Robert Hammond Patrick (born November 5, 1958) is an American actor. Known for portraying villains and authority figures, Patrick is a Saturn Award winner with four other nominations. Patrick dropped out of college when drama class sparked his interest in acting, and entered film in 1986. After playing a supporting role in '' Die Hard 2'' (1990), he came to prominence as the T-1000, the

antagonist An antagonist is a character in a story who is presented as the main enemy or rival of the protagonist and is often depicted as a villain.Terminator 2: Judgment Day'' (1991) — a role he reprised for

cameo appearance A cameo appearance, also called a cameo role and often shortened to just cameo (), is a brief guest appearance of a well-known person or character in a work of the performing arts. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking on ...

s in ''

Wayne's World "Wayne's World" was originally a recurring sketch from the NBC television series ''Saturday Night Live''. The first "Wayne's World" sketch appeared in the 13th ''Saturday Night Live'' episode of the Saturday Night Live season 14, 1988–1989 seas ...

'' (1992) and ''

Last Action Hero ''Last Action Hero'' is a 1993 American fantasy action comedy film directed and produced by John McTiernan and co-written by Shane Black and David Arnott. It is a satire of the action genre and associated clichés, containing several parodies ...

'' (1993). His other film credits include '' Fire in the Sky'' (1993), ''

Striptease A striptease is an erotic or exotic dance in which the performer gradually undresses, either partly or completely, in a seductive and sexually suggestive manner. The person who performs a striptease is commonly known as a "stripper", "exotic d ...

'' (1996), '' Cop Land'' (1997), ''

The Faculty ''The Faculty'' is a 1998 American science fiction horror film directed and edited by Robert Rodriguez with a screenplay by Kevin Williamson. It stars Jordana Brewster in her film debut, Clea DuVall, Laura Harris, Josh Hartnett, Shawn Ha ...

'' (1998), '' Spy Kids'' (2001), '' Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle'' (2003), '' Ladder 49'' (2004), '' Walk the Line'' (2005), '' Flags of Our Fathers'' (2006), ''

We Are Marshall ''We Are Marshall'' is a 2006 American biographical sports drama film directed by McG. It depicts the aftermath of the 1970 plane crash that killed 75 people: 37 players of the Marshall University Thundering Herd football team, five coaches, ...

'' (2006), '' Bridge to Terabithia'' (2007), '' The Men Who Stare at Goats'' (2009), and '' Safe House'' (2012). In television, Patrick played FBI Special Agent John Doggett in ''

The X-Files ''The X-Files'' is an American science fiction on television, science fiction drama (film and television), drama television series created by Chris Carter (screenwriter), Chris Carter. The original series aired from September 10, 1993, to Ma ...

'', Colonel Tom Ryan in '' The Unit'', DHS agent Cabe Gallo in ''

Scorpion Scorpions are predatory arachnids of the Order (biology), order Scorpiones. They have eight legs and are easily recognized by a pair of Chela (organ), grasping pincers and a narrow, segmented tail, often carried in a characteristic forward cur ...

'', and Auggie Smith / White Dragon in '' Peacemaker''. He has played ongoing roles in series such as ''

1923 In Greece, this year contained only 352 days as 13 days was skipped to achieve the calendrical switch from Julian to Gregorian Calendar. It happened there that Wednesday, 15 February ''(Julian Calendar)'' was followed by Thursday, 1 March ' ...

'', '' The Outer Limits'', ''

The Sopranos ''The Sopranos'' is an American Crime film#Crime drama, crime drama television series created by David Chase. The series follows Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), a New Jersey American Mafia, Mafia boss who suffers from panic attacks. He reluct ...

'', '' Elvis'', '' Burn Notice'', '' Last Resort'', ''

Sons of Anarchy ''Sons of Anarchy'' is an American Action film, action crime drama television series created by Kurt Sutter for FX (TV channel), FX. Originally aired from September 3, 2008, to December 9, 2014, ''Sons of Anarchy'' follows the lives of a close-k ...

'', its spin-off '' Mayans M.C.'', Jamie Hawkins in '' The Night Agent'', and '' From Dusk till Dawn: The Series'', and

Old Man Logan Old Man Logan is an alternative version of the superhero Wolverine appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. This character is an aged version of Wolverine set in an alternate future universe in which the supervillains overth ...

in the radio drama podcast series '' Marvel's Wastelanders''.

