David James Arquette (born September 8, 1971 in Winchester, Virginia) is an American actor. He became known during the late 1990s, after having starred in several Hollywood films, including the films of the Scream trilogy. He has since had several television roles, including playing Jason Ventress on ABC's In Case of Emergency. In addition to his acting career Arquette took a brief foray into professional wrestling in early 2000, winning the WCW World Heavyweight Championship — the top title of World Championship Wrestling, in the process.

Arquette was born in a Subud commune in Bentonville, Virginia. His father was actor Lewis Arquette, and his grandfather was comedian Cliff Arquette, best remembered for his "Charley Weaver" character, a fixture on the original Hollywood Squares. His mother, Brenda "Mardi" Nowak, was a pin-up girl and actress who appeared in such films as Olga's House of Shame.[2] Arquette's mother was Jewish, the daughter of a Holocaust refugee from Poland, while his father was a convert to Islam and a descendant of explorer Meriwether Lewis.[3][4] Arquette's siblings Patricia, Rosanna, Alexis and Richmond are all actors.

Arquette achieved his biggest success in the slasher horror trilogy Scream as Dewey Riley. He also met his wife Courteney Cox, who ironically played Gale Weathers, on the set. True to their alter-egos in the trilogy, they became a married couple. They have also appeared together in a Coke advertisement on TV in 2003. The two are currently executive producers for the TBS series Daisy Does America. In addition, they are also executive producers of Dirt, the show in which Cox herself stars.

Arquette appeared in the videogame ESPN NFL 2K5 and lent his voice as a celebrity adversary and his very own team, the Los Angeles Locos. Arquette is also unlockable as a Free Agent in Season Mode. He appeared in the 2001 EA videogame SSX Tricky as the voice of lead character, Eddie.

Presently Arquette is starring alongside Jonathan Silverman and Kelly Hu in the ABC comedy series In Case of Emergency. Arquette is currently on tour promoting his new film The Tripper.

Arquette married actress Courteney Cox on June 12, 1999. Their first child, a daughter named Coco Riley Arquette, was born on June 13, 2004. He is close personal friends with Sacha Baron Cohen and frequently plays basketball with him.