"I just didn't want to look perfect. I didn't want to have to change myself to be attractive. I didn't think that was my responsibility."
—Arquette on her refusal to get braces as a child for her crooked teeth.[1]
Patricia Arquette was born on April 8 1968,[2] in Chicago, Illinois, toLewis Arquette, an actor and puppeteer, and Brenda Olivia "Mardi" (née Nowak), who was involved in the arts and worked as atherapist.[3][4] Through her father, Patricia is distantly related to explorerMeriwether Lewis.[5][6][7] Arquette's father had converted from Catholicism toIslam.[5][8][9] Arquette's mother wasJewish, and her ancestors emigrated from Poland and Russia.[10][7][11][12][13][14][15]Her father's family's surname was originally "Arcouet", and his paternal line was of French-Canadian descent.[16] Her paternal grandfather was comedianCliff Arquette. Patricia's siblings also became actors:Rosanna, Richmond,Alexis, andDavid. When she was a child, her parents offered to get herbraces for her teeth, but she refused, claiming she didn't want to look perfect[17] and "it didn't feel like it would fit who I was inside."[18]
For a time her family lived on acommune in ruralBentonville, Virginia. She has said they became poorer the longer they lived there and she believes that experience enlarged her empathy.[16] Her father was an alcoholic; her mother was violently abusive.[19] When Arquette was seven, the family relocated to Chicago. They later settled in Los Angeles, California.[19] Arquette attended Catholic school, and has said that when she was a teenager, she had wanted to be a nun.[20]At the age of 14, Arquette ran away from home after learning her father was having an affair—she settled with her sister, Rosanna Arquette, in Los Angeles.[21] She has described her father as a working actor for industrial films, commercials and voiceovers – he was best known for his role as J.D. Pickett in the TV seriesThe Waltons.[16] Before pursuing a career in acting, Arquette had wanted to be amidwife.[22][20]She put this career prospect aside briefly in an attempt to gain acting jobs and gained success in the industry.
They asked me to come back for 4 but at that time I was starting to break into kind of meatier roles. I had just done a movie of the week about teen pregnancy calledDaddy and I was really liking getting deeper with my work. I love the horror genre and the Freddy franchise but I was chomping at the bit to try other things as an actor.
In her early career, Arquette received the most recognition for her role as Alabama Whitman, a free-spirited, kind-hearted prostitute inTony Scott'sTrue Romance (1993). The film was a moderate box office success but became a cultural landmark because ofQuentin Tarantino's screenplay, which precededPulp Fiction, although some critics were deterred by the graphic violence. In one scene, Arquette puts up a fierce physical struggle in a fight withJames Gandolfini (as a viciously sadistic killer) which her character ultimately wins. Arquette's performance received unanimous praise from critics.Janet Maslin ofThe New York Times remarked that Arquette played her role with "surprising sweetness", whilePeter Travers remarked that "Arquette delivers sensationally".[25][26]
Arquette next appeared in the television filmBetrayed by Love (1994), and the well-received biopicEd Wood, directed byTim Burton and starringJohnny Depp, where she portrayed his girlfriend. Her next role was as Laura Bowman inJohn Boorman'sBeyond Rangoon (1995), which drew mixed critical reviews, but was a success internationally. In France, it was the official selection at the1995 Cannes Film Festival, where it became one of the most popular hits of the event.[27] Although the film had lackluster reviews, Arquette's performance as an American tourist in Burma during the8888 Uprising was regarded as one of the work's strong points. Michael Sragow, writing forThe New Yorker, stated "Arquette gives the kind of mighty physical performance usually delivered by men in existential action classics like 'The Wages of Fear', but she suffuses it with something all her own – she's bulletproof yet vulnerable."[28] Hal Hinson ofThe Washington Post remarked that the film was "odd, brilliant in places, but frustrating all the same," commenting that "Arquette shows real grit when the chips are down".[29]
Arquette appeared in three films in 1996, the first the comedy filmFlirting with Disaster (1996), about a young man's cross-country pursuit to find his parents. Critical reception was largely positive, withTodd McCarthy ofVariety praising the film and the authenticity of Arquette's performance, highlighting that "Arquette [is] very believably distracted and infuriated".[30]Flirting with Disaster grossed $14 million at the American box office and was screened in theUn Certain Regard section at the1996 Cannes Film Festival.[31] Her second film released that year was the period dramaThe Secret Agent, an adaptation ofJoseph Conrad's 1907 novel of the same name. The film received average reviews.[32]Infinity was her third film that year, a biographical drama about the early life of American physicistRichard Feynman. The film received mixed to positive reviews.[33] Although Emmanuel Levy ofVariety said that Arquette was "miscast", he stated that she "registers more credibly in the first part of the film, when she plays anadolescent".[34]
