Lewis Arquette

Lewis Arquette
Arquette in 1999
Born
Lewis Michael Arquette

(1935-12-14)December 14, 1935
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
DiedFebruary 10, 2001(2001-02-10) (aged 65)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
OccupationActor
Years active1958–2001
Spouse
Brenda Olivia "Mardi" Nowak
​
​
(m. 1963; died 1997)​
Children5, including Rosanna, Patricia, Alexis, and David Arquette
Parent

Lewis Michael Arquette (December 14, 1935 – February 10, 2001) was an American actor. He was best known for playing J. D. Pickett on the television series The Waltons, on which he worked from 1978 to 1981.

Life and career

Arquette was born in Chicago, Illinois, the son of Mildred Nesbitt Le May and actor Cliff Arquette.[1] He was related to explorer Meriwether Lewis, for whom he was named.[2] His family's surname was originally "Arcouet", coming from his partial French-Canadian ancestry.[3] His children are actors Patricia, Alexis, Rosanna, David, and Richmond Arquette. He is the former father-in-law of actress Courteney Cox, film composer James Newton Howard, and actors Thomas Jane and Nicolas Cage. Arquette frequently appeared in movies with his sons.

While living in Chicago, Arquette managed The Second City theater for several years.[4] In 1970, the family moved to a Subud[5] commune (described by Patricia as a "hippie commune") in Front Royal, Virginia. His wife, Brenda Olivia "Mardi" (née Nowak), died in 1997 from breast cancer. She was Jewish and the daughter of a Holocaust refugee from Poland, while Lewis Arquette, raised a Catholic,[6] was a convert to Islam.[7][8][9][10]

Arquette died in Los Angeles, California on February 10, 2001, at the age of 65, due to congestive heart failure.[11]

Filmography

Actor

Theme Park Attractions

  • The Great Texas Longhorn Revue (1982-1988, Six Flags AstroWorld, Animatronic Show) .... Slick Silver
  • The St. Louis River Revue (1987, SS Admiral, Animatronic Show) .... Louie Wails

Writer

  • The Lorenzo and Henrietta Music Show (1976) TV Series (writer)

Producer

  • The Lorenzo and Henrietta Music Show (1976) TV Series (executive producer)

Himself

References

  1. ^ "Lewis Arquette Film Reference biography". Filmreference.com. Retrieved December 9, 2016.
  2. ^ "Lewis Arquette Obituary in Los Angeles Times". Articles.latimes.com. February 13, 2001. Retrieved December 9, 2016.
  3. ^ Finding Your Roots, February 9, 2016, PBS
  4. ^ "Item T0991:0001 – 0002 – Lewis Arquette interview". bcarchives.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca. Retrieved June 12, 2020.
  5. ^ Smith, Dinitia (August 20, 1995). "None of That Sultry Innocence For a Change". The New York Times.
  6. ^ "'Medium' Cool | the Jewish Exponent". www.jewishexponent.com. Archived from the original on June 1, 2012. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  7. ^ Pfefferman, Naomi (October 17, 2002). "Arquette Reconnects". The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles. Retrieved June 22, 2018.
  8. ^ "Patricia Arquette – Cranky Critic® StarTalk – Movie Star Interviews". January 7, 2001. Archived from the original on January 7, 2001.
  9. ^ USA WEEKEND Magazine Archived June 29, 2012, at archive.today
  10. ^ Hoggard, Liz (August 18, 2006). "Patricia Arquette: The not-so-dippy hippie". The Independent. Archived from the original on June 14, 2022. Retrieved June 22, 2018.
  11. ^ The Associated Press (February 14, 2001). "Lewis Arquette, 65, Actor in Family of Performers". NY Times. The New York Times Company. Retrieved January 12, 2020.

External links