Born September 8, 1971 to a family of entertainers, David Arquette is the youngest brother of actors Rosanna Arquette, Patricia Arquette, and Alexis Arquette, and the son of veteran bit-part actor Lewis Arquette. During David's early years the family lived on a California commune, but moved to Los Angeles so that Rosanna could pursue an acting career. David first brought his quirky, eccentric persona to the small screen in 1989 with a television adaptation of the film, The Outsiders. He had his big screen debut in 1992, when he performed in a number of films including Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Where the Day Takes You. Small roles in subsequent features followed, including 1994's Airheads, but it wasn't until his turn as a bumbling deputy in Wes Craven's Scream (1996) that he began to receive wider recognition. The same year, his visibility was further increased by a secondary role in Beautiful Girls and his turn as a struggling prostitute in johns.

1997 brought with it Scream's highly successful sequel, the accurately titled Scream 2. In addition, it brought Dream with Fishes, a film that Arquette both acted in and co-produced. 1999 was a busy year for the actor, signaling that Hollywood was finding more room to accommodate his offbeat talent. In addition to his recurring spot in a series of creepy AT&T commercials, Arquette had major roles in three movies, the Drew Barrymore romantic comedy Never Been Kissed, Muppets From Space, and Antonia Bird's much maligned Ravenous. Arquette further increased his Hollywood visibility with his marriage to Courteney Cox, whom he wed in April 1999.