Fans Of Friends

Courteney is an American actress, producer and director. A whisper-thin, raven-haired beauty of TV and film, Courteney Cox first registered with audiences when she was plucked from the crowd by Bruce Springsteen in the Brian De Palma-directed video for The Boss’ hit 1984 single "Dancing in the Dark". She is best known for her roles as Monica Geller on the NBC sitcom Friends, Gale Weathers in the horror series Scream, and as Jules Cobb in the ABC/TBS sitcom Cougar Town, for which she earned her first Golden Globe nomination. Cox also starred in the FX series Dirt. She owns a production company, called Coquette Productions, which was created by herself and then-husband David Arquette. Cox has also worked as a director on Cougar Town and the television movie Talhotblond.

Work for the prestigious Ford Modeling Agency and appearances in Noxzema and Maybelline commercials (among others) and a bit part on the CBS soap "As the World Turns" preceded the video, after which she snagged a regular role in the short-lived primetime series "Misfits of Science" (NBC, 1985-86). Cox then joined the cast of the hit NBC sitcom "Family Ties" for the final two seasons (1987-89) as the brainy girlfriend of Alex P Keaton (Michael J Fox). She made the leap to the big screen, appearing in the little-seen caper film "Down Twisted" and the children’s sci-fi epic “Masters of the Universe” (both 1987), and "Cocoon: The Return" (1988), none of which registered much with critics or audiences.

For the rest of the 80s and into the early 90s, Cox alternated between TV and feature films, often trading on her girl-next-door qualities. While she landed the female lead opposite Jim Carrey in the smash hit "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective" (1994), she was overshadowed by the flashy antics of her co-star. Cox finally achieved small screen stardom as the neurotic aspiring chef Monica Geller, serving as the anchor of the ensemble, in the hit sitcom "Friends" (NBC, 1994-2004)–initially viewed as the star of the show, she easily settled into the emerging ensemble and, after a few seasons of playing Monica relatively straight, she showed her comedic chops as the character’s quirks–such as her hyper-cleanliness–emerged. She displayed her dramatic prowess as a blind rape victim in the made-for-cable movie “Sketch Artist II: Hands that See" (Showtime, 1995) before becoming the first of the "Friends" to score a big screen hit with Wes Craven’s "Scream" (1996). Cast against type as savvy, ambitious TV newscaster Gale Weathers, Cox delivered a strong performance and she reprised the part in the inevitable sequels "Scream 2" (1997) and "Scream 3" (2000). Unfortunately, "Commandments" (both 1997), in which she portrayed the unhappy wife of Anthony LaPaglia, embarking on an affair with her brother-in-law (Aidan Quinn), failed to mine the versatility she displayed in the Craven movies. After a string of roles in unimpressive films–"3000 Miles to Graceland," "The Shrink Is In" and "Get Well Soon" (all 2001), Cox focused primarily on her series and her marriage to her “Scream” co-star David Arquette, whom she married in 1999 (the actress also added the Arquette name to her professional credits). As the final season of "Friends" wound down in 2004, Cox Arquette, had her share of options, motherhood was looming, she’d signed to appear in a slate of feature films, and she and her husband had already served as executive producers and design consultants on the home improvement reality series "Mix It Up" (2003-2004) on the cable network WE: Women’s Entertainment, a series that focused on helping couples blend their disparate design senisbilities when they move in together. Cox also served as producer for "The Tripper" (2006), a loopy, gore-soaked parody of '80s slasher films that marked Arquette's debut as film director.

Cox was also busy in film during this period; she was featured in a cameo as Adam Sandler's unpleasant girlfriend in the remake of "The Longest Yard" (2005), and lent her voice to the forlorn, pregnant cow Bessie in the animated film, "Barnyard" (2005). Less popular was the superhero comedy "Zoom" (2006), but by then, she was making news with her return to TV series work with "Dirt," on which she and Arquette also served as executive producers. The hot-button drama centered around the machinations of a workaholic tabloid editor (Cox) and her best friend, a schizophrenic photographer, as they pursue the latest scoop on Hollywood stars. The tone of the show, which was decidedly dark, as well as the hard-bitten quality of Cox's character - a direct opposite of Monica Gellar - attracted a considerable amount of attention, as did some sexually suggestive scenes, but the series struggled to find an audience. Even an appearance by Jennifer Aniston as a rival to and one-time lover of Cox's character - including a much-hyped onscreen kiss - failed to generate much viewership. The plug was pulled on "Dirt" during its second season.

Cox quickly bounced back with a three-episode arc on "Scrubs" (NBC, 2001-08; ABC, 2009- ) in 2008, appearing as the new head of the show's fictitious hospital. That same year, she reunited with Adam Sandler in a more benevolent role as his sister in the Disney hit, "Bedtime Stories" (2008). And as rumors flew that she would reprise Gale Weathers in "Scream 4" (2010), it was announced that Cox would again return to series work for "Cougar Town" (2009), a single-camera comedy she was co-producing with "Scrubs" producer Bill Lawrence for ABC. The show focused on a recently divorced mother (Cox) who reluctantly returns to the dating scene while trying to single-handedly raise her perpetually humiliated son (Dan Byrd). Her triumphant return to the small screen earned the actress a 2010 Golden Globe award nomination for Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy. Shortly after the start of season two, however, Cox's life became overnight tabloid fodder with the shocking announcement in October 2010 that she and her husband of 11 years would be parting ways; that they had already been quietly separated for months. The announcement ushered in a wealth of rumors and innuendo, with Arquette not helping matters by airing a bit of dirty laundry on Howard Stern's radio program the day after the announcement. Despite the split, the couple stated that they would remain friends and loving parents to daughter, Coco.