Lewis Michael Arquette (; December 14, 1935 – February 10, 2001) was an American actor. He was best known for playing J.D. Pickett on the television series ''

The Waltons ''The Waltons'' is an American historical drama television series about a family in rural mountainous Western Virginia of the Appalachian Mountains / Allegheny Mountains / Blue Ridge Mountains chain, during the economic hardships and mass unemp ...

'', on which he worked from 1978 to 1981.

Life and career

Arquette was born in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, Illinois, the son of Mildred Nesbitt Le May and actor

Cliff Arquette Clifford Charles Arquette (; December 28, 1905 ⁠– September 23, 1974) was an American actor and comedian. He was best known for performing comedic routines as his alter-ego Charley Weaver on numerous television and radio shows. Early life ...

. He claimed to be related to explorer

Meriwether Lewis Meriwether Lewis (August 18, 1774 – October 11, 1809) was an American explorer, soldier, politician, and public administrator, best known for his role as the leader of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, also known as the Corps of Discovery, with ...

, for whom he was named. Merriwether Lewis however never had children. His family's surname was originally "Arcouet", coming from his partial French-Canadian ancestry. His children are actors

Patricia Patricia is a feminine given name of Latin language, Latin origin. Derived from the Latin word ''Patrician (ancient Rome), patrician'', meaning 'noble', it is the feminine form of the masculine given name Patrick (given name), Patrick. Another we ...

Alexis Alexis may refer to: People Mononym * Alexis (poet) ( – ), a Greek comic poet * Alexis (sculptor), an ancient Greek artist who lived around the 3rd or 4th century BC * Alexis (singer) (born 1968), German pop singer * Alexis (comics) (1946– ...

, Rosanna,

David David (; , "beloved one") was a king of ancient Israel and Judah and the third king of the United Monarchy, according to the Hebrew Bible and Old Testament. The Tel Dan stele, an Aramaic-inscribed stone erected by a king of Aram-Dam ...

, and Richmond Arquette. He is the former father-in-law of actress

Courteney Cox Courteney Bass Cox (born June 15, 1964) is an American actress and producer. She rose to international prominence by playing Monica Geller in the NBC sitcom ''Friends'' (1994–2004) and Gale Weathers in the horror film franchise '' Scream'' ...

, film composer

James Newton Howard James Newton Howard (born June 9, 1951) is an American film composer, orchestrator and music producer. He has scored over 100 films and is the recipient of a Grammy Award, an Emmy Award, and nine nominations for Academy Awards. His film scores ...

, and actors

Thomas Jane Thomas Jane (born Thomas Elliott III; February 22, 1969) is an American actor. Born and raised in Maryland, Jane's film career started with the Telugu-language romantic comedy '' Padamati Sandhya Ragam'' (1987). His other early films included ...

and

Nicolas Cage Nicolas Kim Coppola (born January 7, 1964), known professionally as Nicolas Cage, is an American actor and film producer. He is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Nicolas Cage, various accolades, including an Academy A ...

. Arquette frequently appeared in movies with his sons. While living in Chicago, Arquette managed

The Second City The Second City is an improvisational comedy enterprise. It is the oldest improvisational theater troupe to be continuously based in Chicago, with training programs and live theaters in Toronto and New York. Since its debut in 1959, it has b ...

theater for several years. In 1970, the family moved to a

Subud Subud (pronounced ) is an international, interfaith spirituality, spiritual movement that began in Indonesia in the 1920s, founded by Muhammad Subuh Sumohadiwidjojo (1901–1987). The basis of Subud is a spiritual exercise called the Latihan ...

commune (described by Patricia as a "hippie commune") in

Front Royal, Virginia Front Royal is the only incorporated town in Warren County, Virginia, United States. The population was estimated at 15,400 as of 2023. It is the county seat of Warren County. History The entire Shenandoah Valley including the area to beco ...

. His wife, Brenda Olivia "Mardi" (

née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...

Nowak), died in 1997 from

breast cancer Breast cancer is a cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a Breast lump, lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, Milk-rejection sign, milk rejection, fluid coming from the nipp ...

. She was

Jew Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, religion, and community are highly inte ...

ish and the daughter of a

Holocaust The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...

refugee from

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

, while Lewis Arquette, raised a Catholic, was a convert to

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

. Arquette died in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, California on February 10, 2001, at the age of 65, due to

congestive heart failure Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome caused by an impairment in the heart's ability to fill with and pump blood. Although symptoms vary based on which side of the heart is affected, HF typically pr ...

Filmography

Actor

Theme Park Attractions

* ''The Great Texas Longhorn Revue'' (1982-1988, '' Six Flags AstroWorld,'' Animatronic Show) .... Slick Silver * ''The St. Louis River Revue'' (1987, '' SS Admiral,'' Animatronic Show) .... Louie Wails

Writer

* ''The Lorenzo and Henrietta Music Show'' (1976) TV Series (writer)

Producer

* ''The Lorenzo and Henrietta Music Show'' (1976) TV Series (executive producer)

Himself

* '' This Is Your Life'' –

(1960) TV Episode .... Himself * '' The Jonathan Winters Show'' – Episode dated April 3, 1969 (1969) TV Episode .... Himself

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Arquette, Lewis 1935 births 2001 deaths Male actors from Chicago American male film actors American male television actors American male voice actors Television producers from Illinois American television writers American male television writers Lewis Arquette Burials at Rose Hills Memorial Park People from Front Royal, Virginia Screenwriters from Virginia Screenwriters from Illinois American people of French-Canadian descent American people of English descent 20th-century American male actors Muslims from Illinois Converts to Islam from Catholicism American Subud members 20th-century American screenwriters Television producers from Virginia