Joseph Anthony Cox (born March 31, 1958) is a retired American actor known for his roles in ''

Bad Santa ''Bad Santa'' is a 2003 American Christmas black comedy crime film directed by Terry Zwigoff, written by Glenn Ficarra and John Requa, and starring Billy Bob Thornton in the title role, with a supporting cast of Tony Cox, Lauren Graham, Bre ...

'', ''

Friday Friday is the day of the week between Thursday and Saturday. In countries that adopt the traditional "Sunday-first" convention, it is the sixth day of the week. In countries adopting the ISO 8601-defined "Monday-first" convention, it is the fifth ...

'', ''

Me, Myself & Irene ''Me, Myself & Irene'' is a 2000 American slapstick black comedy film directed by the Farrelly brothers, and starring Jim Carrey and Renée Zellweger. Chris Cooper, Robert Forster, Richard Jenkins, Daniel Greene, Anthony Anderson, Jerod Mixo ...

'', '' Date Movie'', '' Epic Movie'', '' Disaster Movie,'' and '' Leprechaun 2''. He is also known for his role in

George Lucas George Walton Lucas Jr. (born May 14, 1944) is an American filmmaker and philanthropist. He created the ''Star Wars'' and ''Indiana Jones'' franchises and founded Lucasfilm, LucasArts, Industrial Light & Magic and THX. He served as chairman ...

's ''

Willow Willows, also called sallows and osiers, of the genus ''Salix'', comprise around 350 species (plus numerous hybrids) of typically deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist soils in cold and temperate regions. Most species are known ...

'', as an

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in ''

Return of the Jedi ''Return of the Jedi'' (also known as ''Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi'' is a 1983 American epic space opera film directed by Richard Marquand from a screenplay by Lawrence Kasdan and George Lucas. The sequel to '' The Empire ...

'', and as the Preacher in

Tim Burton Timothy Walter Burton (born August 25, 1958) is an American filmmaker and producer. Known for popularizing Goth subculture, Goth culture in the American film industry, Burton is famous for his Gothic film, gothic horror and dark fantasy films. ...

's ''

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''.

Early life

Cox was born in New York City, the son of Henrietta Cox-Penn and Joe Cox. He spent his childhood in Uniontown, Alabama, with his grandmother and grandfather, Lottie and Henry Jones. His mother and stepfather, Rudolph (Rudy) Penn, live in

College Park, Georgia College Park is a city in Fulton County, Georgia, Fulton and Clayton County, Georgia, Clayton counties, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States, adjacent to the southern boundary of the city of Atlanta. As of the 2020 United States census, ...

. By the age of 10 he became an avid drummer. Cox attended Robert C. Hatch High School and graduated in 1976. He met his future wife, Otelia Cox, during high school. They were eventually married in 1981 when Cox was 23 years old. After high school, Cox attended Alabama State University and originally planned to study music.

Career

Cox decided to pursue acting after watching

Billy Barty Billy Barty (born William John Bertanzetti; October 25, 1924 – December 23, 2000) was an American actor and activist. In adult life, he stood tall, due to cartilage–hair hypoplasia dwarfism. Because of his short stature, he was often cast i ...

, a little person who was an actor and founder of the organization

Little People of America Little People of America (LPA) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization which provides support, resources, and information to individuals with dwarfism and their families. Founding LPA was founded in 1957 by actor Billy Barty when he informally ca ...

. Encouraged by relatives and friends, he moved to Los Angeles at age 18. He began taking classes at the Merrick Studio School of Acting with Scriptwriter De De Tillman and soon began working in commercials, film, and television roles. He is better known for his roles in ''

'' where he played Marcus, the brains of a safe cracking duo, and in '' Date Movie'' where he played a parody of Dr. Hitch from '' Hitch''. Cox reprised his role as Marcus in '' Bad Santa 2'', released in 2016. Cox also appeared on the TV show ''

Martin Martin may refer to: Places Antarctica * Martin Peninsula, Marie Byrd Land * Port Martin, Adelie Land * Point Martin, South Orkney Islands Europe * Martin, Croatia, a village * Martin, Slovakia, a city * Martín del Río, Aragón, Spain * M ...

'' in the first season, playing the character Bennie, in which he helps his friend Trey, played by Bushwick Bill, beat up Tommy played by Thomas Mikal Ford, over Tommy allegedly "stealing" his ex-girlfriend. Cox also appeared in a pivotal role in the Farrelly Brothers' movie ''

'', playing a

Mensa International Mensa International is the largest and oldest high-IQ society in the world. It is a non-profit organization open to people who score at the 98th percentile or higher on a standardised, supervised IQ or other approved intelligence test. Mensa ...

-member

limousine A limousine ( or ), or limo () for short, is a large, chauffeur-driven luxury vehicle with a partition between the driver compartment and the passenger compartment which can be operated mechanically by hand or by a button electronically. A luxu ...

driver who steals

Jim Carrey James Eugene Carrey (; born January 17, 1962) is a Canadian and American actor and comedian. Known primarily for his energetic slapstick performances, he has received two Golden Globe Awards, in addition to nominations for BAFTA Awards and ...

's character's wife. Cox retired from acting in 2016, confirming in a 2023 interview that he decided to take time off following hip surgery and ultimately stepping away from the spotlight altogether.Years before ‘Bad Santa’ launched him into stardom, Tony Cox was a boy from Alabama who kept the faith
(December. 22, 2023).

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

Music videos

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cox, Tony 1958 births Male actors from Alabama People from Uniontown, Alabama Actors with dwarfism American actors with disabilities American male film actors American male television actors 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors Living people 20th-century African-American male actors 21st-century African-American male actors Actors from Perry County, Alabama