Biography for
Robert Patrick (I) More at IMDbPro »

Date of Birth

5 November 1958, Marietta, Georgia, USA

Birth Name

Robert Hammond Patrick Jr.

Height

5' 11" (1.80 m)

Mini Biography

Robert Hammond Patrick Jr. was born on November 5, 1958 in Marietta, Georgia, and raised in Columbus, Ohio, the eldest of 5 children. He attended the Bowling Green State University in Ohio, but dropped out after he took a drama course and became interested in acting. After leaving college, he took a job as a house painter and continued as such until a boating accident in Lake Erie in 1984. He swam for three hours in order to save the others still stranded on the accident site, while he nearly drowned in his attempt. After the accident, he moved from Ohio to Los Angeles, California. He worked in a bar to supplement his income and even lived in his own car.

Patrick starred in various direct-to-video television movies, and had a short appearance in Die Hard 2 (1990). His breakthrough role came as T-1000 in James Cameron's blockbuster Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991). After that, he landed roles in various feature films such as Last Action Hero (1993), Fire in the Sky (1993), and Striptease (1996). His performance in "Fire in the Sky" caught the attention of Chris Carter, creator of the television series "The X-Files" (1993). After David Duchovny distanced himself from the series during its seventh season, Patrick was cast as FBI Agent John Doggett.

Patrick lives with his wife, Barbara, whom he married during the filming of "Terminator 2: Judgement Day", and their two children.

IMDb Mini Biography By: Kad

Spouse

Barbara Patrick

(24 November 1990 - present) 2 children

Trade Mark

Frequently plays corrupt, homicidal or unfriendly characters due to his intense presence and cold blue eyes.

Frequently plays characters who are involved in law enforcement or the military. Among his roles, he has played nine different "Colonels" and four different "sergeants", as well as one major general.

Gravelly voice with southern accent

Often cast by Robert Rodriguez

Trivia

He reprised his Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) character, the T-1000, for the theme park attraction T2-3D, a short film filmed in a new 3-D process that makes the film really appear to jump out at you.

He appeared in Meat Loaf's "Objects In The Rear View Mirror May Appear Closer Than They Are" music video.

Older brother of Richard Patrick, lead singer of Filter and former guitarist for Nine Inch Nails.

Two children, daughter Austin, son Samuel.

Has played the same character (T-1000) in three different movies. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991), Wayne's World (1992) and Last Action Hero (1993).

Son of Robert and Nadine Patrick.

Brother of Richard, Cheri, Karen and Lewis Patrick.

He has the distinction of being the only actor killed on screen by all three of the Planet Hollywood founders: Bruce Willis (in Die Hard 2 (1990)), Sylvester Stallone (in Cop Land (1997)), and most famously by Arnold Schwarzenegger (in Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)).

The appearance of character Dale Gribble from the animated series "King of the Hill" (1997) is based on Patrick.

Has played the fathers of both Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash: Vernon Presley in Elvis (2005) (TV) and Ray Cash in Walk the Line (2005).

In the mid to late 1980s lived in the same Los Angeles complex with such neighbors such as Jim Carrey (Bruce Almighty (2003)), Ernie Hudson (Ghostbusters (1984)) and Cynthia Ettinger ("Deadwood" (2004), The Silence of the Lambs (1991)).

During his first 10 years in the film business in which Patrick was a struggling actor in "B" movies, his pay was so meager that he had to supplement it by bartending at night.

Enjoys riding motorcycles.

Immediately after being cast in Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991), he took a martial-arts crash course, then began exhaustive strength, endurance, and weapons-training sessions. "For three months," he says, "all I did was sleep, eat, take vitamins, and train.".

Has appeared in two movies with Joaquin Phoenix: Walk the Line (2005) and Ladder 49 (2004).

Majored in accounting while attending Bowling Green State University.

Lives in Los Angeles, California.

Brother-in-law of Tina Johnson.

Personal Quotes

You can't think about how people will perceive you or your character. All you can do is focus on your work. The rest is up to the universe.

I've been acting for 16 years. I've done 55 movies and, in all seriousness, there's maybe five that are good and the rest are crap.

My intention was just to be a good adversary for Arnold to match. To match and be superior in character that you would believe that I could get the upper hand on him or else the whole movie wouldn't work. I obviously had a great deal of faith in Jim Cameron and Stan Winston and everyone involved, so that was where my commitment was, to really pull this off. I didn't want to let him down or let anybody down but I had hoped it would be this memorable, I had an inclination it would, but I don't think I realized what an impact it would have, and how it would change my life. - [about his preparations when he was cast as the evil Terminator]

Everyday I had to show up and convince myself that I literally was this guy (T-1000) and that's not easy to do. There are many distractions. I really consider the whole T2 experience sort of like a boot camp, military type of an experience that I endured and sort of graduated from if that makes any sense to you. - [about 'Wushu' the martial art training he studied for preparing the role T-1000]

"He's (T-1000) one of the ones that I'm the most proud of, but I can't say that he's my favorite. But he's one of my close top favorites. I've done some roles since that I'm really proud of. I was proud of what I did in Cop Land (1997). I really liked what I did in Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991); there have just been a lot of characters since that I've done that I've really enjoyed. I REALLY enjoyed John Doggett. He was definitely a role that I very much enjoyed. He might be my favorite. Yeah, Doggett might be my favorite, actually. But I really liked the character I played in Cop Land (1997), a little movie I did called The Only Thrill (1997) with Sam Shepard, Diane Keaton and Diane Lane, and another movie, a very obscure little independent movie called A Texas Funeral (1999) with 'Martin Sheen'" - [on his favorite character].

I am enjoying playing humans a little bit more now.

I'm the kind of actor that talks to myself in a weird way to find whoever it is I'm looking for.

"I am this guy. This is the closest to the real me than I've ever seen. I grew up with these kinds of guys" - On his role in Fire in the Sky (1993).

I wouldn't trade my film school - which is basically Roger Corman - for anything. That's how I got my experience in front of the camera.

I love acting, period. If I'm going to get hired as a psycho, by God I'll take the job.

I think every experience you have working with people you admire and respect really enriches you as an artist.

If acting hadn't worked out? I never really gave that a lot of thought. Acting HAD to work out. I never gave myself another option. I had no choice.

I think 90% of acting is makeup and wardrobe. The other 10% is what I do here in my office, bouncing off the walls.

"Acting is the only thing I have to offer so a day doesn't go by when I don't stop and appreciate this." - On Success.

I looked to animal and insect imagery to develop the lack of substance and wasted motion that my Terminator has. I tried to tap into the killer instinct inherent in animals, where they are locked onto a target and will walk through anything that gets between them and their intended target.

[The T-1000] is what broke me out big to the world, and I kind of carry it with me everywhere I go, for good or bad.