Celebrities
Alexis Arquette dead at 47: A look back at her TV career
Transgender actress and performer Alexis Arquette died Sunday morning (Sept. 11) at the age of 47. She was born Robert Arquette and began acting when she was 12. In 2007, she documented her gender transition in the documentary, “Alexis Arquette: She’s My Brother.”
As part of the famous Arquette family — which includes siblings Patricia, Rosanna and David — Alexis was known for her performances in movies like “The Wedding Singer” and “Bride of Chucky,” but she worked on a number of TV shows as well.
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One of her earliest roles was that of John Barrymore in the “Alien Nation” series. In 1995, she appeared in the “December Bride” episode of “Roseanne.”
After moving back to film for a bit, Arquette returned to the small-screen in 1999 for the Showtime series, “Beggers and Choosers.” She played Jack in the show, which gave a behind-the-scenes look at the work life at a television network. That same year, she played the recurring role of Cleo on the short-lived Las Vegas-themed cop drama, “The Strip.”
Sticking with television entertainment, Arquette added to her resume roles on both “Felicity” and “Xena: Warrior Princess,” where she had a multiple episode story arc as Caligula.
Alexis played two different characters on “Friends.” Her final TV role was on “Californication” in 2008 where she played “Lady in Jail.”
According to her brother Richmond, Arquette passed away peacefully in the early morning hours.
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“Our brother Robert, who became our brother Alexis, who became our sister Alexis, who became our brother Alexis, passed this morning September 11, at 12:32 am,” Richmond shared on Facebook. “He was surrounded by all of his brothers and sisters, one of his nieces and several other loved ones. We were playing music for him and he passed during David Bowie’s Starman. As per his wishes, we cheered at the moment that he transitioned to another dimension.”
