David James Arquette ( ar-KET; born September 8, 1971) is an American actor, producer, and retired professional wrestler. He began his acting career with a main role as Keith "Two-Bit" Matthews on the Fox drama television series The Outsiders (1990), and he made his film debut with a supporting role in Where the Day Takes You (1992). Arquette continued acting in television during the early-to-mid 1990s, with main roles as Tod Hawks on the NBC sitcom Parenthood (1990–1991) and Hunter on the CBS sitcom Double Rush (1995), and had starring roles in the films Wild Bill (1995) and Johns (1996).
Arquette's breakout came with his starring role as Dewey Riley in the slasher film Scream (1996), a role which he later reprised in five sequels from 1997 to 2022, as well as in 2026. Following Scream, he starred in the films Dream with the Fishes (1997), Ravenous (1999), and Never Been Kissed (1999). In the 2000s, Arquette starred in the films Ready to Rumble (2000), 3000 Miles to Graceland (2001), See Spot Run (2001), Eight Legged Freaks (2002), Never Die Alone (2004), The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3-D (2005), and Hamlet 2 (2008). He made his directorial debut with The Tripper (2006), and had a main role as Jason Ventress on the ABC sitcom In Case of Emergency (2007).
In the 2010s, Arquette starred in the films Just Before I Go (2014), which he also produced, and Bone Tomahawk (2015), and portrayed Keith Jesperson in the Lifetime television film Happy Face Killer (2014). In the 2020s, Arquette starred in the films Spree (2020), 12 Hour Shift (2020), The Good Half (2023), and The Unholy Trinity (2024), and was the subject of the documentary film You Cannot Kill David Arquette (2020).
As a professional wrestler, Arquette is best known for his panned 2000 stint in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) where he won the WCW World Heavyweight Championship, headlining the Slamboree pay-per-view event. Arquette has also appeared in WWE and on the independent wrestling circuit, where his reception has been positive.
Arquette was born in a Subud commune in Bentonville, Virginia. He is the youngest child of Brenda "Mardi" Olivia (née Nowak), an actress, burlesque dancer, poet, theater operator, activist, acting teacher, and therapist, and Lewis Arquette, a puppeteer and actor. Arquette's paternal grandfather was comedian Cliff Arquette. Arquette's mother was Jewish (from a family that emigrated from Poland) while his father was a convert from Catholicism to Islam; through him, Arquette is distantly related to explorer Meriwether Lewis. His father, whose family's surname was originally Arcouet, was partly of French-Canadian descent. Arquette's four siblings, Rosanna, Richmond, Patricia, and Alexis, all became actors as well. Arquette's father occasionally had issues with substance abuse and his mother died of breast cancer.
Arquette appeared in a number of films in the 1990s, including Where the Day Takes You (1992, his film debut), Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992), Airheads (1994), Wild Bill (1995), Johns (1996), Dream with the Fishes (1997), Ravenous (1999), and Never Been Kissed (1999). His early television appearances include Keith Matthews on the Fox drama television series The Outsiders (1990), Tod Hawks on the NBC sitcom Parenthood (1990–1991) and Hunter on the CBS sitcom Double Rush (1995). He also had guest spots on television shows like Blossom (1992), Beverly Hills, 90210 (1992) and Friends (1996).
Arquette achieved his biggest success in the horror/slasher film franchise Scream. It was during the filming of the first film in 1996 that he first met his future wife, Courteney Cox. The couple married in 1999; together, they appeared in a 2003 advertisement for Coke and formed the production company Coquette (both a portmanteau of their last names and a word meaning a flirty woman), which has produced a number of films and television series, including Daisy Does America, Dirt and Cougar Town. Arquette guest starred alongside Cox on Cougar Town in 2012.
