Paxton was born and raised in Fort Worth , Texas , the son of Mary Lou ( '' née '' Gray ) and John Lane Paxton . His father was a businessman , lumber wholesaler , museum executive and , later , during his son 's career , an occasional actor , most notably appearing in Sam Raimi 's '' Spider-Man '' films . Paxton 's great-great-grandfather was Elisha Franklin Paxton , a brigadier general in the Confederate States Army during the Civil War , who was killed commanding the legendary Stonewall Brigade at the Battle of Chancellorsville . Bill 's mother was Roman Catholic and he and his siblings were raised in her faith . Paxton was in the crowd when President John F. Kennedy emerged from the Hotel Texas in Fort Worth , Texas on the morning of his assassination on November 22 , 1963 . Photographs of an eight-year-old Paxton being lifted above the crowd are on display at the Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza in Dallas . He later co-produced the film '' Parkland '' , about the assassination . Paxton is distantly related to actress Sara Paxton
his assassination
Assassination of John F. Kennedy
Bill Paxton