Patti D'arbanville
About
Biography
Filmography
Family & Companions
Notes
D'Arbanville's name served as the inspiration for Cat Stevens's song "Lady D'Arbanville".
"D'Arbanville has lived on the edge for years. She has kicked heroin and alcohol. She has weathered two broken marriages and a series of failed relationships. She has survived a career that, despite fine work in such films as "Midnight Cowboy", "Rancho DeLuxe" and "Time After Time" has been eclipsed in the public eye by her liaison with Don Johnson." --Margot Dougherty and Vicki Sheff in People, 1989
Biography
Striking blonde actress discovered by Andy Warhol while working as a teen disc jockey and cast in a small role in his underground film "Flesh" (1968), directed by Paul Morrissey. D'Arbanville began modeling while a fringe member of Warhol's Factory and moved to France to continue her modeling career at age 16; she appeared in the French films "La Maison," "La Saignee" (1971), "The Crazy American Girl" (1975), and reunited with Warhol in his "L'Amour" (1973). After returning to America to appear in "Rancho Deluxe" (1974), D'Arbanville was featured in "Time After Time" (1979), played Ryan O'Neal's floozy girlfriend in "The Main Event" (1979) and appeared in "Modern Problems" (1981) and "Real Genius" (1985) before essaying her most challenging role, portraying Cathy Evelyn Smith--D'Arbanville's one-time friend and John Belushi's drug dealer--in the film biography of the "Saturday Night Live" comedian, "Wired" (1989).
In the 1990s, D'Arbanville turned to TV, appearing as a murderer on the NBC daytime drama "Another World" (1992-93) before moving to primetime as a hotelier on the short-lived "South Beach" (NBC, 1993) before hitting her stride as the tough and sassy Lt. Virginia Cooper on the Fox series "New York Undercover," on which she appeared from 1994 until 1997. She returned to daytime in 1998, joining the cast of CBS' "Guiding Light."
Filmography
Cast (Feature Film)
Life Events
1967
Moved to Paris to work as fashion model at age 16; photographed by Richard Avedon and Francesco Scavullo; featured in the best-selling book "Scavullo on Beauty" (date approximate)
1968
Film debut at in small role in Warhol's production "Flesh" (filmed c. 1966)
1972
Returned to USA (date approximate)
1973
Moved to Hollywood to appear in "Rancho Deluxe" (1974)
1975
Was addicted to heroin
1978
Went "cold turkey" in kicking her heroin habit with the assistance of an unnamed male friend
1987
Stage debut, "Italian American Reconciliation"
1988
TV-movie debut, "Crossing the Mob"
1989
Cast as Cathy Smith, the woman who injected comedian John Belushi with the fatal overdose, in the biopic "Wired"
1993
Played Roxanne on the NBC action series, "South Beach"
Family
Companions
Bibliography
Notes
D'Arbanville's name served as the inspiration for Cat Stevens's song "Lady D'Arbanville".
"D'Arbanville has lived on the edge for years. She has kicked heroin and alcohol. She has weathered two broken marriages and a series of failed relationships. She has survived a career that, despite fine work in such films as "Midnight Cowboy", "Rancho DeLuxe" and "Time After Time" has been eclipsed in the public eye by her liaison with Don Johnson." --Margot Dougherty and Vicki Sheff in People, 1989
D'Arbanville has seven tattoos.
