Bill Henrickson
Encyclopedia
William Orville "Bill" Henrickson is the fictional protagonist
husband in a polygamous
family in the HBO series Big Love
, portrayed by Bill Paxton
. He is married to three wives, Barbara Henrickson, Nicolette Grant and Margene Heffman
. He has fathered eight children with these three women.
principles including polygamy. His grandfather, Orville Henrickson, was considered the prophet
of this sect. His accountant was Roman Grant
and they went out on a trip where Orville died under mysterious circumstances likely at the hands of Roman
, who survived the crash. Roman Grant
seized the power and the role of prophet shortly after Orville's death.
Bill spent most of his childhood in this community with his brother Joey and late sister Margaret, but at fourteen was thrown out of the compound by his father on instructions from Roman, who found Bill too much like his grandfather, and a potential threat to Grant's power. While attending college he met his first wife Barbara, who was a devout Mormon
. Upon marrying her, he abandoned the principles of fundamentalist Mormonism and polygamy, and became a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Soon after third child Tancy's birth, however, Barbara Henrickson was diagnosed with uterine cancer
, from which she was expected to die. During her illness, Bill met Nicolette Grant, the daughter of the Juniper Creek prophet Roman Grant, and brought her to his home. Nicolette helped to comfort Barbara while she was sick and care for her children, and it was decided that when Barbara died Nicolette was to marry Bill and raise their children. Barbara, however, recovered from her illness, and instead of abandoning Nicolette, Bill decided to return to the principle of polygamy and take her as his second wife. Nicki is mother to two of Bill's children, Raymond and Wayne.
Meanwhile, Bill's hardware
business Henrickson's Home Plus was expanding. One employee of his store was Margene Heffman. Margene did not excel at doing her job, so Bill took her into his household as a babysitter. Soon, Bill fell in love with Margene, and took her as his third wife. Margene later gave birth to two sons, Aaron and Lester, and a daughter, Nell.
After marrying Margene, Bill moved his family to a set of three adjacent houses, connected by a common back yard, in Sandy, Utah
, a suburb of Salt Lake City, and opened a second Henrickson Home Plus at a new location. Since moving, Bill has seen a number of problems, the main one being demands for a percentage of his income from Roman Grant. In addition, he has had to deal with the problems of impotence and Nicolette's credit card debt
, but has continued to love and protect his family.
In 2007 he and his business partner Don Embry decided to invest in slot machines, though this led to a problem with another FLDS family, the Greenes. Both Roman and the head of the Greenes, Hollis Greene, fear that Bill is the next prophet. Bill arranges with the FBI to turn states evidence against the Greenes and go undercover for them as the Greenes are wanted for murder and extortion in Utah and in Mexico.
Bill's relationship with his three wives is complex. He would consider having an affair with another woman adulterous, but he did have a flirtation with a possible fourth wife. Bill claims he is completely in love with all three wives, and that he was moved by the Holy Spirit to choose them. Barb is head wife - the only legal marriage - and the one he can acknowledge in public. Marge and Nicki must say to others that they are single. Bill seems to argue the most with Nicki, who causes problems such as accidentally exposing their polygamy on several occasions, her credit card debt, and her jealous nature. However, he appreciates Nicki's unflinching devotion to the Principle. Bill's affections for Marge are in league with his affections for head wife Barb: she being the youngest and barely out of her teens, she has the largest sexual appetite (it is implied that Bill's sex life with his other two wives have dwindled considerably), she has the most child-bearing years left, and she causes the least trouble of all his wives (it's implied that she would cause more if she had a better understanding of the conflicts that surround the household, such as the atrocities between the compounds). In the show's season finale of 2007 Barb tells him that she "outed" them to the neighbors as polygamous because Margie wanted to be a surrogate mother and Barb would not go along with that. Bill tells Barb that as his first wife he needs her the most and offers her membership on the board of the gaming company.
Ana gives her answer to the family's proposal. She marries then divorces the family shortly after. Bill gets entangled with a collector who is trying to get a hold of a historical document Alby is selling.
In the season finale, Bill forms a new church following their exile from Juniper Creek and Barb's excommunication.
In the 6th episode, it was revealed that Ana is pregnant and that she is also engaged.
He finds out that his son Ben has romantic feeling for Marge and bans Ben from the house.
Protagonist
A protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...
husband in a polygamous
Polygamy
Polygamy is a marriage which includes more than two partners...
family in the HBO series Big Love
Big Love
Big Love is an American television drama that aired on HBO between March 2006 and March 2011. The show is about a fictional fundamentalist Mormon family in Utah that practices polygamy...