1997–2003: Independent film work and critical success
In 1997, Arquette starred inDavid Lynch's neo-noir psychological thrillerLost Highway, in dual roles as Renee Madison and Alice Wakefield. The film had an ambiguous narrative, which polarized audiences and drew varying critical opinion, but it established a strong cult following. Arquette played an elusivefemme fatale in a critically revered performance that enabled her to draw on her sexuality more than any other previous role.Roger Ebert, of theChicago Sun-Times, disliked the film, saying there was "no sense to be made of it" and voiced his distaste over a scene in which Arquette's character is asked to disrobe at gunpoint.[35] Other critics were more favourable: Andy Klein of theDallas Observer called it a "two-hour plusfever dream",[36] Michael Sragow ofThe New Yorker called the film a "compelling erotic nightmare",[37] and Edward Guthman of theSan Francisco Gate wrote a glowing review praising Arquette's performance, calling it the "strongest, most memorable performance [of the film]" and favourably comparing her double role toKim Novak's inVertigo (1958).[38] That same year, Arquette appeared inNightwatch, a horror-thriller film directed byOle Bornedal. The film is a remake theDanish filmNattevagten (1994), which was also directed by Bornedal.Nightwatch was not a box office success and received poor reviews by critics, many of whom considered it an unnecessary, inferior retelling of the original film.[39][40]
Arquette at theheart disease awareness fashion show "The Heart Truth", 2009
In 1998, Arquette performed in two films:Goodbye Lover, a comedic neo-noir directed byRoland Joffé andThe Hi-Lo Country, a period Western directed byStephen Frears. The former received a poor critical reception while the latter received a more appreciative albeit modest response.The Hi-Lo Country was widely cited as a "classic Western" in the press.[41]Stephen Holden ofThe New York Times said, "In its best moments the movie feels like an epic hybrid ofRed River andThe Last Picture Show."[42] In 1999, Arquette returned to familiar territory with the genre that began her career, inStigmata, a horror film, in the lead role. Produced on a budget of $29 million, the film was a box office success, grossing $50,046,268. Internationally the film earned $39,400,000 for a total worldwide gross $89,446,268.[43] Critics were not as receptive of the film as audiences, with Roger Ebert remarking "possibly the funniest movie ever made about Catholicism – from a theological point of view".[44] Arquette then appeared inMartin Scorsese'sBringing out the Dead, based on the novel byJoe Connelly.[45][46] The film united her with then-husbandNicolas Cage and received highly favourable critical reviews, but was a box office flop. Janet Maslin ofThe New York Times wrote that "Arquette's quietly credible performance helps center Frank's experiences; one of the film's most honest scenes is one in which they share an ambulance ride without sharing a word".[47]
Her next role was in the light-hearted comedyLittle Nicky (2000), alongsideAdam Sandler. Despite being a box office hit, the film received negative reviews, although Roger Ebert called it Sandler's best film to date.[48] Following this, she starred in French-American comedy dramaHuman Nature (2001), written byCharlie Kaufman and directed byMichel Gondry. The film was met with mixed reviews and was screened out of competition at the2001 Cannes Film Festival.[49] Roger Ebert, in a three-star (out of a possible four) review, lauded the film's "screwball charm".[50] The following year, she appeared in the small-scale mystery filmThe Badge, playing the widow of a murderedtranssexual woman. In 2003, she portrayed the controversial pornographic film starLinda Lovelace in the little knownDeeper than Deep, which was followed with the more family orientatedDisney producedHoles, as Kissin' Kate Barlow. Based on the 1998novel of the same title byLouis Sachar,Holes grossed $16,300,155 in its opening weekend, making #2 at the box office, behindAnger Management's second weekend.[51]Holes would go on to gross a domestic total of $67,406,173 and an additional $4 million in international revenue, totaling $71,406,573 at the box office against a $20 million budget, making the film a moderate financial success. Arquette's next film,Tiptoes, was released straight-to-DVD in the United States, despite a screening at theSundance Film Festival.[52]
After the humdrum reception ofTiptoes, Arquette did not appear in another film until 2006'sFast Food Nation, directed byRichard Linklater. During these three years, she was largely working onBoyhood; it was released eight years later in July 2014.Fast Food Nation marked her second collaboration with Linklater; it is based on the bestselling 2001 non-fictionbook of the same name byEric Schlosser.
