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Career Beginnings
Continued Acting Career
Recent Projects
Breakthrough and Success
Personal Life and Relationships
Directorial Debut and Expansion
Early Life and Education
Main milestones
Courteney Bass Cox (born June 15, 1964)[5][6] is an American actress and producer. She rose to international prominence by playing Monica Geller in the NBC sitcom Friends (1994–2004) and Gale Weathers in the horror film franchise Scream (1996–present).[7] Her accolades include a Screen Actors Guild Award, nominations for two Emmy Awards a Golden Globe Award, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Cox had a recurring role in the NBC sitcom Family Ties (1987–1989), and starred in the FX drama series Dirt (2007–2008), the ABC/TBS sitcom Cougar Town (2009–2015), and the Starz horror comedy series Shining Vale (2022–2023). Her film credits include the action fantasy Masters of the Universe (1987), the comedy Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994), the animated comedy Barnyard (2006), the fantasy comedy Bedtime Stories (2008), and the independent drama Mothers and Daughters (2016).
Cox owned the production company Coquette Productions, which she founded with her then-husband, David Arquette. She has directed the television drama film TalhotBlond (2012), the black comedy drama film Just Before I Go (2014), and executive produced the game show Celebrity Name Game (2014–2017).
Courtney Bass Cox was born June 15, 1964, in Birmingham, Alabama, and raised there.[8] She is a daughter of businessman Richard Lewis Cox (1931–2001) and Courteney Copeland (née Bass; 1934–2020).[9][10] Cox has two older sisters, Virginia and Dorothy, and an older brother, Richard Jr. Her parents divorced in 1974 and her mother then married businessman Hunter Copeland (uncle to music promoter and business manager Ian Copeland and the Police drummer Stewart Copeland).[11]
After graduating from Mountain Brook High School, Cox left for Mount Vernon College in Washington, D.C. (later part of George Washington University), but did not complete her architecture course, opting instead to pursue a career in modeling and acting.[12] Cox has English and Norman ancestry; researching her family tree for the series Who Do You Think You Are?, Cox discovered she was a direct descendant of William the Conqueror and Edward I of England.[13][14][15]
Cox worked at video game publisher Bethesda Softworks briefly in the 1980s.[16] She was chosen from a casting call by director Brian De Palma to appear in the 1984 music video for Bruce Springsteen's "Dancing in the Dark", as the young woman pulled onstage at the St. Paul Civic Center to dance with Springsteen.[17] Her early television work includes a starring role as Gloria Dinallo in the short-lived NBC science fiction series Misfits of Science (1985),[18] and guest-starring roles in the ABC comedy-drama series The Love Boat (1986) and the CBS crime drama series Murder, She Wrote (1986). She later had a recurring role as Lauren Miller, the girlfriend of Michael J. Fox's character Alex P. Keaton in the NBC comedy series Family Ties (1987–1989).[19] Cox's early film roles include Masters of the Universe (1987), Cocoon: The Return (1988), and I'll Be Home for Christmas (1988).[20][21] She also played Jewel Jagger, the tough-as-nails assistant of Larry Burrows (James Belushi), in Mr. Destiny (1990).
In 1993, Cox co-starred in the short-lived CBS sitcom The Trouble with Larry, alongside Bronson Pinchot and Perry King.[22] The following year, shortly before the debut of the sitcom Friends, Cox starred alongside Jim Carrey in the comedy film Ace Ventura: Pet Detective,[23] and as Jerry Seinfeld's girlfriend, Meryl, in the Seinfeld episode "The Wife".[24]
In 1994, Cox was asked to audition for the starring role of Rachel Green on a new sitcom, Friends; she was cast as Monica Geller instead.[25] At first the most famous cast member of the new show, Cox joined Jennifer Aniston (Rachel Green), Lisa Kudrow (Phoebe Buffay), Matt LeBlanc (Joey Tribbiani), Matthew Perry (Chandler Bing) and David Schwimmer (Ross Geller) for what became her most famous role, lasting for ten seasons until 2004. The series is commonly referred to as one of the greatest of all sitcoms.[26][27] According to the Guinness Book of World Records (2005), Cox (along with her female co-stars) became the highest-paid TV actress of all time, with her US$1 million-per-episode fee for the final two seasons of Friends.[28] Syndication of the series earned Cox and her co-stars an estimated $20 million in annual residuals.[29] In 1995, she was cast in Toad the Wet Sprocket's music video "Good Intentions". The song was also featured on the Friends soundtrack.[30]
Between seasons five and six, she married David Arquette and consequently changed her name to Courteney Cox Arquette. A joke reference to this is made in the opening credits of the episode "The One After Vegas", where the rest of the cast has "Arquette" added to their names. The dedication "For Courteney and David, who did get married" – a reference to Monica and Chandler's decision not to marry in the episode – appears during the fade out to the tag scene.[31]
Cox received further recognition and critical acclaim for her starring role as reporter Gale Weathers in the high-profile slasher horror film Scream (1996), and its sequels Scream 2 (1997) and Scream 3 (2000). The series is one of the highest grossing and critically acclaimed horror franchises of all time.[32][33][34] Cox's character was well known for her "snappy remarks and being brilliantly bossy".[35] She met her future ex-husband, David Arquette, who played her on-screen love interest, Dwight "Dewey" Riley, while filming the first Scream film.[36] Cox also hosted an episode of the variety sketch series Saturday Night Live in July 1995,[37] and appeared in the crime thriller film The Runner (1999).
