David Arquette (born September 8, 1971) is an American actor, film director, producer, screenwriter, fashion designer, and former professional wrestler. A member of the Arquette acting family, he first became known during the mid-1990s after starring in several Hollywood films, such as the Scream series, Wild Bill, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, See Spot Run and Eight Legged Freaks. He has since had several television roles, such as Jason Ventress on ABC's In Case of Emergency.
In addition to his acting career, Arquette took a brief foray into professional wrestling in early 2000, competing for World Championship Wrestling (WCW). During his tenure (primarily to promote his upcoming film Ready to Rumble), Arquette became a one-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion, an angle that has been cited as pivotal to the demise of WCW.
Arquette was born in a Subud commune in Bentonville, Virginia. He is the youngest child of Brenda Olivia "Mardi" (née Nowak), an actress, poet, theater operator, activist, acting teacher, and therapist, and Lewis Arquette, an actor. Arquette's paternal grandfather was comedian Cliff Arquette. Arquette's mother was Jewish (from a family that emigrated from Poland and Russia), while his father was a convert from Catholicism to Islam; through him, David is distantly related to explorer Meriwether Lewis. His father, whose family's surname was originally "Arcouet", was of part French-Canadian descent. Arquette's four siblings, Rosanna, Alexis, Richmond, and Patricia are all actors. The Arquettes had an unusual upbringing, with a father who occasionally had substance abuse issues. Their mother died of breast cancer.