Alexis Arquette was a popular transgender actress before her death. She was a powerful activist for the LGBT community and was also known for her notable film roles before and after her transition. Arquette has played the character “Damien” in Bride of Chucky and other horror films. The life and death of the popular actress remains one of the most talked about happenings in Hollywood. Here’s everything you need to know about Alexis Arquette.
Alexis Arquette – Early Childhood
She was born a biological male with the name Robert Arquette in Los Angeles, California. Acting and showbiz must have been a matter of heredity for the actress whose parents were household names in the industry. His father, Lewis Arquette was both an actor and a director. His mother, Brenda Olivia, was a poet, theater operator, and theater instructor.
It wasn’t just her parents, Alexis became part of the Arquette acting dynasty, which included her older sister Rosanna, an actress, her other siblings Patricia, David and Richmond, who followed their parents’ line and became also seen assigned roles in popular films.
Growing up, Alexis was always inclined and drawn to the feminine side of life, choosing to spend time with girls over boys. She was also inclined towards the performing arts, taking part in small plays. Her first television appearance was in 1982 as a character in the music video She’s a Beauty by the Tubes. She then made her big screen debut in 1986’s Down and Out in Beverly Hills. She previously acted as a female impersonator as Eva Destruction
Arquette soon announced his intentions to undergo sex reassignment surgery in order to change his sex from male to female. This was followed by an announcement that she had started the process. Her next popular movie was Last Exit in Brooklyn (1990), where she played “Georgette,” a trans sex worker. Alexis has appeared in several independent films. She was most popular for Wedding Singer (1998), Pulp Fiction, and Trio (1994) , where she played a gay college student.
She has starred in over 40 films, many of them low budget. Arquette also had a notable role in the movie Jumpin’ to the Boneyard. Additionally, she starred in the comedy, Killer Drag Queens on Dope
In the early 2000s, Arquette starred in The Movie Hero, Lords of Dogtown, and many other films. In 2005, she appeared as a celebrity on the reality show La vie surréaliste, the sixth season. In 2007, Alexis Arquette: She’s My Brother, a documentary that shows the first steps of her gender reassignment surgery was released and also starred Arquette. She also appeared as a guest judge at the premiere of Bravo’s reality show, Top Design
How she died? Cause of death
Arquette started living with HIV in 1987 when she contracted the disease. While living with the disease, she suffered from different forms of health problems, but that did not stop her from wanting to change her sex to male. She maintained this decision until 2004, when she brought it to the attention of the public.
After declaring her intentions, Arquette completed her transition in 2006 when she was in her thirties. After her transition, she became an activist and strong supporter of transgender people.
In his later years, Arquette suffered a lot of complications resulting from his HIV positive status. At one point she began to identify as male and later as female, at one point admitting that she was suspicious. Alexis died on September 11, 2016 after being placed in a medically induced coma. Reports after her death confirmed that she died of cardiac arrest resulting from her HIV status.
Alexis was surrounded by her family the very day she died. With David Bowie’s “Starman” in the background, the family of the deceased paid their last respects to their beloved. Shortly after his death, his siblings took to different platforms to announce his passing, drawing tons of tributes from fans and friends.
To this day, Arquette’s family still salutes her courage and activism for transgender people when she was alive.