Alexis Arquette

Alexis Arquette
Arquette attending VH1's Daisy of Love premiere party at My House, Hollywood, CA in April 2009.
Born	Robert Arquette (1969-07-28) July 28, 1969 Los Angeles
Other names	Eva Destruction
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1982–present
Parent(s)	Lewis Arquette (father)
Relatives	Patricia Arquette (sister) Rosanna Arquette (sister) Richmond Arquette (brother) David Arquette (brother) Cliff Arquette (grandfather)

Alexis Arquette (born July 28, 1969) is an American actress, musician, and cabaret performer.

Early life

Alexis Arquette was born Robert Arquette in Los Angeles, California and is a trans woman. Her mother was Brenda Olivia "Mardi" (née Nowak), an actress, poet, theater operator, activist, acting teacher, and therapist. Her father, Lewis Arquette, was an actor and director, and was a convert from Catholicism to Islam.^[1][2] Her paternal grandfather was comedian Cliff Arquette. Her mother was Jewish, from a family that immigrated from Poland and Russia.^[3] Arquette is distantly related to American explorer Meriwether Lewis.^[4][5] Her siblings are actors Rosanna, Patricia, Richmond, and David.

In 1982, at the age of twelve, Alexis Arquette's first acting gig was as "this little kid who's on a ride with all these women and whatnot" in the music video "She's a Beauty" by The Tubes.^[6] In 1986, Arquette debuted on the big screen in an uncredited role as Alexis, the androgynous friend and bandmate of sexually ambivalent teenager Max Whiteman (Evan Richards)^[7] in Bette Midler comedy Down and Out in Beverly Hills.^[8]

Twenty years later, she transitioned from male to female, an experience that was documented in the film, Alexis Arquette: She's My Brother, which debuted at the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival.^[9]

Career

At nineteen, Alexis Arquette landed her first sizable film role, playing transvestite Georgette in the screen adaptation of controversial novel Last Exit to Brooklyn. The majority of her film work has been in low-budget or independent films. Her starring roles include Jumpin' at the Boneyard (as a crack addict), acting opposite Tim Roth, and New Zealand-shot fantasy Jack Be Nimble, as a man seeking revenge for a hellish childhood, and low budget comedy Killer Drag Queens on Dope, as a murderous drag queen.

Alexis Arquette has appeared in I Think I Do, Children of the Corn V: Fields of Terror, and Sometimes They Come Back... Again, among more than 40 other independent movies.

Alexis Arquette has also had supporting roles in Pulp Fiction, Threesome, and horror movie Bride of Chucky. She played a Boy George fanatic in Adam Sandler hit The Wedding Singer, performing "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me?". In 2001, Arquette returned to New Zealand to play Roman emperor Caligula in two episodes of cult television show Xena: Warrior Princess. That same year, Arquette guest starred in the Friends episode "The One with Chandler's Dad" and cameoed in Son of the Beach.

In September 2005, VH1 announced Arquette as one of the celebrity house-guests on the sixth season of reality show The Surreal Life. On January 31, 2007, Alexis Arquette was a featured celebrity client and guest judge on the premiere episode of Bravo's reality show Top Design. Alexis Arquette also made a cameo appearance in Robbie Williams' "She's Madonna" video.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

• Alexis Arquette at the Internet Movie Database
• Alexis Arquette at AllMovie