Courteney Cox Arquette (born Courteney Bass Cox on June 15, 1964) is an American actress, best known for her role as Monica Geller in the long-running television series Friends.

Cox Arquette was born in Birmingham, Alabama to an affluent Southern family; her late father, Richard L. Cox, was a businessman and her mother, also named Courteney, was a housewife.

Cox was the first person to use the word "period" on U.S. television in its physiological sense, in a 1985 advertising campaign for Tampax brand tampons. After coming to prominence in the 1984 music video for Bruce Springsteen's "Dancing in the Dark" (in which she became the pulled-on-stage-girl who danced onstage with Springsteen), she appeared in several theatrical films, including Masters of the Universe (1987) and Cocoon: The Return (1988).

Cox had a starring role in the short-lived television series, Misfits of Science (1985) and later had a recurring role (1987 - 1989) on the television series Family Ties.

Cox is best known for playing Monica Geller on the hit TV series Friends (1994 - 2004). She became the only principal member of the show's cast not to be nominated for an Emmy Award. After the show became successful, Cox appeared in several high-profile Hollywood films, including Scream (1996), Scream 2 (1997), Scream 3 (2000), 3000 Miles to Graceland (2001), and also appeared in an episode of WCW Monday Nitro trying to convince her husband David Arquette that he was not a wrestler after Arquette had recently won the World Heavyweight Championship. Prior to her success with Friends, she also appeared in the unexpectedly popular Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994).

In late 2003, Cox hosted her own television series, entitled Mix It Up. It was taped at her home and focused on dealing with a partner moving in and interior decoration. The show received low ratings and was not renewed for a second season.

In 2005, Cox starred in the independent film November, which had only a limited theatrical release, and appeared in the big budget remake of The Longest Yard, although she was uncredited. She has signed on to star in Dirt, a television drama for the FX Networks, in which she will play Lucy Spiller, a tabloid editor; Cox and her husband, David Arquette, will executive produce the series.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Courteney_Cox
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