AllMovie AllMovie (previously All Movie Guide) is an online database with information about films, television programs, television series, and screen actors. , AllMovie.com and the AllMovie consumer brand are owned by RhythmOne. History AllMovie was ...

journalist Tracie Cooper wrote that, by the conclusion of ''The X-Files'' in 2002, Patrick had developed a "solid reputation within the industry", with critics, fans and co-stars alike praising his "work ethic, personality, and consistent performances." Actor and director

Jason Bateman Jason Kent Bateman (born January 14, 1969) is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Michael Bluth in the Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox / Netflix sitcom ''Arrested Development'' (2003–2019) and Marty Byrde in the Netflix crime drama s ...

described Patrick as "one of the great heavies."

Early life

Patrick was born in

Marietta, Georgia Marietta is a city in and the county seat of Cobb County, Georgia, United States. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 60,972. The 2019 estimate was 60,867, making it one of Atlanta's largest suburbs. Marietta is the fourth largest ...

, on November 5, 1958, and raised there, as well as in Boston, Massachusetts, Dayton, Ohio, Detroit, Michigan, and Bay Village, Ohio. He is the eldest of five children born to Nadine and Robert M. Patrick. Patrick did not start to pursue an acting career until his mid-twenties. During his childhood, he did not like to act. In third grade, Patrick refused to wear a pair of green tights required for ''

Peter Pan Peter Pan is a fictional character created by Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie. A free-spirited and mischievous young boy who can fly and never grows up, Peter Pan spends his never-ending childhood having adventures on the mythical ...

''. He graduated from Farmington High School in Farmington, Michigan in 1977. Patrick was a track and field and football athlete at

Bowling Green State University Bowling Green State University (BGSU) is a Public university, public research university in Bowling Green, Ohio, United States. The main academic and residential campus is south of Toledo, Ohio. The university has nationally recognized progr ...

. He dropped out before graduating when he found an interest in drama and acting. After leaving college, Patrick worked as a house painter and continued as such until a boating accident in 1984 in

Lake Erie Lake Erie ( ) is the fourth-largest lake by surface area of the five Great Lakes in North America and the eleventh-largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and also has the shortest avera ...

. He swam for three hours in order to save others still stranded on the accident site, and nearly drowned in doing so. After the accident, he moved to

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, ...

at age 26.

Career

Patrick first appeared in several low-budget science-fiction and action films produced by

Roger Corman Roger William Corman (April 5, 1926 – May 9, 2024) was an American film director, producer, and actor. Known under various monikers such as "The Pope of Pop Cinema", "The Spiritual Godfather of the New Hollywood", and "The King of Cult", he w ...

and shot in the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

by Cirio H. Santiago. Looking back, he credited his early appearances in films to his "tough-looking exterior". He played leading roles in pictures such as '' Eye of the Eagle'', '' Equalizer 2000'' or '' Future Hunters''. Patrick later commented that his experience with Santiago had been his "film school". The

B movie A B movie, or B film, is a type of cheap, low-budget commercial motion picture. Originally, during the Classical Hollywood cinema, Golden Age of Hollywood, this term specifically referred to films meant to be shown as the lesser-known second ...

s he made in the Philippines helped him get a SAG card. Patrick's first major Hollywood film was '' Die Hard 2'', in a small part as a henchman for Colonel Stuart, before landing the role of the T-1000, the villain of

James Cameron James Francis Cameron (born August 16, 1954) is a Canadian filmmaker, who resides in New Zealand. He is a major figure in the post-New Hollywood era and often uses novel technologies with a Classical Hollywood cinema, classical filmmaking styl ...

's '' Terminator 2: Judgment Day'' (1991), which proved to be his most famous and breakthrough role. Cameron said he chose Patrick because of his physical appearance, which he felt fit the role. Patrick was "broke" at the time, living in a cheap apartment with his girlfriend, Barbara, whom he married during shooting. He has credited the film with starting his career. After ''Terminator 2'', Patrick landed roles in various

feature film A feature film or feature-length film (often abbreviated to feature), also called a theatrical film, is a film (Film, motion picture, "movie" or simply “picture”) with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole present ...

s such as ''

'', '' Fire in the Sky'' (both 1993) and ''

'' (1996). Because of his fondness for

martial arts Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defence; military and law enforcement applications; combat sport, competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; ...

, Patrick starred in two martial arts films titled ''

Double Dragon is a beat 'em up video game series originally developed and published by Technōs Japan. It began with the release of the arcade game '' Double Dragon'' in 1987. The series features twin martial artists, Billy and Jimmy Lee, as they fight again ...

'' and '' Hong Kong 97'', both released in 1994, and even had a fight scene with

taekwondo Taekwondo (; ; ) is a Korean martial art and combat sport involving primarily kicking techniques and punching. "Taekwondo" can be translated as ''tae'' ("strike with foot"), ''kwon'' ("strike with hand"), and ''do'' ("the art or way"). In ad ...

master Hwang Jang-Lee in Future Hunters (1988). His performance in ''Fire in the Sky'' led ''

'' creator Chris Carter to cast him in that series for the role of John Doggett. Patrick's brother,

Richard Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic language">Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and it therefore means 'st ...

