Courteney Cox facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Courteney Cox
Cox in 2009
Born	Courteney Bass Cox (1964-06-15) June 15, 1964 (age 61) Birmingham, Alabama, U.S.
Other names	Courteney Cox Arquette
Occupation	Actress filmmaker
Years active	1984–present
Organization	Coquette Productions
Spouse(s)	David Arquette ​ ​ (m. 1999; div. 2013)​
Partner(s)	Michael Keaton (1989–1995) Johnny McDaid (2013–present)
Children	1
Awards	Full list
Signature

Courteney Bass Cox (born June 15, 1964) is an American actress and filmmaker. She is famous for playing Monica Geller in the TV show Friends (1994–2004). She also played Gale Weathers in the Scream horror movies (1996–present).

Courteney Cox has won a Screen Actors Guild Award. She has also been nominated for two Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe Award. She even has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Cox also appeared in the TV show Family Ties (1987–1989). She starred in Cougar Town (2009–2015), which she also directed. More recently, she was in the horror comedy series Shining Vale (2022–2023). Her movies include Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994) and Bedtime Stories (2008).

She used to own a company called Coquette Productions with her ex-husband, David Arquette. She has directed films like Just Before I Go (2014). She also helped produce the game show Celebrity Name Game (2014–2017).

Early Life and Beginnings

Courteney Cox was born and grew up in Birmingham, Alabama. Her parents were Richard Lewis Cox and Courteney Copeland. She has two older sisters, Virginia and Dorothy, and an older brother, Richard Jr. Her parents divorced in 1974. Her mother later married Hunter Copeland.

After finishing high school, Cox went to Mount Vernon College in Washington, D.C.. She studied architecture but decided to leave college. She wanted to become a model and an actress instead.

Starting Her Acting Journey

In the 1980s, Courteney Cox worked briefly at a video game company called Bethesda Softworks. She got her first big break in 1984. Director Brian De Palma chose her for Bruce Springsteen's music video "Dancing in the Dark". In the video, she was the young woman pulled onto the stage to dance with Springsteen.

Her early TV roles included a science-fiction show called Misfits of Science (1985). She also appeared in The Love Boat (1986) and Murder, She Wrote (1986). Later, she had a regular role in Family Ties (1987–1989). She played Lauren Miller, the girlfriend of Michael J. Fox's character.

Her first movie roles included Masters of the Universe (1987) and Cocoon: The Return (1988). She also appeared in Mr. Destiny (1990).

Becoming a Star in the 1990s

Courteney Cox in 1995

In 1994, Courteney Cox starred with Jim Carrey in the comedy movie Ace Ventura: Pet Detective. This was just before her most famous role began. She also played Jerry Seinfeld's girlfriend, Meryl, in an episode of Seinfeld.

Friends: A Global Hit

In 1994, Cox was asked to try out for the role of Rachel Green in a new TV show called Friends. But she ended up being cast as Monica Geller instead. She joined Jennifer Aniston, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry, and David Schwimmer. This became her most famous role. The show ran for ten seasons until 2004.

Friends is often called one of the best sitcoms ever. By 2005, Courteney Cox and her female co-stars became the highest-paid TV actresses. They earned $1 million per episode for the last two seasons. The show's reruns also earn Cox and her co-stars a lot of money each year.

In 1995, she was in the music video for "Good Intentions" by Toad the Wet Sprocket. This song was also on the Friends soundtrack.

Between seasons five and six of Friends, she married David Arquette. She changed her name to Courteney Cox Arquette. The show even made a joke about this in the episode "The One After Vegas". All the other cast members had "Arquette" added to their names in the opening credits.

Scream: Horror Movie Success

Cox also became very well known for playing reporter Gale Weathers in the horror movie Scream (1996). She continued this role in the sequels Scream 2 (1997) and Scream 3 (2000). The Scream series is one of the most successful horror movie franchises. Cox's character was known for her "snappy remarks and being brilliantly bossy."

She met her future husband, David Arquette, while filming the first Scream movie. He played her character's love interest, Dwight "Dewey" Riley. In July 1995, Cox also hosted an episode of Saturday Night Live.

Success in the 2000s and Beyond

After Friends ended, Courteney Cox continued to work a lot. She starred in the drama film November (2005). She also had a small role in The Longest Yard (2005) with Adam Sandler. In 2006, she voiced Daisy the Cow in the animated movie Barnyard.

TV Shows and Directing

From 2007 to 2008, Cox starred as Lucy Spiller, a tabloid editor, in the TV drama series Dirt. She and her husband at the time, David Arquette, were also the show's executive producers. In 2008, she appeared in three episodes of the medical comedy series Scrubs. That same year, she reunited with Adam Sandler in the fantasy comedy movie Bedtime Stories.

Courteney Cox at PaleyFest in 2010

In 2009, she started her role as the star of the ABC comedy series Cougar Town. She played a newly single 40-year-old mom looking for new experiences. This show was very successful for Cox after Friends. It earned her a nomination for a Golden Globe Award. Cox also directed two episodes of Cougar Town. The series ended in 2015 after six seasons.

Directing and Producing

In 2011, Cox returned as Gale Weathers in Scream 4. She also made her directing debut with the TV movie TalhotBlond in 2012.

In 2014, Cox directed and produced the comedy film Just Before I Go. From 2014 to 2017, she was an executive producer for the game show Celebrity Name Game. This show earned her a nomination for a Daytime Emmy Award.

In 2019, she created and produced the documentary series 9 Months with Courteney Cox for Facebook Watch. It showed people's journeys through pregnancy.

Recent Work and Honors

In 2020, she made a guest appearance in the ABC sitcom Modern Family. Courteney Cox reunited with her Friends co-stars for a special called Friends: The Reunion in 2021. This special earned her an Primetime Emmy Award nomination. In the same year, she launched her own line of home products called Homecourt.

Cox returned as Gale Weathers for the fifth Scream movie, Scream, which came out in 2022. She also played Patricia "Pat" Phelps in the horror comedy series Shining Vale (2022–2023).

She played Gale Weathers again in the sixth Scream movie, Scream VI, released in 2023. She was also an executive producer for this film. In 2023, Courteney Cox received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Personal Life

Courteney Cox dated actor Michael Keaton from 1989 to 1995. She married her Scream co-star David Arquette on June 12, 1999. They have one daughter, born in June 2004. Jennifer Aniston is her daughter's godmother.

Cox and Arquette announced their separation in October 2010. Their divorce was finalized in May 2013. They remained good friends and continued to work together in their company, Coquette Productions.

In late 2013, Cox started dating Snow Patrol band member Johnny McDaid. They announced their engagement in June 2014, but later called it off. However, they have remained a couple.

In 2020, Courteney Cox mentioned that she didn't remember many of the Friends episode plots. She had started watching the show again from the beginning. Cox also practices Budokan karate.

Filmography

Here is a list of some of the films and television shows Courteney Cox has been in.

Film Roles

Television Roles

Music Videos

Awards and Honors

Courteney Cox has received many awards and honors throughout her career.

Awards She Has Won

Nominations She Has Received

Special Honors

• 1995: Named the Female Discovery of the Year by the Golden Apple Awards.
• 2010: Received the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Women's Image Network.
• 2010: Honored with the Lucy Award by the Women in Film Crystal + Lucy Awards.
• 2023: Given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

See also

In Spanish: Courteney Cox para niños