Jun 15, 1964

Birmingham, Alabama, USA

Courteney Cox is an American actress and former fashion model, best known for her role as Monica Geller in the long-running television series Friends. Cox first came to prominence in the 1984 music video for Bruce Springsteen's "Dancing in the Dark" (in which she became the pulled-on-stage-girl who danced onstage with Springsteen). Cox is also notable for being the first person to use the word "period" on U.S. television in its physiological sense, in a 1985 advertising campaign for Tampax brand... ... (read more...) tampons. Her early film roles include Masters of the Universe (1987) and Cocoon: The Return (1988).
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Cox's early television work include a starring role in the short-lived television series, Misfits of Science (1985) and later a recurring role (1987 - 1989) on the television series Family Ties as the last girlfriend of Alex P. Keaton (Michael J. Fox). Cox also appeared as Meryl, Jerry's girlfriend/pretend wife on the hit TV sitcom Seinfeld in 1994.

After appearing in the Jim Carrey comedy Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994), Cox found fame playing Monica Geller on the hit TV series Friends (1994 - 2004). This would be the role she would become most famous for. The six principal cast members, including Cox became household names due to the mass popularity and success of the show. However, she became the only principal member of the show's cast not to be nominated for an Emmy Award.
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During her time on Friends, Cox appeared in the highly successful and high-profile Hollywood films, including Scream (1996), Scream 2 (1997), and Scream 3 (2000). It is whilst filming the first of this trilogy that she would meet her husband David Arquette.

While starring in several other films during her time on Friends none achieved the same level of success as the show. Such films include The Runner, 3000 Miles to Graceland and The Shrink is In.

In late 2003, Cox produced the television series Mix It Up. The lifestyle show received low ratings and was not renewed for a second season.
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Since Friends, Cox has primarily concentrated on her family but has starred in the independent film November (2005), which had only a limited theatrical release and cameoed in the big budget remake of The Longest Yard, as the girlfriend of Adam Sandler. She has recently supplied her voice for the animated film Barnyard.

She has signed on to star in Dirt, a television drama for the FX Networks, in which she will play Lucy Spiller, a tabloid editor; Cox and her husband, David Arquette, will be the executive producers of the series. While Courteney legally took her husband's last name in 1999, following the death of her father Richard Cox in 2001 she returned to her maiden name professionally.