Arquette in March 2011
In January 2005, Arquette made her first transition to television with NBC'sMedium. Her role as (a fictional version of)psychic mediumAllison DuBois won her anEmmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in 2005, as well as nominations for aGolden Globe in 2005, 2006 and 2007, aSAG Award in 2006, 2007 and 2010, and anEmmy Award in 2007. In 2009 NBC cancelledMedium, then CBS picked the series up and it lasted another two seasons.[53] In 2008, she provided voice work forA Single Woman, which was panned.[54] She did not appear in another film until 2012.Girl in Progress, a drama directed byPatricia Riggen, marked her return; it was met with negative reviews.[55] In 2013, she returned to television, appearing onBoardwalk Empire as Sally Wheet. Also in 2013, Arquette filmed the true crime dramaElectric Slide.
In 2014,Boyhood was released, a project that Arquette and other actors had shot for 12 years beginning in 2002. The film was directed by Richard Linklater, marking his second collaboration with Arquette. In the film, she plays Olivia Evans, a single mother who raises her two children mostly alone with the sometimes assistance of their father (played byEthan Hawke). Theepic explores a 12-year scope. The film details the progression of her character's son, Mason, from ages eight to 18. The film has received universal praise, with many critics calling it a "landmark film".[56][57][58][59][60] Arquette received widespread acclaim for her performance. Critic Katie McDonahugh, writing forSalon, states "the role gave [Arquette] space to be all of these messy things at once, and her performance was a raw, gutsy meditation on those profoundly human contradictions".[61]Margaret Pomeranz, writing forABC Australia, called Arquette's performance "stunning" and praised the film, further remarking that "the elision from one time to another is subtle and seamless. It's just a fabulous movie experience".[62] Arquette won theAcademy Award,BAFTA,Critics' Choice,Golden Globe,Independent Spirit, andSAG Award for Best Supporting Actress.
In early 2015, Arquette began starring in the CBS seriesCSI: Cyber, a show about FBI agents who combat Internet-based crimes.[63] On May 12, 2016, CBS canceled the series after two seasons, thus ending theCSI franchise.[64]
At age 20, Arquette had a relationship with Paul Rossi, a musician. They had a son together, born on January 3, 1989.[25][68] In April 1995, Arquette marriedNicolas Cage (with whom she later co-starred inBringing Out the Dead in 1999). They separated after nine months, but acted as a couple in public until Cage filed for divorce in February 2000.[69]
Arquette and actorThomas Jane became engaged in 2002. Their daughter was born on February 20, 2003. Arquette and Jane married on June 25, 2006, at the Palazzo Contarini inVenice, Italy.[70] In January 2009, Arquette filed for divorce from Jane on the grounds ofirreconcilable differences,[71] but the couple soon reconciled. Arquette withdrew the divorce petition on July 9, 2009.[72] On August 13, 2010, Jane's representative announced that Arquette and Jane had decided to proceed with a divorce due to "irreconcilable differences". The divorce was finalized on July 1, 2011, and the two agreed tojoint custody of their child.[73]
Arquette was in a relationship with painterEric White since at least 2014.[74][75] In January 2025, Arquette said that she had been single for almost two years.[76]
After the Haiti earthquake in 2010, Arquette and childhood friend Rosetta Millington-Getty formed GiveLove,[77] a non-profit organization supportingecological sanitation and composting, community development projects and housing construction in Haiti.[78]
In 1997, after her mother died ofbreast cancer, Arquette worked to raise awareness about the disease. She has run in the annualRace for the Cure. In 1999 she was the spokesperson forLee National Denim Day, which raises millions of dollars for breast cancer research and education.[79]
In April 2010, she teamed up with welding students of the Robert Morgan Educational Center inMiami,Florida, to build shelters in Haiti from 20 usedshipping containers, to provide housing to people displaced by the earthquake.[80]
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