It's the birthday of Bill Paxton, born this day in 1955. His fame stems from his career as an actor in several blockbuster films, including The Terminator, Aliens, and Twister. But very few people know that
He also wrote two important books.
The Hidden Adventures of Sherlock Holmes II explores
a story with Sherlock Holmes on the island of Malta with hidden treasure. Unfortunately this gem is out of print.
The second book, a work of non-fiction, is a biography of an obscure but important
boxer from Pittsburgh, PA named Harry Greb. Harry was a lightweight and middle
weight champion who fought between 1913 and 1926 and assembled a spectacular record. Greb died after an
operation for a minor injury, a fate that ironically would also claim the life of his biographer, Bill
Paxton, who went under the knife in 2017 to repair a heart valve and died shortly afterwards.
Paxton's film career as an actor is well known, but my favorite movie of his is a lesser known crime caper that shows his acting chops in a way that few other performances can.
In 1998 he appeared in the film,
A Simple Plan. which exposed the fates of three ordinary folks who stumble across a plane filled with millions of stolen dollars. By the end of the film, everyone involved on the theft has been killed. Bill Paxton's character and his wife survive, but are forever changed by the crime.
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