Cox's major films during this period include the crime drama 3000 Miles to Graceland (2001) and the comedy The Shrink Is In (2001).[38] In late 2003, Cox and Arquette produced one season of the reality television series Mix It Up. The lifestyle series, which aired on the WE cable channel, struggled with low ratings and was not renewed for a second season.[39] After the conclusion of Friends, Cox was producer Marc Cherry's first choice to be offered a starring role as Susan Mayer on Desperate Housewives, but Cox was unavailable due to her pregnancy and the role later went to Teri Hatcher.[40] A few years later, Cox signed a deal with ABC Studios (formerly Touchstone Television) to star in her own series.
She starred in the independent drama film November (2005), which had a limited theatrical release.[41] She had a cameo appearance in the big-budget remake The Longest Yard (2005) as Lena, the girlfriend of Paul Crewe (Adam Sandler), and co-starred with Tim Allen in the critically derided Zoom (2006).[42] Cox voiced Daisy the Cow in the animated film Barnyard (2006).[43] A Friends reunion film was rumored to be in production following the success of Sex and the City (2008),[44] but this was later denied by Warner Bros. and others.
Cox starred as Lucy Spiller, a cynical tabloid editor, in the FX television drama series Dirt, which premiered in 2007. Cox and her then-husband David Arquette were the executive producers of the series.[45] The series was eventually canceled after the second season in 2008.[46] In July 2008, Entertainment Weekly announced that Cox signed on to star in a three-episode arc for the television medical comedy series Scrubs.[47] Also that year, she starred in the fantasy comedy film Bedtime Stories, reuniting with co-star Adam Sandler.[48] She went to executive produce the short drama film The Butler's in Love, directed by David Arquette.
Cox guest-starred in a three-episode story arc on former Friends co-star Lisa Kudrow's web comedy series Web Therapy (2009).[49] Also in 2009, she began her role as the star of the single-camera ABC comedy series Cougar Town, playing a newly single 40-year-old mother on the hunt for new experiences.[50][51][52] It is notably Cox's most successful work since Friends, earning her a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy. The series' third season was set to premiere in November 2011 but moved to February 14, 2012. Cox directed two episodes of the series' fifteen episodes that season. The fourth season premiered on January 8, 2013. The series came to an end on March 31, 2015, after six seasons.[53][54]
Cox reprised her role as Gale Weathers from the Scream trilogy for the sequel Scream 4. The film was released in theaters on April 15, 2011.[55][56] She made her directorial debut and had a cameo appearance in a Lifetime television drama film TalhotBlond, which premiered on the network on June 23, 2012.[57]
In 2014, Cox directed and produced the black comedy film Just Before I Go, starring Seann William Scott and Elisha Cuthbert.[58] The film premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 24, 2014,[59] and it was released in select theaters on April 24, 2015.[60] From 2014 to 2017, she executive produced the syndicated game show Celebrity Name Game, hosted by Craig Ferguson. It ended after three seasons. The series earned her a nomination for the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Game Show.[61]
In 2016, Cox starred in the independent drama film Mothers and Daughters, alongside Susan Sarandon, Mira Sorvino, and Sharon Stone. The film was released to generally negative reviews on May 6, 2016.[62] In 2019, she created and executive produced the Facebook Watch documentary series 9 Months with Courteney Cox, which focuses on "people from across the country of various race, religion, and class as they self-document their 9-month journey of pregnancy".[63] It lasted for three seasons until 2021.[64]
In 2020, she guest starred in the ABC sitcom Modern Family.[65] Cox reunited with her Friends co-stars for a reunion special titled Friends: The Reunion, which was released on May 27, 2021, on HBO Max.[66][67] The special earned Cox a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-Recorded).[68] In the same year she launched her line of home products, named Homecourt.[69] She also participated in the Celebrity Escape Room special to raise $150,000 for Red Nose Day.[70]
