Paula Maxine Patton is an American film actress best known for her work in the romantic comedy Hitch (2005), Deja Vu (2006), Precious (2009), the spy thriller Mission Impossible-Ghost Protocol (2011) and the fantasy film Warcraft (2016).

Early Life
Patton is the daughter of school teacher Joyce and lawyer Charles Patton. Born on December 5th 1975, the actress is of mixed race, her mother being Caucasian and father of African-American origin. After completing her schooling in Hamilton High School, she enrolled at U.C Berkeley, transferring to U.S.C Film School soon after. A few years after graduating, Patton earned a three-month assignment making documentaries for PBS.

Personal Life
In 1991, Patton met her future husband singer Robin Thicke at the age of 16 at an under-21 hip-hop club named Balistyx situated in Los Angeles. Thicke then 14- asked the actress for a dance and sang Stevie Wonder`s hit song `Jungle Fever` as they danced. The couple married in 2005 after 12 years of dating and their son Julian Fuego was born on April 7th, 2010. However, Patton and Thicke separated on March 20th, 2015 after nine years of marriage and almost 21 years together.

Movie Career
Patton began her career on the silver screen with a small role in the romantic-comedy Hitch (2005) featuring Will Smith and Eva Mendes. She was then cast with singer Andre Benjamin and Big Boi in Bryan Barber`s musical film Idlewild.

In 2006, the actress bagged her first lead role in the science fiction thriller Deja Vu (2006). Patton, paired alongside veteran actor Denzel Washington, portrayed Claire Kuchever winning mixed reviews for her performance and commercial success at the box office. Next, she starred as television reporter Kate Madison in the comedy Swing Vote (2008) directed by Joshua Michael Stern. This was followed by a role in the drama film Precious (2009), directed by Lee Daniels, which also stars Gabourey Sidibe, Mo`Nique, and Mariah Carey. The actress played Blu Rain, a teacher who mentors disadvantaged children including the titular character.The movie went on to receive critical acclaim and was nominated for six Academy Award nominations with Mo`Nique winning the award for Best Supporting Actress while Geoffrey Fletcher winning the award for Best Adapted Screenplay.

In 2010, Patton starred in the romantic-comedy Just Wright (2010) as Queen Latifah`s god-sister. The same year, rumors circulated about Patton succeeding Sharon Stone in the legal drama serial, Law and Order: Special Victims Unit. However, in a twist of fate, Patton was cast as the main female lead in the hit action film Mission Impossible-Ghost Protocol (2011). This was her most recognizable role so far, and the film was a commercial and critical success.

The same year, Patton starred in leading role in the comedy Jumping The Broom (2011) that met with moderate success. The actress then reunited with her Deja Vu co-star Denzel Washington in the comedy 2 Guns (2013) and later starred as the lead in the romantic-comedy Baggage Claim (2013). The latter was a critical failure.

After a break of a few years, Patton starred in the romantic-comedy Perfect Match (2016) with Terrance Jenkins. Directed Billie Woodruff, the movie met with mixed to negative reviews with Glen Kenny of the New York Times commenting: "the movie sticks to its philosophical guns, such as they are, in a way that`s almost unheard of in contemporary romantic comedies." In the same year, she starred alongside comedian Adam Sandler in The Do-Over (2016), which bombed at the box office. She was next seen in the movie Warcraft (2016) based on the online game of the same name released in June the same year. Made on the budget of $160 million, the movie was a financial failure. Her other releases include Traffik (2018), Sacrifice (2019) and Four Kids and It (2020).

T.V Career
Patton was cast in an episode of Law and Order: Special Victims Unit in 2010 and on the show Single Ladies (2012). In 2015, she was offered the lead role of Lauren Marks in the program Runner but the serial was never picked up.

Singing Career
Patton has lent her singing voice on Usher`s album Confessions (2004). She has also performed the female vocals in Robin Thicke`s single `Can You Handle it?` The actress has explored song writing, with numerous credits under the name `Max` for her then husband, singer Robin Thicke`s albums.