable due to constant high winds.
Million Dollar Arm
Edge of Tomorrow
Frank and Jesse
tmdb
Which Bill Paxton movie is in this screenshot?
The Evening Star
This sequel to "Terms of Endearment" had many of the same characters, especially Shirley MacLaine as Aurora Greenway, but none of the magic. Paxton plays a young man with ulterior motives who tries to spark a romance with Aurora.
Next of Kin
Slipstream
Pass the Ammo
tmdb
Which Bill Paxton movie is in this screenshot?
The Dark Backward
The Evening Star
One False Move
In a role that seems somewhat natural for him, Paxton plays a small-town sheriff in this thriller, which Gene Siskel loved. He ends up facing off against a trio of killers, one of whom is a local girl gone psychopathic.
Traveller
Advertisement
tmdb
Which Bill Paxton movie is in this screenshot?
Near Dark
Next of Kin
Boxing Helena
"Boxing Helena" was one of the weirder wide-release movies of the '90s. Julian Sands, whose British menace fueled the Warlock films, plays a sicko doctor who becomes obsessed with a woman, then decides that cutting off her limbs and keeping her in a box is a good idea.
Slipstream
tmdb
Which Bill Paxton movie is in this screenshot?
The Last of the Finest
When you've got Brian Dennehy and his epic snarl heading up the cast of a cop movie, you know it'll be worth watching. Dennehy leads a squad of cops (including Paxton) who learn of a plot between DEA agents and drug kingpins.
A Simple Plan
Mighty Joe Young
U-571
tmdb
Which Bill Paxton movie is in this screenshot?
Tombstone
Frank and Jesse
Bill plays Frank James, of the infamous James Gang, and Rob Lowe (entirely too pretty for the part) plays Jesse. They're joined by country star Randy Travis as Cole Younger, a role he seems to have been born to play.
Apollo 13
Once Upon A Time in the West
Advertisement
tmdb
Which Bill Paxton movie is in this screenshot?
The Vagrant
Trespass
Indian Summer
Future Shock
This anthology sci-fi/horror film was one of the first to make a plot point out of virtual reality, which at the time was a complete pipe dream. A psychiatrist using VR to try to fix his patients' brains lets loose dark forces (of course).
tmdb
Which Bill Paxton movie is in this screenshot?
The Vagrant
This is Paxton's own twisted take on "Poltergeist." He plays a yuppie who moves into a house haunted by a former squatter. Pieces of bodies start showing up in his fridge, and things just get stranger from there.
Near Dark
Slipstream
Next of Kin
tmdb
Which Bill Paxton movie is in this screenshot?
Ghosts of the Abyss
Resistance
Spy Kids 2: Island of Lost Dreams
Here we have the award for strangest Paxton character name: Dinky Winks. Of course, he's joined by Mike Judge as Donnagon Giggles, Cheech Marin as Felix Gumm and the unmistakable Danny Trejo as his alter ego, Machete.
Club Dread
Advertisement
tmdb
Which Bill Paxton movie is in this screenshot?
Indian Summer
Trespass
The Vagrant
Monolith
Bill's dealing with aliens again, but at least this time they don't have acid for blood. He and the venerable Louis Gossett Jr. play cops who stumble on an alien conspiracy.
tmdb
Which Bill Paxton movie is in this screenshot?
Impulse
Streets of Fire
This low-budget "Warriors" knockoff had a good young cast, but managed to swing and miss at just about every gang-film trope. Paxton plays Clyde the Bartender, obviously doing the film for the paycheck.
Pass the Ammo
Slipstream
tmdb
Which Bill Paxton movie is in this screenshot?
Tombstone
Mortuary
Paxton made a career of slasher flicks in the early '80s, and there was no shortage of them. In this one, he plays the demented son of an even more demented mortician who, shall we say, drums up his own business.
Indian Summer
Predator 2
Advertisement
tmdb
Which Bill Paxton movie is in this screenshot?
Trespass
Bill and fellow character actor legend William Sadler play two firefighters who decide to search an abandoned building for rumored treasure. They run afoul of Ice Cube and Ice-T, street gangsters who don't appreciate their presence. Note: This may be the only movie in history to have two men named "Ice" in the leads.
Near Dark
The Vagrant
Brain Dead
tmdb
Which Bill Paxton movie is in this screenshot?
Future Shock
Twister
The Dark Backward
This bizarre comedy stars Judd Nelson, at his '90s nadir, as a standup comic/garbageman whose best friend is an accordion-playing dimwit, played by Paxton. Add in Wayne Newton playing a talent agent and you've got one really weird soup.
Titanic
youtube
Which Bill Paxton movie is in this screenshot?
Commando
Aliens
The space Marines in this movie are much like you'd imagine they'd be. They're technically savvy, heavily armed and most of them seem more bent on their next shore leave than the mission at hand. But there's no one you'd rather have watching your back in a bad situation!
Predator 2
Edge of Tomorrow
Advertisement
You Got:
/45
TMDB