Cox reprised her role as Gale Weathers for the fifth Scream film, which was directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett.[71] The film was released on January 14, 2022, to box office success and positive reviews.[72][73] Also in 2022, she signed on to star alongside Greg Kinnear in the Starz horror comedy series Shining Vale, from creators Sharon Horgan and Jeff Astrof; she plays Patricia "Pat" Phelps, who moves her family "from the 'crazy' of the city to a large, old house in the suburbs where evil and humor collide."[74]
Cox again reprised her role as Gale Weathers for the sixth Scream film,[75] which she also executive produced.[76] The film was released on March 9, 2023, to box office success and positive reviews. Also in 2023, she received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.[77][78] She is set to executive produce and star as Brittany Wagner in the Spectrum Originals adaptation of the documentary series Last Chance U.[79]
Cox dated actor Michael Keaton from 1989 to 1995.[1] Cox married her Scream co-star David Arquette on June 12, 1999, at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco.[80][81][82] The couple have a daughter, born in June 2004.[83][84] Jennifer Aniston is her godmother.[85] Cox revealed that she suffered from postpartum depression six months after the birth of her child.[86] On October 11, 2010, Cox and Arquette announced that they had separated, although they still maintain a close friendship and ongoing business relationship in Coquette Productions.[87][88][89] In June 2012, Arquette filed for divorce after nearly two years of separation from Cox.[90] The divorce became final in May 2013.[91] Cox began dating Snow Patrol band member Johnny McDaid in late 2013.[92] The couple announced their engagement in June 2014.[93] Soon afterward they called off the engagement, but they have remained a couple.[94]
In 2017, Cox was the subject of an episode of the television programme Who Do You Think You Are?, during which she learned that she is a direct descendant of William the Conqueror.
In 2020, Cox said that she did not remember much about the episode plots of Friends and that she had begun binge-watching the show.[95][96] Cox is a practitioner of Budokan karate.[97][98]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Down Twisted | Tarah | |
| Masters of the Universe | Julie Winston | ||
| 1988 | Cocoon: The Return | Sara | |
| 1990 | Shaking the Tree | Kathleen | |
| Mr. Destiny | Jewel Jagger | ||
| 1991 | Blue Desert | Lisa Roberts | |
| 1992 | The Opposite Sex and How to Live with Them | Carrie Davenport | |
| 1994 | Ace Ventura: Pet Detective | Melissa Robinson | |
| 1996 | Scream | Gale Weathers | |
| 1997 | Commandments | Rachel Luce | |
| Scream 2 | Gale Weathers | ||
| 1999 | The Runner | Karina | |
| 2000 | Scream 3 | Gale Weathers | |
| 2001 | 3000 Miles to Graceland | Cybil Waingrow | |
| The Shrink Is In | Samantha Crumb | Also executive producer | |
| Get Well Soon | Lily Charles | ||
| 2004 | November | Sophie Jacobs | |
| 2005 | The Longest Yard | Lena | |
| 2006 | Barnyard | Daisy the Cow (voice) | |
| Zoom | Marsha Holloway | ||
| The Tripper | Dog Lover Hippie | Also executive producer | |
| 2008 | Alien Love Triangle | Alice | Short film |
| Bedtime Stories | Wendy | ||
| The Butler's in Love | — | Short film; executive producer | |
| 2011 | Scream 4 | Gale Weathers | |
| 2012 | Got Rights? | Celebrity | Short film |
| 2014 | Just Before I Go | — | Director and producer |
| 2016 | Mothers and Daughters | Beth | |
| 2020 | You Cannot Kill David Arquette | Herself | Documentary film[99] |
| 2022 | Scream | Gale Weathers | |
| 2023 | Scream VI | Also executive producer[76] | |
| 2026 | Scream 7 | Filming[100][101] |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | As the World Turns | Bunny | Episode: "1.5000" |
| 1985 | Code Name: Foxfire | Flight Attendant / Amy | 2 episodes |
| 1985–1986 | Misfits of Science | Gloria Dinallo | Main role |
| 1986 | The Love Boat | Carol | Episode: "Daredevil / Picture Me a Spy / Sleeper" |
| Sylvan in Paradise | Lucy Apple | Television film | |
| Murder, She Wrote | Carol Bannister | 2 episodes | |
| 1987 | If It's Tuesday, It Still Must Be Belgium | Hana Wyskocki | Television film |
