Patricia Arquette

Express Yourself · December 11, 2006

Patricia Arquette

With her expressive blue eyes; soft, Southern-tinged voice; and an acting range that can be carry her from hysterically funny to terrifying in seconds, Patricia Arquette is one of the most underrated, talented actresses of her generation. Though she's been working for years, she's always stayed just under the radar of true stardom, despite a 1995 marriage to Academy Award-winning actor Nicolas Cage.

Patricia was born on April 8, 1968, in Chicago, though the family soon moved to a commune near Arlington, Virginia. Her parents, Lewis and Mardi, had 4 other children: Rosanna (9 years older), Richmond (5 years older), Alexis (1 year younger), and David (3 years younger). At 15, Patricia ran away from home to live with Rosanna and, after initial insecurity, got her start in showbiz at 18 in 1986's Pretty Smart.

A year later, she gained attention for her starring role in A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors, often considered the best film of the Nightmare series. In 1989, Patricia's son Enzo (father is Paul Rossi) was born. Soon after, her career took off, and she has since appeared in such critically acclaimed movies as True Romance, Beyond Rangoon, Ethan Frome, Lost Highway, and Flirting with Disaster. She won a CableACE award in 1991 for her portrayal of a deaf epileptic in Wildflower. In 1997, after her mother died of breast cancer, Patricia took the lead in the fight against the disease. She's run in the annual Race for the Cure and in 1999 was the Lee National Denim Day spokesperson.