Over the weekend, Bill Paxton unexpectedly passed away after suffering from complications during surgery. He was 61 years old and his career spanned over 40 years, which included several iconic turns in film and television. How many actors can say that they’ve gone up against a Terminator, Aliens, and a Predator? Bill Paxton was the first to pull off that hat trick, and today’s Nerdist News is a special tribute to one of our favorite performers.

Join senior editor Dan Casey as we look back at Paxton’s incredible legacy, including the way that he encouraged director James Cameron to make The Terminator. It’s true: Paxton and Cameron had a friendship that went back several decades, and he was practically a good luck charm in several of Cameron’s biggest films. Would True Lies have been the same without Paxton’s hilarious fake secret agent? Would the modern day parts of Titanic have worked without Paxton’s driven treasure hunter, Brock Lovett? Paxton even joined Cameron on a real expedition to the sunken vessel, that’s how serious they were.

Paxton had several other memorable films as well, including Weird Science, Apollo 13, and Twister; a movie that led real storm chasers to create their own unique nod to Paxton. On television, Paxton’s legacy was also very impressive, with a starring turn in HBO’s Big Love, and the Hatfields & McCoys miniseries. Paxton even got to enter the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the first season of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. as renegade operative, John Garrett; who is still one of the best villains to have appeared in the MCU.

What’s your favorite Bill Paxton film or TV series? Share your memories with us in the comment section below.