Courteney Bass Cox (previously
Courteney Cox Arquette; born June 15, 1964) is an American actress and filmmaker. She gained international recognition for her starring role as
Monica Geller on the
NBC sitcom
Friends, which aired from 1994 to 2004. For her performance in the series, she received seven
Screen Actors Guild Award nominations, of which she won one. She received further recognition for starring as
Gale Weathers in the horror film franchise
Scream (1996–present). She also starred as Lauren Miller in the
NBC sitcom
Family Ties (1987–1989), Lucy Spiller in the
FX drama series
Dirt (2007–2008), and as
Jules Cobb in the
ABC/
TBS sitcom
Cougar Town (2009–2015), the lattermost of which earned her nominations at the
Golden Globe Awards and the
Critics' Choice Awards.
Cox's other films include the action fantasy
Masters of the Universe (1987), the comedy
Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994), the animated comedy
Barnyard (2006), the fantasy comedy
Bedtime Stories (2008), and the independent drama
Mothers and Daughters (2016). She owns the production company
Coquette Productions, which was created by Cox and her then-husband
David Arquette. She also worked as a director on her sitcom
Cougar Town, the television drama film
TalhotBlond (2012), and the black comedy drama film
Just Before I Go (2014).