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Alexis Arquette ( ; July 28, 1969 – September 11, 2016) was an American actress and transgender activist. Born in Los Angeles, she was the fourth of five children of actor and director Lewis Arquette and Brenda Olivia "Mardi" (née Nowak), an actress. Her siblings include actors Rosanna, Richmond, Patricia, and David Arquette.
Arquette began her career at age 12, appearing in the music video "She's a Beauty" by The Tubes (1982), and made her screen debut in Down and Out in Beverly Hills (1986). In the earlier part of her career she frequently performed as a female impersonator under the name "Eva Destruction". She later publicly shared her transition process toward gender-affirming surgery. Her filmography spans more than 40 films, ranging from leading roles in independent productions such as Jumpin' at the Boneyard (1992), Things I Never Told You (1996), and I Think I Do (1997), to supporting parts in mainstream releases including Threesome, Pulp Fiction (both 1994), The Wedding Singer, Bride of Chucky (both 1998), She's All That (1999), and Blended (2014).
A vocal advocate for the transgender community, Arquette's transition was documented in the film Alexis Arquette: She's My Brother (2007). She contracted HIV in 1987 and continued working in film and television until 2014. She died on September 11, 2016, at the age of 47.
Early life
Arquette was born on July 28, 1969, in Los Angeles, California, and Brenda Olivia "Mardi" (née Nowak), a Jewish actress, poet, theater operator, activist, acting teacher, and therapist. Lewis's family surname was originally "Arcouet"; his father was comedian Cliff Arquette, who performed under the stage name Charley Weaver. Arquette was distantly related to American explorer Meriwether Lewis. In 1986, she made her big-screen debut in an uncredited role as Alexis, the androgynous friend and bandmate of sexually ambivalent teenager Max Whiteman (Evan Richards) in Down and Out in Beverly Hills.
In the earlier years of her career, Arquette primarily performed as a female impersonator, frequently under the name "Eva Destruction". At 19, she played trans sex worker Georgette in the screen adaptation of Last Exit to Brooklyn (1989).
Film career
The majority of Arquette's film work was in low-budget or independent films. In total, she starred in more than 40 movies. Notable roles include a crack addict opposite Tim Roth in Jumpin' at the Boneyard (1992), a teenage boy seeking revenge for a traumatic childhood in the New Zealand-shot horror fantasy Jack Be Nimble (1993), and a murderous drag queen in the low-budget comedy Killer Drag Queens on Dope (2003). Her other film credits include Children of the Corn V: Fields of Terror and Sometimes They Come Back... Again (both 1996) and I Think I Do (1997).
Arquette had supporting roles in Pulp Fiction, Threesome (both 1994), and Bride of Chucky (1998). She played Boy George fanatic George Stitzer in the Adam Sandler–Drew Barrymore comedy The Wedding Singer (1998), singing "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me" repeatedly throughout. A later role as Georgina, a Boy George impersonator, in the Sandler–Barrymore film Blended (2014) served as a callback to that earlier character.
Television
In 2001, Arquette returned to New Zealand to portray Roman emperor Caligula in two episodes of Xena: Warrior Princess. That same year she guest starred in the Friends episode "The One with Chandler's Dad", in which she appeared alongside her sister-in-law Courteney Cox, and made a cameo in Son of the Beach.
In September 2005, VH1 announced Arquette as one of the celebrity house guests on the sixth season of The Surreal Life. On January 31, 2007, she appeared as a featured celebrity client and guest judge on the premiere episode of Bravo's reality series Top Design.
Other work
Arquette made a cameo appearance in the music video for Robbie Williams' song "She's Madonna". She later publicly announced that she had begun the process leading to sex reassignment surgery.
Personal life
Gender identity and transition
In 2004, Arquette expressed an interest in undergoing gender-transitioning medical treatment. She decided against hormone therapy and kept private whether she ultimately underwent gender-affirming surgery, completing her transition in 2006. Her experience was documented in the film Alexis Arquette: She's My Brother, which debuted at the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival. Arquette was a vocal supporter of other transgender people, including Chaz Bono, who transitioned shortly after Arquette.
Health
Arquette contracted HIV in 1987. In later life she suffered from ill health as a result of being HIV-positive.
Death
Arquette was placed in a medically induced coma and died on September 11, 2016, at 12:32 AM, surrounded by close family, at the age of 47. She was serenaded with David Bowie's "Starman". The official cause of death was cardiac arrest caused by myocarditis stemming from HIV.