, portrayed by Bill Paxton
Bill Paxton
William "Bill" Paxton is an American actor and film director. He gained popularity after starring roles in the films Apollo 13, Twister, Aliens, True Lies, and Titanic...
. He is married to three wives, Barbara Henrickson, Nicolette Grant and Margene Heffman
Margene Heffman
Margene "Margie" Heffman is a character on Big Love, the fictional HBO television series set among contemporary polygamists in Utah. The role is played by Ginnifer Goodwin...
. He has fathered eight children with these three women.
Biography
Bill was born to Frank Harlow and Lois Henrickson at the Juniper Creek compound, a fictitious community that practices fundamentalist MormonPolygamous Mormon fundamentalist
Mormon fundamentalism is a belief in the validity of selected fundamental aspects of Mormonism as taught and practiced in the nineteenth century, particularly during the administration of Brigham Young, an early president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...
principles including polygamy. His grandfather, Orville Henrickson, was considered the prophet
Prophet
In religion, a prophet, from the Greek word προφήτης profitis meaning "foreteller", is an individual who is claimed to have been contacted by the supernatural or the divine, and serves as an intermediary with humanity, delivering this newfound knowledge from the supernatural entity to other people...
of this sect. His accountant was Roman Grant
Roman Grant
Roman Grant is a fictional character in the HBO series, Big Love, and is portrayed by Harry Dean Stanton. He was the prophet of the Juniper Creek Compound, and is the father of Nicolette Grant and Alby Grant. The character is loosely based on the real life polygamist leader Rulon...
and they went out on a trip where Orville died under mysterious circumstances likely at the hands of Roman
Roman Grant
Roman Grant is a fictional character in the HBO series, Big Love, and is portrayed by Harry Dean Stanton. He was the prophet of the Juniper Creek Compound, and is the father of Nicolette Grant and Alby Grant. The character is loosely based on the real life polygamist leader Rulon...
, who survived the crash. Roman Grant
Roman Grant
Roman Grant is a fictional character in the HBO series, Big Love, and is portrayed by Harry Dean Stanton. He was the prophet of the Juniper Creek Compound, and is the father of Nicolette Grant and Alby Grant. The character is loosely based on the real life polygamist leader Rulon...
seized the power and the role of prophet shortly after Orville's death.
Bill spent most of his childhood in this community with his brother Joey and late sister Margaret, but at fourteen was thrown out of the compound by his father on instructions from Roman, who found Bill too much like his grandfather, and a potential threat to Grant's power. While attending college he met his first wife Barbara, who was a devout Mormon
Mormon
The term Mormon most commonly denotes an adherent, practitioner, follower, or constituent of Mormonism, which is the largest branch of the Latter Day Saint movement in restorationist Christianity...
. Upon marrying her, he abandoned the principles of fundamentalist Mormonism and polygamy, and became a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Soon after third child Tancy's birth, however, Barbara Henrickson was diagnosed with uterine cancer
Uterine cancer
The term uterine cancer may refer to any of several different types of cancer which occur in the uterus, namely:*Uterine sarcomas: sarcomas of the myometrium, or muscular layer of the uterus, are most commonly leiomyosarcomas.*Endometrial cancer:...
, from which she was expected to die. During her illness, Bill met Nicolette Grant, the daughter of the Juniper Creek prophet Roman Grant, and brought her to his home. Nicolette helped to comfort Barbara while she was sick and care for her children, and it was decided that when Barbara died Nicolette was to marry Bill and raise their children. Barbara, however, recovered from her illness, and instead of abandoning Nicolette, Bill decided to return to the principle of polygamy and take her as his second wife. Nicki is mother to two of Bill's children, Raymond and Wayne.
Meanwhile, Bill's hardware
Hardware store
Hardware stores, sometimes known as DIY stores, sell household hardware including: fasteners, hand tools, power tools, keys, locks, hinges, chains, plumbing supplies, electrical supplies, cleaning products, housewares, tools, utensils, paint, and lawn and garden products directly to consumers for...
business Henrickson's Home Plus was expanding. One employee of his store was Margene Heffman. Margene did not excel at doing her job, so Bill took her into his household as a babysitter. Soon, Bill fell in love with Margene, and took her as his third wife. Margene later gave birth to two sons, Aaron and Lester, and a daughter, Nell.
