Joseph Anthony Cox (born March 31, 1958) is an American actor known
for his roles in Bad Santa, Me, Myself & Irene, Date Movie, Epic Movie
and Disaster Movie. He is also known for his role in George Lucas's
Willow, as an Ewok in Return of the Jedi and as The Preacher in Tim
Burton's Beetlejuice. Cox also appeared in various music videos.Cox
was born in Uniontown, Alabama, the son of Henrietta Cox-Penn and Joe
Cox. He spent his childhood in Uniontown, with his grandmother and
grandfather, Lottie and Henry Jones. His mother and stepfather,
Rudolph (Rudy) Penn, live in College Park, Georgia. By the age of 10
he became an avid drummer. He met his future wife, Otelia, during high
school. They were eventually married in 1981 when Cox was 23 years
old.After graduation from high school, Cox attended the Alabama State
University and originally planned to study music. Cox said in a 2003
interview with Jet magazine, "I played by ear. It was exactly like in
Drumline. I played against some of the drummers from the school, and
they didn't have anything on me. I just couldn't read music."Shortly
thereafter, Cox decided to pursue acting after watching Billy Barty, a
dwarf who was an actor and also founder of the organization Little
People of America. 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 Bad Santa 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. As second lead to Billy Bob Thornton, Cox's role in
Bad Santa was a rare occurrence of a dwarf actor in a leading role.
Cox reprised his role as Marcus in Bad Santa 2, released in 2016.
for his roles in Bad Santa, Me, Myself & Irene, Date Movie, Epic Movie
and Disaster Movie. He is also known for his role in George Lucas's
Willow, as an Ewok in Return of the Jedi and as The Preacher in Tim
Burton's Beetlejuice. Cox also appeared in various music videos.Cox
was born in Uniontown, Alabama, the son of Henrietta Cox-Penn and Joe
Cox. He spent his childhood in Uniontown, with his grandmother and
grandfather, Lottie and Henry Jones. His mother and stepfather,
Rudolph (Rudy) Penn, live in College Park, Georgia. By the age of 10
he became an avid drummer. He met his future wife, Otelia, during high
school. They were eventually married in 1981 when Cox was 23 years
old.After graduation from high school, Cox attended the Alabama State
University and originally planned to study music. Cox said in a 2003
interview with Jet magazine, "I played by ear. It was exactly like in
Drumline. I played against some of the drummers from the school, and
they didn't have anything on me. I just couldn't read music."Shortly
thereafter, Cox decided to pursue acting after watching Billy Barty, a
dwarf who was an actor and also founder of the organization Little
People of America. 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 Bad Santa 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. As second lead to Billy Bob Thornton, Cox's role in
Bad Santa was a rare occurrence of a dwarf actor in a leading role.
Cox reprised his role as Marcus in Bad Santa 2, released in 2016.
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