Filmography
Film
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
|1986
|Down and Out in Beverly Hills
|Alexis
|Uncredited
|-
|1989
|Last Exit to Brooklyn
|Georgette
|
|-
| rowspan="3" |1990
|High Score
|Yago / Freddie
|
|-
|Terminal Bliss
|Craig Murphy
|
|-
|'
|Milan
|
|-
| rowspan="4" |1992
|Jumpin' at the Boneyard
|Dan
|
|-
|Buffy the Vampire Slayer
|Vampire DJ
|
|-
|Of Mice and Men
|Whitt
|
|-
|Miracle Beach
|Lars
|
|-
| rowspan="3" |1993
|Ghost Brigade
|Cpl. Dawson
|
|-
|Grief
|Bill
|
|-
|Jack Be Nimble
|Jack
|
|-
| rowspan="3" |1994
|Threesome
|Dick
|
|-
|Pulp Fiction
|Fourth Man
|
|-
|Don't Do It
|David
|
|-
| rowspan="5" |1995
|Frisk
|Punk (victim #3)
|
|-
|White Man's Burden
|Panhandler
|
|-
|Paradise Framed
|
|
|-
|Frank & Jesse
|Charlie Ford
|
|-
|Days of the Pentecost
|Mechanic
|
|-
| rowspan="5" |1996
|Things I Never Told You
|Paul
|
|-
|Sometimes They Come Back... Again
|Tony Reno
|Video
|-
|Never Met Picasso
|Andrew Magnus
|
|-
|Scream, Teen, Scream
|Lisa Marie
|Short film
|-
|Wigstock: The Movie
|Herself
|
|-
| rowspan="5" |1997
|Inside Out
|Adam
|Short film
|-
|Goodbye America
|Paul Bladon
|
|-
|I Think I Do
|Bob
|
|-
|Close To
|Deaf Mute
|Short film
|-
|Kiss & Tell
|Amerod Burkowitz
|
|-
| rowspan="7" |1998
|'
|George Stitzer
|
|-
|Cleopatra's Second Husband
|Alex
|
|-
|Love Kills
|James
|
|-
|Children of the Corn V: Fields of Terror
|Greg
|Video
|-
|Bride of Chucky
|Damien
|
|-
|Fool's Gold
|Mark
|
|-
|The Thin Pink Line
|Mr. Ed
|
|-
| rowspan="3" |1999
|She's All That
|Mitch
|
|-
|Out in Fifty
|Kim
|
|-
|Clubland
|Steven
|
|-
| rowspan="3" |2000
|Piccadilly Pickups
|Henri de la Plus Ooh Arrgh
|
|-
|'
|Willy
|
|-
|Boys Life 3
|Adam
|(segment "Inside Out")
|-
| rowspan="3" |2001
|Perfect Lover
|Onix
|
|-
|Audit
|Richard
|Short film
|-
|Tomorrow by Midnight
|Sidney
|
|-
| rowspan="2" |2002
|The Trip
|Michael
|
|-
|Spun
|Moustache Cop
|
|-
| rowspan="3" |2003
|Killer Drag Queens on Dope
|Ginger
|Credited as Eva Destruction
|-
|'
|Strange, Yet Attractive Woman
|
|-
|Wasabi Tuna
|Champagne Anna
|
|-
|2005
|Lords of Dogtown
|Tranny<!-- Yes, that's the actual character name. -->
|
|-
|2006
|Husky 2: Together Again
|Gloria Robinson
|
|-
| rowspan="2" |2010
|Hard Breakers
|Ms. Independence
|
|-
|Here & Now
|Ramona
|
|-
|2011
|Getting Back to Zero
|Judy
|
|-
|2013
|Tranzloco
|Alexis
|
|-
| rowspan="2" |2014
|Blended
|Georgina
|
|-
|Playing the Straight Man
|Alexis
|Short film
|}
Television
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
|1989
|Alien Nation
|John Barrymore
|Episode: "Contact"
|-
|1991
|American Playhouse
|Werner Hauser
|Episode: "The Hollow Boy"
|-
|1994
|Lies of the Heart: The Story of Laurie Kellogg
|Denver McDowell
|TV film
|-
| rowspan="2" |1995
|Dead Weekend
|McHacker
|TV film
|-
|Roseanne
|
|Episode: "December Bride"
|-
|1999
|'
|Cleo
|Episodes: "Games Without Frontiers", "Send Me an Angel", "Even Better Than the Real Thing"
|-
|1999–2000
|Beggars and Choosers
|Larry / Lola
|TV series
|-
| rowspan="2" |2000
|Felicity
|Jim
|Episode: "Docuventary II"
|-
|Friends
|The Customer
|Episode: "The One with Rachel's Sister"
|-
| rowspan="3" |2001
|Friends
|Waiter in Drag
|Episode: "The One with Chandler's Dad"
|-
|Xena: Warrior Princess
|Caligula
|Episodes: "The God You Know", "You Are There"
|-
|Son of the Beach
|Beverly
|Episode: "B.J. Blue Hawaii"
|-
|2005
|Wanted
|Paula
|Episode: "Lips Are Lips"
|-
|2008
|Californication
|Lady in Jail
|Episode: "The Great Ashby"
|}
Awards and nominations
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Award
! Category
! Nominated work
! Result
|-
| 1994
| Fangoria Chainsaw Awards
| Best Actor
|
|
|-
| 1997
| L.A. Outfest
| Outstanding Actor in a Feature Film
|
|
|}