ACTOR · BORN 1959
Rosanna Arquette
- Born
- 10 August 1959, New York City, New York, USA
- Known for
- Buffalo '66 (1998), Le grand bleu (1988), Pulp Fiction (1994), Desperately Seeking Susan (1985)
17 archived facts 3 topics 1 source Last reviewed Nov 2026
Rosanna Arquette (born 10 August 1959) is an actor best known for Buffalo '66, Le grand bleu and Pulp Fiction.
17 Interesting Facts About Rosanna Arquette
Interesting Facts (4)
- #001
Peter Gabriel's unforgettable 1986 song "In Your Eyes" was written about Rosanna Arquette. Arquette, who was with Gabriel between 1988 and 1992, was immortalized in music history as the inspiration for this romantic song. The song also gained great popularity, particularly through its use in the 1989 film "Say Anything."
- #002
- #003
Early in her career, Rosanna Arquette was considered for many major roles. She was among those considered for the role of Sarah Connor in James Cameron's cult science fiction film "The Terminator" (1984), but the role ultimately went to Linda Hamilton. She was also mentioned for the character of rape victim Sarah Tobias in Jonathan Kaplan's "The Accused" (1988), but Jodie Foster took that role and won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance. She also auditioned for the role of Emmeline Lestrange in "The Blue Lagoon" (1980), but the part was given to Brooke Shields. These experiences show that her talent was recognized early on.
- #004
Rosanna Arquette was among those considered for the role of rape survivor Sarah Tobias in Jonathan Kaplan's "The Accused" (1988). The difficult and powerful role ultimately went to Jodie Foster, who won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance. That Arquette was considered for the part was an indication that she could succeed in serious dramatic roles as well.
Career & Awards (4)
- #005
The song "Rosanna" on Toto's 1982 album Toto IV was written about Rosanna Arquette, then the girlfriend of the band's keyboardist Steve Porcaro, and it etched her name into music history. The song reached the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 and won three awards at the 1982 Grammys: Record of the Year, Best Pop Vocal Performance, and Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s). This success was an important milestone that cemented Arquette's place in popular culture.
- #006
Rosanna is the only one of the Arquette siblings never to appear in a major horror film series. Her siblings Richmond, Alexis, David and Patricia each appeared at least once in important works of the genre such as "A Nightmare on Elm Street," "Children of the Corn," "Child's Play" and "Scream." Rosanna instead focused her career mainly on drama and comedy, carving out a path of her own.
- #007
Arquette appeared in two films selected for the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant." The first is the 1985 comedy-drama "Desperately Seeking Susan"; the other is Quentin Tarantino's 1994 "Pulp Fiction," which left its mark on cinema history. These two productions are proof that she took part in projects notable both commercially and artistically.
- #008
In October 2017, Arquette was among more than 80 women who made sexual misconduct allegations against powerful Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, and her courageous stance helped strengthen the #MeToo movement. The scandal, which ended Weinstein's career, led to widespread awareness of sexual harassment and abuse in the industry.
Life & Family (9)
- #009
The Arquette family surname was spelled Arcouet until a few generations ago. Her father Lewis Arquette's lineage included French-Canadian, English, Swiss-German, German, Scottish, Irish and Welsh roots. On her mother's side, her grandfather Yusseff "Joseph" Nowack came from a Jewish family that emigrated from the town of Bila Tserkva in Ukraine, then within the borders of the Russian Empire, while her grandmother Claire Hibel was born in New York to Russian Jewish parents. This rich ethnic heritage played an important role in shaping Arquette's identity.
- #010
In the 2000 film "The Whole Nine Yards," Rosanna Arquette played a married couple with Matthew Perry. Perry appeared on the television series "Friends" (1994) as Chandler Bing, the husband of Monica, played by Courteney Cox. In an interesting coincidence, Courteney Cox was married to Rosanna's brother David Arquette; thus Arquette shared a husband on screen with her sister-in-law. This connection is a striking example of how intertwined family relationships are in Hollywood.
- #011
Rosanna Arquette's family ties expanded further through marriages to famous names. Her sister Patricia Arquette was married to actor Nicolas Cage, making Rosanna Cage's sister-in-law. Patricia's later husband Thomas Jane and her brother David's wife Courteney Cox were also among her former in-laws. These relationships helped make the Arquette family one of Hollywood's most established families.
- #012
Rosanna Arquette is the sister-in-law of Christina McLarty Arquette, the second wife of her brother David Arquette. David and Christina's marriage strengthened the family bonds further and added another member to Rosanna's family circle. Such family ties lay bare the tightly knit structure of the Arquette family.
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Related pages
- Footloose — Rosanna Arquette comes up in the facts on that page
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Sources & editorial notes
Reference databases
- Wikipedia
- IMDb
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