Arquette appeared in the Sega video game ESPN NFL 2K5, voicing himself as a "celebrity adversary" and manager of his own team, the Los Angeles Locos, as well as appearing as an unlockable character in Season Mode. He also appeared in the 2001 EA video game SSX Tricky, as the voice of lead character Eddie. He also starred in the films See Spot Run (2001), Eight Legged Freaks (2002), Never Die Alone (2004), The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3-D (2005). Arquette starred in the 2007 ABC comedy series In Case of Emergency, which was canceled after one season. Since then, he has appeared in the 2008 film Hamlet 2 and reprised his role in Scream 4 (2011), again acting alongside Cox. He appeared alongside his sister in the TV show Medium in January 2011.
He appeared in Rascal Flatts' music video for their song "Why Wait" in 2010. Arquette, a well known horror fan, made his directorial debut with 2007's The Tripper and has signed on to direct Glutton, a 3D psychological thriller. The film began shooting in July 2011 in Canada. Arquette appeared on the 13th season of Dancing with the Stars, partnered with two-time champion Kym Johnson. He was eliminated on November 1, 2011. On October 7, 2013, Arquette's new show Dream School, in which he plays a mentor to high risk kids in L.A., premiered on the Sundance Channel. He also starred in the films Just Before I Go (2014), which he also produced, Bone Tomahawk (2015), the Lifetime television film Happy Face Killer (2014), Spree (2020), 12 Hour Shift (2020), and The Good Half (2023). In 2017, he starred in the reboot of Sigmund and the Sea Monsters as Captain Barnabus. In 2020, he was the subject of the documentary film You Cannot Kill David Arquette. In May 2020, it was confirmed that Arquette would be reprising his role as Dewey Riley for the fifth Scream film, which was directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett. The film was released on January 14, 2022. In 2026, Arquette once again reprised his role as Dewey Riley in Scream 7, which was directed by Kevin Williamson.
Arquette has appeared on The Howard Stern Show many times, including multiple times as the show's celebrity intern. Arquette purchased the rights to Bozo the Clown in 2021 and has plans to revive the character.
In 2000, after filming the World Championship Wrestling (WCW) film Ready to Rumble, Arquette was brought into WCW storylines. He made his first appearance on the April 12, 2000, episode of Thunder, sitting in the crowd before leaping into the ring to take part in a worked confrontation with Eric Bischoff and his New Blood stable. Afterwards, he formed an alliance with Chris Kanyon and Diamond Dallas Page, then the reigning WCW World Heavyweight Champion. With their help, he defeated Bischoff in a singles match on the April 24 episode of Nitro. On the following episode of Thunder, Arquette teamed with Page in a match against Bischoff and Jeff Jarrett, with the stipulation that whichever man got the pin would take the championship. Arquette pinned Bischoff again in the match's finish, winning the WCW World Heavyweight Championship in the process.
During his time as champion, Arquette was mostly used as comic relief. He only appeared on two shows as champion, the May 1 Nitro and May 7 Slamboree pay-per-view. During the former, a vignette was shown, filmed on the set of Arquette's film 3000 Miles to Graceland, which also featured his wife Courteney Cox and their co-star Kurt Russell. In the vignette, Cox informs Russell that Arquette is the WCW World Heavyweight Champion, causing Russell to laugh and walk off and Arquette to chase after him with a steel chair. In another portion of the show, Arquette was seen backstage trembling in fear and attempting to "give back" the championship belt. However, he did successfully defend the title against Tank Abbott with help from Page.
Arquette held the title for 12 days until the Slamboree pay-per-view on May 7, 2000, when he was booked to defend the championship against Jarrett and Page in a Triple Cage match, the same match featured in the climax of Ready to Rumble. In the end, he turned on Page and gave the victory to Jarrett. After Slamboree, Arquette cut a promo on the May 8 episode of Nitro, explaining that his entire friendship with Page and title run was a "swerve". Page subsequently ran down to the ring and hit him with a Diamond Cutter. Arquette made one final appearance with WCW at the New Blood Rising pay-per-view on August 13, when he interfered in a match between Buff Bagwell and Kanyon.