Patrick was born in Marietta, Georgia, the oldest of five children born to Nadine and Robert Patrick Sr. Patrick is of Scottish-Irish ancestry. His siblings are Richard Patrick (who is the lead singer for the rock band Filter), Cheri, Karen and Lewis. He spent his early life in Bay Village, a small suburb of Cleveland, Ohio, while he moved around the country. Patrick did not start to pursue an acting career until his mid-twenties. During his childhood years, Patrick did not like to act. In third grade, he 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 interest in Drama and acting.
After leaving college, Patrick secured a position 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 the others still stranded on the accident site, nearly drowning in the attempt. After the accident, he moved from Ohio to Los Angeles, California, at age 26. His main income during the first years was as a bartender, and he often lived in his car. Patrick was then picked up for various small roles and cameos in low-budget films. Looking back, Patrick credited his early appearances in films to his "tough-looking exterior".
Patrick dropped out of college when drama class sparked his interest in acting, and entered film in 1986. After playing a supporting role in Die Hard 2 (1990), Patrick starred as the T-1000, the main antagonist of Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) – a role he reprised for cameo appearances in Wayne's World (1992) and Last Action Hero (1993). Other notable 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), Ladder 49 (2004), Walk the Line (2005), Flags of Our Fathers (2006), We Are Marshall (2006), Bridge to Terabithia (2007), The Men Who Stare at Goats (2009), and Safe House (2012).
Patrick made a short appearance in Die Hard 2 as a bit part henchman for Colonel Stuart before landing a role in Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) as the main villain, the T-1000; it was his first starring role. James Cameron, the film's Director, said he chose Patrick for the role because of his physical appearance, which he felt fit the role. During the filming of Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Patrick was "broke", living in a cheap apartment with his girlfriend, Barbara, whom he married during filming. 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. 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 album The X-Files: The Album. 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 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.
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." He was described by actor and Director Jason Bateman as "one of the great heavies."
Patrick played Johnny Cash's father, Ray Cash, in the film Walk the Line and Elvis's father, Vernon Presley in the miniseries Elvis. He had a regular role on The Unit, and played Elvis Presley in Lonely Street (2008). In October 2006, he starred in the WWE Films production The Marine as Rome. He also appeared in We Are Marshall as Marshall University head coach Rick Tolley, who lost his life when Southern Airways FLIGHT 932 crashed in 1970. His credits also include a guest starring role in the Lost episode "Outlaws", as well as a recurring role as the voice of Master Piandao in Season 3 of the Nickelodeon animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender. Patrick played a supporting role in Firewall, a 2006 action movie starring Harrison Ford. He has also appeared in Meat Loaf's music video "Objects in the Rear View Mirror May Appear Closer than They Are" with Will Estes. Director McG, who directed Terminator Salvation, said that he wanted to reintroduce characters from the previous Terminator films: "I like the idea and the perspective for the next picture that you meet Robert Patrick the way he looks today, and he's a scientist that's working on, you know, improving cell replication so we can stay healthier and we can cure diabetes and do all these things that sound like good ideas, and to once again live as idealized expressions as ourselves." Patrick also starred in the psychological thriller The Black Water of Echo's Pond, which was directed by Italian filmmaker Gabriel Bologna. In recent years, he has appeared in such television series as Burn Notice, NCIS and True Blood, among others. From 2012 to 2013, he also starred in Last Resort as Chief of the Boat Joseph Prosser. He played a supporting character in Identity Thief (2013). Starting in 2014 he also starred in Robert Rodriguez's From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series as Jacob Fuller. He currently plays Agent Cabe Gallo on the CBS drama series Scorpion.
Patrick married Actress Barbara Hooper during the filming of Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991). Patrick and Barbara have appeared together in various media releases such as Zero Tolerance and The X-Files. He has two children, a son, Samuel, and a daughter, Austin (named after the police officer the T-1000 impersonates in Terminator 2). Almost every year, he does the Love Ride, a charity motorcycle ride held annually in Southern California. His brother is Richard Patrick, former Guitarist of Nine Inch Nails and lead singer of the rock bands Filter and Army of Anyone. On October 22, 2010, the brothers sang guest vocals on the Filter song "So I Quit" on stage in Dallas, Texas. Patrick is a devout Christian, of the Episcopalian denomination.
In television, Patrick is known for his portrayals of FBI Special Agent John Doggett in The X-Files and Colonel Tom Ryan in The Unit, and has played ongoing roles in series such as The Outer Limits, The Sopranos, Elvis, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Burn Notice, Last Resort, Sons of Anarchy and From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series. In 2014 he was cast in the role of DHS agent Cabe Gallo in the CBS drama series Scorpion.
On March 28, 2017, Patrick had been cast in upcoming Amazon Video horror anthology series Lore, which is based on the award-winning and critically acclaimed podcast of the same name. Lore recounts true stories of frightening and paranormal occurrences. The series will be executive produced by Aaron Mahnke. Lore will premier on October 13, 2017.
