Courteney Cox

Background

Courteney Cox is the daughter of Richard L. Cox and Courteney Copeland and has three siblings: two sisters named Virginia and Dottie and an older brother named Richard Jr. In 1974, her parents divorced and Cox’s father Richard moved to Florida. She then became a rebellious teenager, rebelling against her mother, Courteney Copeland, and Hunter Copeland, her stepfather. She attended Mountain Brook High School, where she was a class leader, tennis player, and swimmer. In her final years of school, she appeared in an advertisement for the Parisian store. After graduating, she left Alabama to study architecture and interior design at College Mount Vernon. After a year, she decided to pursue a modeling career in New York, after being hired by the prestigious Ford Modeling Agency. Cox has appeared on several teen magazine covers, including “Tiger Beat” and “Little Miss.” She has also worked with brands such as Maybelline, Noxzema, New York Telephone Company, and Tampax.

Along with her modeling course in New York, she also enrolled in a drama course because of her dream to become an actress. Her first big appearance on camera was when she featured in Bruce Springsteen’s music video, “Dancing in the Dark,” having been chosen by Brian De Palma to appear in it. In 1985, she moved to Los Angeles to star opposite Dean Paul Martin in “Misfits of Science.” The film was a box office failure but a few years later, she was chosen from thousands of candidates to join the cast of “Family Ties,” playing Michael J. Fox’s girlfriend and doctoral psychologist Lauren Miller. By 1989, “Family Ties” had come to an end and Cox had a weak period in her career, appearing in such unsuccessful films as “Mr. Destiny.” Her career took a 180-degree turn when, in 1994, she starred, along with Jim Carrey, in “Ace Ventura.” And a while later, She was chosen to join the cast of the series “Friends,” where she played the neurotic Monica Geller. This role made Cox an international star and led to an American Comedy Award nomination.

In 1996, Cox appeared in Wes Craven’s horror film, “Scream,” which grossed over $100 million at the box office. She received rave reviews for her portrayal of sensationalist journalist Gale Weathers. Cox played this character twice more in the two films and in the trilogy that followed. In 2006, she went on to star in the series “Dirt,” with Jennifer Aniston, her longtime friend. She also played Jules Cobb in “Cougar Town,” a recently separated woman with a 17-year-old son. The series received guest appearances from Jennifer Aniston and Lisa Kudrow.