, had previously worked for the series by adding music for the soundtrack albums '' Songs in the Key of X: Music from and Inspired by the X-Files'' in 1996 and '' The X-Files: The Album'' in 1998. Patrick was cast as Doggett in 2000. ''The X-Files'' was canceled two seasons later, after Duchovny left the show following season 7, which resulted in low ratings for the show. Patrick made several appearances on many genre magazines, with ''

TV Guide TV Guide is an American digital media In mass communication, digital media is any media (communication), communication media that operates in conjunction with various encoded machine-readable data formats. Digital content can be created, vi ...

'' going so far as to label him one of the Ten Sexiest Men of Sci-Fi. In 2000, Patrick appeared in three episodes of ''

'' (" The Happy Wanderer", "

Bust Out "Bust Out" is the 23rd episode of the HBO original series ''The Sopranos'' and the 10th of the show's second season. It was written by Frank Renzulli, Robin Green, and Mitchell Burgess and directed by John Patterson, and originally aired on ...

" and "

Funhouse A funhouse or fun house is an attraction found in amusement parks and funfair midways, equipped with various devices designed to surprise, challenge, or amuse visitors. Unlike thrill rides or dark rides, fun houses are participatory attractio ...

") as David "Davey" Scatino, a store owner struggling with gambling debts owed to Richie Aprile and

Tony Soprano Anthony John Soprano, portrayed by James Gandolfini, is a fictional character and the protagonist of the HBO crime drama television series ''The Sopranos''. He is a member of the American Mafia, Italian-American Mafia and, later in the series, ...

. Four years later, he made a guest appearance in the pilot episodes for Sci-Fi Channel's original series ''

Stargate Atlantis ''Stargate Atlantis'' (usually stylized in all caps and often abbreviated ''SGA'') is an Adventure film, adventure and military science fiction television series and part of MGM's Stargate, ''Stargate'' franchise. The show was created by Brad W ...

'', " Rising", as the military component commander of the Atlantis expedition, Marshall Sumner. He accepted the role, since he had worked with the same crew on '' The Outer Limits'', a series which he appeared in during the early 1990s. Patrick played

Johnny Cash John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American singer-songwriter. Most of his music contains themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially songs from the later stages of his career. ...

's father, Ray Cash, in the film '' Walk the Line'' and Elvis's father, Vernon Presley in the miniseries '' Elvis.'' In 2003, he appeared in '' Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle'', which reunited him with his ''Striptease'' co-star,

Demi Moore Demi Gene Moore ( ; née Guynes; born November 11, 1962) is an American actress. After rising to prominence in the early 1980s, she became the world's highest-paid actress by 1995. List of awards and nominations received by Demi Moore, Her acc ...

. He had a regular role on '' The Unit'', and played

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one of the most significant cultural figures of the ...

in '' Lonely Street'' (2009). In October 2006, he starred in the WWE Films production '' The Marine'' as Rome. He also appeared in ''

'' as

Marshall University Marshall University is a public university, public research university in Huntington, West Virginia, United States. It was founded in 1837 and is named after John Marshall, the fourth Chief Justice of the United States, chief justice of the Uni ...

head coach Rick Tolley, who lost his life when Southern Airways Flight 932 crashed in 1970. His credits also include a guest starring role in the '' Lost'' episode " Outlaws", as well as a recurring role as the voice of Master Piandao in season 3 of the

Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (nicknamed Nick) is an American pay television channel and the flagship property of the Nickelodeon Group, a sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on April 1, 1979, as the first ca ...

animated series '' Avatar: The Last Airbender''. Patrick played a supporting role in '' Firewall'', a 2006 action film starring

Harrison Ford Harrison Ford (born July 13, 1942) is an American actor. Regarded as a cinematic cultural icon, he has starred in Harrison Ford filmography, many notable films over seven decades, and is one of List of highest-grossing actors, the highest-gr ...

. He has also appeared in

Meat Loaf Michael Lee Aday (born Marvin Lee Aday; September 27, 1947 – January 20, 2022), known professionally by his stage name Meat Loaf, was an American singer and actor. He was known for his powerful, wide-ranging voice and theatrical live shows. ...