After marrying Margene, Bill moved his family to a set of three adjacent houses, connected by a common back yard, in Sandy, Utah
Sandy, Utah
Sandy is a city in Salt Lake County, Utah, United States. It is a suburb of Salt Lake City. The population was 87,461 at the 2010 census, making it the sixth-largest city in Utah....
, a suburb of Salt Lake City, and opened a second Henrickson Home Plus at a new location. Since moving, Bill has seen a number of problems, the main one being demands for a percentage of his income from Roman Grant. In addition, he has had to deal with the problems of impotence and Nicolette's credit card debt
Credit card debt
Credit card debt is an example of unsecured consumer debt, accessed through credit cards.Debt results when a client of a credit card company purchases an item or service through the card system...
, but has continued to love and protect his family.
In 2007 he and his business partner Don Embry decided to invest in slot machines, though this led to a problem with another FLDS family, the Greenes. Both Roman and the head of the Greenes, Hollis Greene, fear that Bill is the next prophet. Bill arranges with the FBI to turn states evidence against the Greenes and go undercover for them as the Greenes are wanted for murder and extortion in Utah and in Mexico.
Bill's relationship with his three wives is complex. He would consider having an affair with another woman adulterous, but he did have a flirtation with a possible fourth wife. Bill claims he is completely in love with all three wives, and that he was moved by the Holy Spirit to choose them. Barb is head wife - the only legal marriage - and the one he can acknowledge in public. Marge and Nicki must say to others that they are single. Bill seems to argue the most with Nicki, who causes problems such as accidentally exposing their polygamy on several occasions, her credit card debt, and her jealous nature. However, he appreciates Nicki's unflinching devotion to the Principle. Bill's affections for Marge are in league with his affections for head wife Barb: she being the youngest and barely out of her teens, she has the largest sexual appetite (it is implied that Bill's sex life with his other two wives have dwindled considerably), she has the most child-bearing years left, and she causes the least trouble of all his wives (it's implied that she would cause more if she had a better understanding of the conflicts that surround the household, such as the atrocities between the compounds). In the show's season finale of 2007 Barb tells him that she "outed" them to the neighbors as polygamous because Margie wanted to be a surrogate mother and Barb would not go along with that. Bill tells Barb that as his first wife he needs her the most and offers her membership on the board of the gaming company.
Season 3
Bill tries to attract partners for his casino business plan. The family continues to date Ana and tries to decide when and who should give birth to the next child. Bill gets an answer about the casino. Both Bill and Adaleen try to further their agenda with Rhonda. Lois is on the run and comes to Bill for help. Bill makes a proposition to Alby. The tension between Bill and Nicki reaches a head when Bill asks for the two to be unsealed.Ana gives her answer to the family's proposal. She marries then divorces the family shortly after. Bill gets entangled with a collector who is trying to get a hold of a historical document Alby is selling.
In the season finale, Bill forms a new church following their exile from Juniper Creek and Barb's excommunication.
Season 4
With the grand opening of the Blackfoot Magic Casino only days away, the Henricksons make last-minute preparations under the skeptical eye of Tommy Flute, son of Billʼs partner Jerry.In the 6th episode, it was revealed that Ana is pregnant and that she is also engaged.
He finds out that his son Ben has romantic feeling for Marge and bans Ben from the house.
Season 5
It is revealed that Margene, his third wife, was 16 when they got married; she had lied that her age was 18. Barb, his first wife, struggles with her place within the newly formed church and demands a priesthood holder position that Bill cannot offer. Nikki, his second wife, struggles with learning about an affair between her daughter Cara Lyn and her much older math teacher. Bill was shot in the series finale by his neighbor Carl after a dispute. In the dying scene, Bill asks Barb to give him a blessing signifying his acceptance of her priesthood and respective place in the family. Nikki and Cara Lyn have a conversation that solidifies their relationship, while Margene fulfills her dream to travel to Central America and volunteer. Bill's 'ghost' is last seen sitting at the head of his dining room table watching his three wives.See also
- Mormon fundamentalism
- Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day SaintsFundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day SaintsThe Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is one of the largest Mormon fundamentalist denominations and one of the largest organizations in the United States whose members practice polygamy. The FLDS Church emerged in the early twentieth century when its founding members left...
- Warren JeffsWarren JeffsWarren Steed Jeffs was the president of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints . In 2011, Jeffs was convicted of two felony counts of child sexual assault....
- Lost Boys of PolygamyLost Boys of Polygamy"Lost boys" are young men who have been excommunicated or pressured to leave polygynous groups such as the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints . They are allegedly pressured to leave by adult men to reduce competition for wives within such sects, usually when they are...