Patricia Arquette was born in on April 8, 1968, Chicago, Illinois, to Lewis Arquette and Brenda Olivia “Mardi” as one of their five children. She is distantly related to the renowned explorer Meriwether Lewis from her father’s side.
She hails from a family of actors and performers associated with the entertainment industry. While her father was a director and actor, her mother was a writer, a performer, a therapist and an activist. All her siblings have worked in the entertainment business.
She was quite a rebel in her early teens. At twelve she was caught shoplifting and at one time she went bald.
During the early-70s she studied in the ‘Mid-City Alternative School’. She also attended the ‘Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies’ after the family relocated to Los Angeles in 1974.
She fled from her home when she was 15 and moved in with her older sister Rosanna who at that time was an upcoming actress. Eventually, she followed Rosanna’s footsteps to become an actress. She took acting training from Milton Katella’s, the famous drama coach.
In 1986, Patricia Arquette landed up with her first film ‘Pretty Smart’ where she played the character of Zero, a boarding school student.
In 1987, she played Kirsten Parker in the film ‘A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors’ and made her debut in television with the film ‘Daddy’ playing Stacy, a pregnant teenage girl.
Her portrayal of Alice Guthrie, a deaf epileptic girl in the 1991 released television movie ‘Wildflower’ earned her the ‘CableACE Award for Best Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie’.
She scaled up her career path in the 1990s with critically acclaimed films like ‘True Romance’ (1993), ‘Ethan Frome’ (1993), ‘Beyond Rangoon’ (1995), ‘Flirting with Disaster’ (1996) and Lost Highway (1997) among others. The films showcased her versatility in different genres including psychological thrillers, horror films, comedy and romance.
In 1996, her movie ‘Flirting with Disaster’, that garnered $14 million at the box office, was screened in the ‘Cannes Film Festival.
In 1999, Patricia Arquette returned to the genre she started with in the horror film ‘Stigmata’. Though not critically acclaimed, the film was a success worldwide and earned over $80 million. In the same year her film ‘Bringing out the Dead’ with her the then husband Nicolas Cage was highly acclaimed by critics.
Her career in films continued with ‘Little Nicky’ (2000), ‘Humane Nature’ (2001), ‘The Badge’ (2002), ‘A Single Woman’ (2008) and others. The films covered different genres including light-hearted comedy, drama, mystery and biographical films reflecting her wide range as a performer.
Her 2003 released film ‘Holes’ based on Louis Sachar’s novel charted at number two in the box office with an earnings of over $71 million.
Her performance in the NBC’s television drama series ‘Medium’ as Allison Dubois from 2005 to 2011 including 130 episodes has fetched her ‘Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series’.
She shot for Richard Linklater directed ‘Boyhood’ from 2002 and continued for the next twelve years until its release in 2014. Her portrayal of Olivia Evans, a single mother who faces several odds to bring up her children received widespread appreciation. She earned several awards in the category of Best Supporting Actress including ‘Oscar’, ‘BAFTA Award’, ‘Golden Globe Award’, ‘SAG Awards’ and ‘Critics’ Choice Movie Award’.
ACHIEVEMENTS AND AWARDS
In 2015, she won the ‘Academy Award ‘in the category of ‘Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role’ for her performance in ‘Boyhood’.
For around two decades she has been involved with different causes and charity work. She dedicated herself in raising awareness about breast cancer after her mother died of the disease in 1997.
In 1999, she participated in the annual ‘Race for Cure’. She was engaged in the ‘Lee National Denim Day’, a fundraiser event initiated by ‘Lee Jeans’ to aid breast cancer research and educational programs, as its spokesperson.
Following the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, she formed a non-profit organisation with her friend Rosetta Millington to aid different projects including housing construction and community development in the ravaged place. She joined the welding students of ‘Robert Morgan Educational Center’ in Miami and utilised old shipping containers to construct shelters in Haiti.
She did a television commercial for ‘PETA’ for the cause of destitute dogs and cats.
Source: thefamouspeople