's music video " Objects in the Rear View Mirror May Appear Closer than They Are" with Will Estes. Director McG, who directed '' Terminator Salvation'', said that he wanted to reintroduce characters from the previous ''Terminator'' films: "I like the idea and the perspective for the next picture that you meet Robert Patrick the way he looks today, and he's a scientist that's working on, you know, improving cell replication so we can stay healthier and we can cure

diabetes Diabetes mellitus, commonly known as diabetes, is a group of common endocrine diseases characterized by sustained high blood sugar levels. Diabetes is due to either the pancreas not producing enough of the hormone insulin, or the cells of th ...

and do all these things that sound like good ideas, and to once again live as idealized expressions as ourselves." Patrick also starred in the psychological thriller ''The Black Water of Echo's Pond'', which was directed by Italian filmmaker Gabriel Bologna. In recent years, he has appeared in such television series as '' Burn Notice'', '' NCIS'' and '' True Blood'', among others. From 2012 to 2013, he also starred in '' Last Resort'' as

Chief of the Boat The chief of the boat (COB) is an enlisted sailor onboard a United States Navy submarine who serves as the senior enlisted advisor to the commanding officer. Overview The chief of the boat holds the rank of senior chief petty officer (E-8) o ...

Joseph Prosser. He played a

supporting character A supporting character is a character in a narrative that is not the focus of the primary storyline, but is important to the plot/protagonist, and appears or is mentioned in the story enough to be more than just a minor character or a cameo a ...

in '' Identity Thief'' (2013). From 2014 to 2016, he starred in

Robert Rodriguez Robert Anthony Rodriguez ( ; born June 20, 1968) is an American filmmaker, composer, and visual effects supervisor. He shoots, edits, produces, and scores many of his films in Mexico and in his home state of Texas. Rodriguez directed the 1992 ...

's '' From Dusk till Dawn: The Series'' as Jacob Fuller. He also played Agent Cabe Gallo on the CBS drama series ''

'' from 2014 to 2018. Robert Patrick German Comic Con 2018

On March 28, 2017, Patrick was cast in

Amazon Video Amazon Prime Video, known simply as Prime Video, is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming television service owned by Amazon. The service primarily distributes films and television series produced or co-produced by ...

horror anthology series '' Lore'', which is based on the award-winning and critically acclaimed podcast of the same name. ''Lore'' recounts true stories of frightening and paranormal occurrences. ''Lore'' premiered on October 13, 2017, and ran for two seasons. In 2021, Patrick starred in '' Rushed'', co-produced by

Lars von Trier Lars von Trier (né Trier; born 30 April 1956) is a Danish film director and screenwriter. Beginning in the late-1960s as a child actor working on Danish television series ''Secret Summer'', von Trier's career has spanned more than five decad ...

's Zentropa Entertainment, and written by Siobhan Fallon Hogan. Also starring Jake Weary and Peri Gilpin, Vertical Entertainment has acquired the distribution rights. In 2022, Robert Patrick played Auggie Smith / White Dragon, the racist supervillain father of Peacemaker in the

HBO Max Max (known in other countries as, and soon to be reverted globally to HBO Max) is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. It is a proprietary unit of Warner Bros. Discovery Streaming on behalf of Home Box Of ...

series '' Peacemaker'', and he voiced

Wolverine The wolverine ( , ; ''Gulo gulo''), also called the carcajou or quickhatch (from East Cree, ''kwiihkwahaacheew''), is the largest land-dwelling species, member of the family Mustelidae. It is a muscular carnivore and a solitary animal. The w ...

in the ''Marvel's Wastelanders: Wolverine'' podcast.

Personal life

Patrick married actress Barbara Hooper in 1990. They have appeared together in various films and TV shows such as ''Zero Tolerance'' and ''

''. They have two children: a son and a daughter. His younger brother is musician Richard Patrick, the lead singer of Filter and former touring guitarist for

Nine Inch Nails Nine Inch Nails, commonly abbreviated as NIN (stylized as NIИ), is an American industrial rock band formed in Cleveland, Ohio in 1988. Its members are the singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer Trent Reznor and his frequent col ...

. Patrick is a devout

Episcopalian Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protes ...

. He is also a member of the

Boozefighters The Boozefighters Motorcycle Club (BFMC) motorcycle club was founded in California after the end of World War Two. Foundation: Wino Willie Forkner Its founder was William Clyde "Wino Willie" Forkner Jr. had served in the military during Worl ...

motorcycle club. In August 2022, Patrick revealed for the first time that he struggled with substance abuse early on in his career and how it affected his momentum of procuring different acting roles after ''Terminator 2.''

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

Awards and nominations

References

External links

*
Robert Patrick
on TVGuide.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Patrick, Robert 1958 births Living people American Episcopalians American football linebackers American male film actors American male television actors American male video game actors American male voice actors Bowling Green Falcons football players Bowling Green State University alumni Male actors from Georgia (U.S. state) People from Bay Village, Ohio Entertainers from Marietta, Georgia 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors