Paula Patton was born in Los Angeles, California, to Joyce (Vanraden) Patton, who has German, English, and Dutch ancestry, and Charles Patton, who is Black. Growing up, Paula's family lived across the street from the 20th Century Fox lot, and she developed a passion for films from an early age. Her mother, a schoolteacher, and father, a lawyer, both appreciated good films and encouraged Paula's interest.
As a child, Paula would often escape into her imagination, pretending to be someone else. This escapism ultimately led her to pursue acting in high school plays at Hamilton Magnet Arts High School, where her favorite role was Abigail in "The Crucible". Paula's interest in film only grew stronger, and she went on to study film at the University of Southern California in a summer program.
Paula's experience at USC led to a 3-month assignment making documentaries for PBS, which in turn led to her working as a production assistant for TV documentaries and Howie Mandel's talk show. She eventually progressed to producing documentary segments for Medical Diaries (2000) on the Discovery Health Channel.
Although Paula enjoyed her work behind the camera, her true passion remained acting. She took acting lessons and began to pursue her dream of becoming a performer. Within three years, Paula had landed roles in major features, including Hitch (2005),Idlewild (2006),and Deja Vu (2006),opposite Denzel Washington, in which she played the female lead.
