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.
After playing a supporting role in Die Hard 2 (1990), he came to prominence as the T-1000, the antagonist of Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991). His other film credits include Fire in the Sky (1993), Striptease (1996), Cop Land (1997), The Faculty (1998), Spy Kids (2001), Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle (2003), Walk the Line (2005), Flags of Our Fathers (2006), Bridge to Terabithia (2007), Safe House (2012), Gangster Squad (2013), The Laundromat (2019), The Protégé (2021).
On television, Patrick portrayed lead roles such as FBI Special Agent John Doggett in The X-Files (2000–2002), Colonel Tom Ryan in The Unit (2006–2009), DHS agent Cabe Gallo in Scorpion (2014–2018), and Auggie Smith / White Dragon in Peacemaker (2022–2025). He played recurring and single-season roles in notable series like The Sopranos (2000), True Blood (2012–2014), 1923 (2022–2025), Reacher (2023–2024), and Tulsa King (2025). He also appeared as Vernon Presley in the miniseries Elvis (2005).
AllMovie 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 described Patrick as "one of the great heavies."
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Early life
Patrick was born in Marietta, Georgia, 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. 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. 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. He swam for three hours in order to save others still stranded on the accident site, and nearly drowned in doing so. The same year, he moved to Los Angeles.
Career
Patrick first appeared in several low-budget science-fiction and action films produced by Roger Corman and shot in the Philippines 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 movies 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'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 films such as Last Action Hero, Fire in the Sky (both 1993) and Striptease (1996). Because of his fondness for martial arts, Patrick starred in two martial arts films titled Double Dragon and Hong Kong 97, both released in 1994, and had a fight scene with taekwondo master Hwang Jang-lee in Future Hunters.
His performance in Fire in the Sky led The X-Files creator Chris Carter to cast him in that series for the role of John Doggett. Patrick's brother, Richard, 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 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 Sopranos ("The Happy Wanderer", "Bust Out" and "Funhouse") as David "Davey" Scatino, a store owner struggling with gambling debts owed to Richie Aprile and Tony Soprano. Four years later, he made a guest appearance in the pilot episodes for Sci-Fi Channel's original series Stargate Atlantis, "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.
Personal life
Patrick married actress Barbara Hooper in 1990. They have appeared together in various films and TV shows such as Zero Tolerance and The X-Files. 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.
Patrick is a devout Episcopalian. He is also a member of the Boozefighters 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.
Patrick became co-owner of Santa Clarita Harley-Davidson with Oliver Shokouh in September 2018.