A native of Los Angeles, Cox expressed an interest in show business at an early age, making her debut dancing in the feature film ?Mac and Me.? She continued her dance career and went on to perform with the Los Angeles Music Center Ballet, in the Joffrey Ballet?s ?Romeo and Juliet? and in music videos with such performers as Michael Jackson and Paula Abdul.

Making her first television appearance at the age of ten on ?Mama?s Family,? Cox? breakthrough on the small screen came when she starred as Tiffany Malloy on ?Unhappily Ever After.? Her other television credits include guest starring roles ?The Drew Carey Show,? ?Norm,? ?General Hospital,? recurring roles on ?Baywatch,? ?Pearl,? ?California Dreams,? as well as guest-star appearances on ?Star Trek: The Next Generation,? ?Night Court,? ?Murphy Brown? and ?Boy Meets World.?

Cox? other credits include the television movies ?Freshman Fall,? ?The Ryan White Story? and the sci-fi thriller ?The Island.? She also appeared on the big screen in the feature films ?Terminator 2: Judgment Day,? ?The Glimmer Man,? the indie flick ?Run Ronnie Run? and in ?The Nutty Professor II: The Klumps? with Eddie Murphy and Janet Jackson.