Paula Maxine Patton (born December 5, 1975) is an American actress. Patton made her feature film debut in the 2005 comedy Hitch, and had starring roles in the films Déjà Vu (2006), Precious (2009), Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (2011), 2 Guns (2013), and Warcraft (2016).
Patton was born in Los Angeles, California, to Joyce (née Vanraden), a school teacher, and Charles Patton, a lawyer. Her mother is white and her father is African-American. She graduated from Alexander Hamilton High School, and then started college at University of California, Berkeley, transferring to University of Southern California's Film School after her first year. Shortly after completing her studies, she won a three-month assignment making documentaries for PBS.
Patton provided additional vocals for Usher on his 2004 album Confessions. She provided the female vocal counterpart on the song "Can U Handle It?" which was co-written by Robin Thicke, whom she would later marry. Patton has song-writing credits on multiple Robin Thicke albums under the name "Max", derived from her middle name (Maxine). Patton made her film debut with a small part in the 2005 romantic comedy film Hitch, alongside Will Smith and Eva Mendes. In the same year, she followed that with a small part in the drama film London. In 2006, she appeared alongside OutKast members Andre Benjamin and Big Boi in the musical film Idlewild written and directed by Bryan Barber.