Courtney Cox
Courteney Bass Cox was born June 15, 1964 in Birmingham, Alabama. Cox has two older sisters, Dottie Pickett and Virginia Cox and one older brother, Richard Jr. Her parents divorced in 1974. Her father moved to Florida and Cox remained with her mother and stepfather, Hunter Copeland, a New York businessman.
Cox was raised in the upscale town of Mountain Brook, Alabama. She attended Mountain Brook High School and was a cheerleader, tennis player and swimmer. After graduation, Cox studied architecture and interior design at the Mount Vernon College for Women. But she dropped out after one year to pursue a modeling career. She later signed with the famous Ford Modeling Agency in New York City.
Cox became noticed after her appearance in Bruce Springsteen’s 1984 music video for “Dancing In The Dark.” Subsequent film roles followed such as 1987’s “Masters of the Universe” starring Dolph Lundgren and Frank Langella as well as 1988’s “Cocoon: The Return” starring Steve Guttenberg and Jessica Tandy.
Cox had a recurring role on the Michael J. Fox television series “Family Ties.” In 1994, she appeared in the Jim Carrey comedy, “Ace Ventura: Pet Detective.” But Cox is best known for the role of “Monica Geller” on the sitcom “Friends.” After the show’s tremendous success, Cox was inundated with film roles such as in 1996’s horror flick “Scream,” Cox also appeared in the movie’s two sequels, 1997’s “Scream 2,” and 2000’s “Scream 3.”
After “Friends” ended its run in 2004, Cox moved on to other projects. In 2005, she starred in the limited-release independent film “November,” and had an uncredited appearance in the 2005 remake of the 1974 Burt Reynolds film “The Longest Yard” starring Adam Sandler and Chris Rock.
As for Cox’s private life, she dated Counting Crows’ front man Adam Duritz as well as Michael Keaton. But while filming 1996’s “Scream,” she met and fell in love with co-star David Arquette. They were married on June 12, 1999. Since her marriage, professionally she uses her married name “Courteney Cox-Arquette.” On June 13, 2004, the couple welcomed their first child, daughter Coco Riley Arquette.