Tributes are pouring in for the late ‘Friends’ and ‘Frasier’ actor Paxton Whitehead.
Tributes are pouring in for the late ‘Friends’ and ‘Frasier’ actor Paxton Whitehead
The star passed away aged 85, his son confirmed on Tuesday (20.06.23), prompting a flood of well-wishes for his family and posts about Paxton’s acting talent.
English-born Paxton’s boy Charles confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter the sitcom regular died at a hospital in Arlington, Virginia.
Actress Dana Ivey, 81, was among those who posted tributes on social media, and said: “We first worked together in ‘My Fair Lady’ in 1964, and the last time was in ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’ in 2010 — friends for 59 years. I loved him so. Heartbroken.”
English actor Jim Piddock, 67, also paid tribute, saying on Twitter: "Heartbroken to hear my dear friend and mentor Paxton Whitehead has passed away. He was an extraordinary actor, a brilliant friend, and truly wonderful human being.
"He meant so much to so many people and always brought a smile to the faces of everyone he encountered."
British actor Jim Piddock tweeted: “Heartbroken to hear my dear friend and mentor Paxton Whitehead has passed away.
“He was an extraordinary actor, a brilliant friend and truly wonderful human being. He meant so much to so many people and always brought a smile to the faces of everyone he encountered.”
Paxton played Mr Waltham in ‘Friends’ – Jennifer Aniston’s character Rachel Green’s boss at Bloomingdale’s during season four of series.
He was also famed for his guest appearances on popular ’90s shows including ‘Frasier’, ‘Caroline in the City’, ‘Ellen’, ‘3rd Rock from the Sun’, ‘The Drew Carey Show’ and ‘Mad About You’.
He also starred in several Broadway productions and earned a Tony nomination for his performance as Pellinore in a 1980 revival of Lerner and Loewe’s ‘Camelot’ opposite Richard Burton.
Paxton racked up 16 more appearances on the New York stage between 1962 and 2018, including in ‘My Fair Lady’ and as Sherlock Holmes ‘The Crucifer of Blood’ in 1978 and 1979, which ran for 236 performances at the Helen Hayes Theatre.
Along with his son Charles, the star is survived by his daughter Alex.
In an interview in 2017, Paxton said he loved playing comedy the most, adding: “Everybody says they are difficult to do, but it depends. You either have a knack for it or you don’t.
“I think it is hard for some people. I found it not so difficult. I don’t know. I just seemed to respond to it.
“When I was younger, I would try very hard to get the vocal point right. If I felt the rhythm and sound of the character – if I got that right, and usually the difference is very subtle – then I think everything else seemed to follow, the movement and so on.”
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