| I'll Be Home for Christmas | Nora Bundy | Television film | |
| 1987–1989 | Family Ties | Lauren Miller | Recurring role |
| 1989 | Roxanne: The Prize Pulitzer | Jacquie Kimberly | Television film |
| Judith Krantz's Till We Meet Again | Marie-Frederique 'Freddy' de Lancel | 2 episodes | |
| 1990 | Curiosity Kills | Gwen | Television film |
| 1991 | Morton & Hayes | Princess Lucy | Episode: "Oafs Overboard" |
| 1992 | Battling for Baby | Katherine | Television film |
| Dream On | Alisha | Episode: "Come and Knock on Our Door..." | |
| 1993 | The Trouble with Larry | Gabriella Easden | Recurring role |
| 1994 | Seinfeld | Meryl | Episode: "The Wife" |
| 1994–2004 | Friends[a] | Monica Geller | Main role |
| 1995 | Sketch Artist II: Hands That See | Emmy O'Conner | Television film |
| The Larry Sanders Show | Herself | Episode: "Larry's Big Idea" | |
| Saturday Night Live | Herself/Host | Episode: "Courteney Cox / Dave Matthews Band" | |
| 1999 | Happily Every After: Fairy Tales for Every Child | Emerald Salt Pork (voice) | Episode: "Three Little Pigs" |
| 2000 | WCW Monday Nitro | Herself | Episode: "#5.33" |
| 2003 | Mad TV | Herself | Episode: "#9.3" |
| 2004 | Mix It Up | — | 4 episodes; executive producer |
| 2005 | Rehab | Taylor Kennedy | Unsold pilot; also executive producer |
| Dirt Squirrel | — | Television film; executive producer | |
| Talk Show Diaries | — | Television film; executive producer | |
| The MidNightly News | — | Television film; executive producer | |
| 2005–2007 | Daisy Does America | — | Executive producer |
| 2007–2008 | Dirt | Lucy Spiller | Main role; also executive producer |
| 2009 | Scrubs | Dr. Maddox | 3 episodes |
| Web Therapy | Serena DuVall | Web series; 3 episodes | |
| 2009–2015 | Cougar Town | Jules Cobb | Main role; also director and executive producer |
| 2011 | Web Therapy | Serena DuVall | Episode: "Psychic Analysis" |
| Private Practice | Woman | Uncredited; Episode: "Step One" | |
| 2012 | TalhotBlond | Amanda | Television film; also director and producer |
| 2013 | Go On | Talia | Episode: "Matchup Problems" |
| Tripaholics | — | Television film; executive producer | |
| 2014–2016 | Drunk History | Edith Wilson | 2 episodes |
| 2014–2017 | Celebrity Name Game | Herself | Also executive producer |
| 2015 | Barely Famous | Herself | Episode: "Favorite Socks" |
| 2016 | Charity Case | Hailey | Unsold pilot; also executive producer |
| Running Wild with Bear Grylls | Herself | Episode: "Courteney Cox" | |
| 2017 | Who Do You Think You Are? | Herself | Episode: "Courteney Cox" |
| Off Camera with Sam Jones | Herself | Episode: "Courteney Cox" | |
| The Gong Show | Herself | Episode: "Will Arnett / Courteney Cox / Isla Fisher" | |
| 2018 | Shameless | Jen Wagner | Episode: "Face It, You're Gorgeous" |
| 2019–2021 | 9 Months with Courteney Cox | Herself / Host | Also creator and executive producer[63] |
| 2020 | Modern Family | Herself | Episode: "The Prescott" |
| Celebrity Escape Room | Herself | Red Nose Day special[102] | |
| 2021 | Friends: The Reunion | Herself | Television special; also executive producer[103] |
| 2022–2023 | Shining Vale | Patricia "Pat" Phelps | Main role; also producer[74] |
| TBA | Last Chance U | Brittany Wagner | Main role; also executive producer[79] |
| Year | Title | Artist | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | "Dancing in the Dark" | Bruce Springsteen | Young Woman | |
| 1994 | "Ace Is in the House" | Tone Loc | Melissa Robinson | |
| 1995 | "I'll Be There for You" | The Rembrandts | Monica Geller | |
| "Good Intentions" | Toad the Wet Sprocket | Woman | ||
| 1996 | "A Long December" | Counting Crows | Woman | |
| 2014 | "Imagine" (UNICEF: World version) | Various | Herself | [104] |
| 2021 | "Courteney Cox" | Connor Price | Herself | |
| 2021 | "Right on Time" | Brandi Carlile | Director |
Courteney Cox has admitted that it was difficult to maintain a long-distance relationship with her Northern Irish musician partner Johnny McDaid during the Covid-19 pandemic.
My man friend? That's good," the 54-year-old actress joked. "I don't know if that would go over very well. He's my partner. That's what he calls it, my partner. And I'm from Alabama, so you don't really say partner unless you're the same sex.
Courteney Cox and partner Johnny McDaid have reunited following two and a half months apart.
