Robert Patrick

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.