Cox Arquette, Courtney (1964– )

US actor. She is best known for her role as the obsessive but endearing chef Monica on the hit television comedy series Friends (1994–2004). She also gave a notable performance as a haughty reporter in Wes Craven's horror trilogy Scream (1996–2000).

She appeared in the television series Misfits of Science (1985) and Family Ties (1987–89). Early films include Mr Destiny (1990) and The Opposite Sex and How to Live with Them (1993), but her first major starring role was opposite Jim Carrey in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994). Other films include Commandments (1997), The Runner (1999), 3,000 Miles to Graceland (2001), Get Well Soon (2001), and Alien Love Triangle (2002).

She was born and grew up in Mountain Brook, a suburb of Birmingham, Alabama. She studied architecture at Mount Vernon College but dropped out after a year to pursue her career in entertainment. She landed a contract with the Ford Modeling Agency and appeared on several television commercials. Her first television role was on the US soap opera As the World Turns (1984). She gained wider exposure as the girl that US rock singer Bruce Springsteen pulled from the audience to dance onstage with him in his popular video ‘Dancing in the Dark’ (1984). She married Scream co-star David Arquette in 1999.