Алексис Аркетт: жизнь и творчество актрисы и транс-активистки.

American actress (1969–2016)

Alexis Arquette (born Robert 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 to Lewis Arquette, an actor and director, and Brenda Olivia "Mardi" (née Nowak), an actress. Coming from a family deeply entrenched in the entertainment industry, Alexis was the sibling of actors Rosanna, Richmond, Patricia, and David Arquette. Her career began in her youth, appearing aged 12 in the music video "She's a Beauty" by The Tubes and making her screen debut in Down and Out in Beverly Hills (1986). Known for her versatility, Arquette often performed as a female impersonator under the name "Eva Destruction", before publicly sharing her transition process towards gender affirming surgery. Her filmography includes a range of roles, from a trans sex worker in "Last Exit to Brooklyn" to appearances in mainstream hits like Pulp Fiction, Threesome, and The Wedding Singer. Arquette's personal life was marked by her vocal support for the transgender community and candidness about her own transition journey, which was documented in the film Alexis Arquette: She's My Brother. Despite facing health challenges, including contracting HIV in 1987 and later health complications, Arquette continued to be an active figure in entertainment and advocacy, until her death in 2016 aged 47.

Arquette was born in Los Angeles, the fourth of five children of Lewis Arquette, an actor and director, and Brenda Olivia "Mardi" (née Nowak), a Jewish actress, poet, theater operator, activist, acting teacher, and therapist. Lewis's family's surname was originally "Arcouet"; Lewis's father was comedian Cliff Arquette, who went by the stage name of Charley Weaver. Arquette was distantly related to American explorer Meriwether Lewis. In 1986, Arquette 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. Arquette, in the earlier years of her career, primarily performed as a female impersonator, frequently under the name "Eva Destruction". Later in her career, Arquette made public that she had begun the process leading to sex reassignment surgery. To this end, Arquette had publicly declared that she considered her gender to be female. At 19, Arquette played trans sex worker Georgette in the screen adaptation of Last Exit to Brooklyn. The majority of Arquette's film work was in low budget or independent films. In total, Arquette starred in more than 40 movies, including I Think I Do, Children of the Corn V: Fields of Terror, and Sometimes They Come Back Again. Arquette also starred as a crack addict opposite Tim Roth in Jumpin' at the Boneyard, as a teenage boy seeking revenge for a horrible childhood in the New Zealand shot horror fantasy Jack Be Nimble, and as a murderous drag queen in the low budget comedy Killer Drag Queens on Dope. Arquette also had supporting roles in Pulp Fiction, Threesome and Bride of Chucky, and she played a Boy George fanatic, George Stitzer, in the Adam Sandler–Drew Barrymore film The Wedding Singer, singing "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me" over and over. Her role as Georgina, a Boy George impersonator, in another Sandler–Barrymore film, Blended, was a reference to that role. In 2001, Arquette returned to New Zealand to play Roman emperor Caligula in two episodes of Xena: Warrior Princess. That same year, Arquette guest starred in the Friends episode "The One with Chandler's Dad", in which she directly interacted with her sister in law, Courteney Cox. Also in the same year, she cameoed in Son of the Beach. In September 2005, VH1 announced Arquette as one of the celebrity house guests on the 6th season of The Surreal Life. On January 31, 2007, Arquette was a featured celebrity client and guest judge on the première episode of Bravo's reality show Top Design. Arquette also made a cameo appearance in the music video for Robbie Williams' song "She's Madonna".

In 2004, Arquette expressed an interest in undergoing gender transitioning medical treatment. She decided against undergoing hormone therapy and kept her choice of whether she underwent gender affirming surgery private from the media by the time she completed 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. 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. Arquette was placed in a medically induced coma and died on September 11, 2016, surrounded by close family, at the age of 47. Arquette was serenaded with David Bowie's "Starman". The official cause of death was cardiac arrest caused by myocarditis stemming from HIV.

Year Title Role Notes1989Alien NationJohn BarrymoreEpisode: "Contact"1991American PlayhouseWerner HauserEpisode: "The Hollow Boy"1994Lies of the Heart: The Story of Laurie KelloggDenver McDowellTV film1995Dead WeekendMcHackerTV film1995RoseanneEpisode: "December Bride"1999CleoEpisodes: "Games Without Frontiers", "Send Me an Angel", "Even Better Than the Real Thing"1999–2000Beggars and ChoosersLarry / LolaTV series2000FelicityJimEpisode: "Docuventary II"2000FriendsThe CustomerEpisode: "The One with Rachel's Sister"2001FriendsWaiter in DragEpisode: "The One with Chandler's Dad"2001Xena: Warrior PrincessCaligulaEpisodes: "The God You Know", "You Are There"2001Son of the BeachBeverlyEpisode: "B. J. Blue Hawaii"2005WantedPaulaEpisode: "Lips Are Lips"2008CalifornicationLady in JailEpisode: "The Great Ashby"

Year Award Category Nominated work Result 1994 Fangoria Chainsaw Awards Best Actor Jack Be Nimble 1997 L. A. Outfest Outstanding Actor in a Feature Film Never Met Picasso