Alexis Arquette biography
Date of birth : 1969-07-28
Date of death : 2016-09-11
Birthplace : Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Nationality : American
Category : Arts and Entertainment
Last modified : 2022-07-28
Credited as : Trans woman, actor and musician, cabaret performer
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Alexis Arquette displayed a surprising acuity and maturity in his portrayal of the lovely, ironic young transvestite Georgette in "Last Exit to Brooklyn" (1989), his first major role in a feature. Growing up, Arquette lived in artists' colonies with his actor parents and siblings as well as in Los Angeles. As a young adolescent, he toured Europe as an actor and a dancer. Arquette was also impressive as Werner Hauser in the "American Playhouse" (PBS) production of "The Hollow Boy" (1991) and as Danny, Tim Roth's crack addicted brother, in "Jumpin' at the Boneyard" (1991). His other feature acting credits include "Of Mice and Men" (1992), "Grief" (1993) and "Pulp Fiction" (1994). Arquette delivered a sweet performance as a gay soap opera writer who reunites with college chums in the genial "I Think I Do" (1998) and continued to appear in a supporting roles in a steady slate of films, including "Bride of Chucky" (1998), "She's All That" (1999), "Spun" (2002) and "Wasabi Tuna" (2003), as well as high-camp appearances as the Roman Emperor Caligula on the syndicated series "Xena: Warrior Princess" in 2001.
Increasingly out and unabashed about his homosexuality, Arquette got big laughs as the androgynous Boy George-esque musician George opposite Adam Sandler in "The Wedding Singer" (1998) and soon went public as a flamoyant transvestite in his personal life, known for his outrageous outfits and inventive hairstyles. He soon found a steady slate of work playing transvestites, women or androgynous characters in such films as "The Movie Hero" (2003), "Killer Drag Queens On Dope" (2003) and "Lords of Dogtown" (2005), and on television in the Showtime series "Beggars and Choosers" as Larry/Lola in the 1999-2000 season, as well as on his sister-in-law Corteney Cox Arquette's series "Friends" and Howard Stern's "Son of the Beach."
Arquette was also an L.A. area underground cartoonist, his most famous strip being "Nico's Mobile Mole," about his friend, actress Nico Petrakis.
Arquette contracted HIV in 1987. In later life, Arquette suffered from ill health as a result of being HIV-positive. Amid these increasing complications, Alexis began presenting again as a man in 2013. Brother David Arquette said that Alexis was "gender suspicious", and alternately felt like a man or a woman at different times. Arquette was placed in a medically induced coma and died on September 11, 2016, surrounded by close family, at the age of 47.
