Otelia Cox is best known as the wife of retired American actor Tony Cox, the comedic performer behind memorable roles in Bad Santa, Friday, Spaceballs, and Return of the Jedi. Unlike her husband, Otelia has never worked in film or television, and she has kept her personal life almost entirely out of public view for more than four decades.

Because so little has been confirmed about her directly, most of what is publicly known about Otelia comes from biographical records about Tony Cox himself, including Wikipedia, IMDb, and Encyclopedia.com. These sources do not always agree with each other, and this article separates what is documented from what is simply repeated across smaller websites without a clear source.

Who Is Otelia Cox?

Otelia Cox is publicly identified as the spouse of actor Tony Cox, whose full name is Joseph Anthony Cox. According to Wikipedia, the two met while attending high school together and later married, though the exact marriage year is disputed across sources (more on that below). Otelia has not pursued an entertainment career of her own, and there is no verified public record of her occupation, date of birth, or place of birth independent of her connection to Tony Cox.

Early Life and Background

Public information about Otelia Cox’s own upbringing, family background, and education has not been independently documented. What is documented is Tony Cox’s background: according to Wikipedia, he was born in New York City and raised in Uniontown, Alabama, by his grandparents, Lottie and Henry Jones. He attended Robert C. Hatch High School in Uniontown and graduated in 1976.

Because Otelia is consistently described as having met Tony during his high school years in Uniontown, several sources assume she is also from the same area. However, no primary source (such as a birth record, interview, or verified biography) confirms Otelia’s own hometown, birth date, or childhood details. Any claims describing her specific personality traits, hobbies, or childhood experiences beyond this basic connection should be treated as unverified.

How Did Otelia Cox Meet Tony Cox?

According to Wikipedia’s biography of Tony Cox, he met his future wife, Otelia, during high school in the mid-1970s. At the time, Tony was more focused on music than acting; he had taken up drumming around age 10 and continued playing through his teenage years. After graduating high school in 1976, he enrolled at Alabama State University, originally intending to study music, before later deciding to pursue acting.

No detailed public account exists describing how Otelia and Tony’s relationship developed from acquaintances to a couple, such as their first date or engagement. What can be reliably stated is that their connection began before Tony Cox achieved any level of fame, and years before he moved to Los Angeles to pursue acting.

When Did Otelia Cox and Tony Cox Get Married?

This is the most inconsistent detail in Otelia Cox’s public biography, and it is worth explaining clearly rather than picking one date and presenting it as settled fact.

Wikipedia states that Tony Cox and Otelia married in 1981, when Tony was 23 years old.

IMDb, in its biography section for Tony Cox, states that he “has been married to Otelia since 1989.”

Encyclopedia.com, in its own contributor biography of Tony Cox, also lists the marriage as beginning in 1989 and notes “children: one daughter.”

Because two independently maintained reference sources (IMDb and Encyclopedia.com) agree on 1989, while Wikipedia’s editors have sourced 1981, there is a genuine and unresolved discrepancy in the public record.

Rather than asserting either date as definitively correct, the most accurate statement is that Otelia and Tony Cox have been married since either 1981 or 1989, depending on the source consulted, and that no public divorce or separation has ever been reported.

Do Otelia Cox and Tony Cox Have Children?

Yes. Encyclopedia.com’s biography of Tony Cox specifically states the couple has “one daughter.” IMDb’s listing is slightly less specific, stating only that the couple “have one child” without naming a gender.

The daughter’s name, age, and current profession have not been made public through any verified source. This appears to be a deliberate choice by the family rather than a simple lack of documentation, since Tony Cox has spoken publicly about his own career and personal history in interviews (including a 2023 feature with CBS 42) without disclosing details about his daughter.

What Is Otelia Cox’s Life Like as Tony Cox’s Wife?

Otelia Cox has not given public interviews describing her role in Tony Cox’s career or personal life, so specific claims about how she supported him day to day (such as managing his schedule or finances) are not independently confirmed and should be read as reasonable assumptions rather than documented fact.

What is verifiable is the broader context of the marriage. Tony Cox has publicly discussed the difficulty of building an acting career as a person with dwarfism in an industry that historically offered limited and often demeaning roles to little-person performers. In his CBS 42 interview, Cox described early credited roles such as being billed as “Circus Dwarf” on television, and said his breakout part in Bad Santa in 2003 was the role he had been praying for. Otelia’s marriage to Tony spans this entire period, from before his career began through his most successful years and into his retirement.

Why Does Otelia Cox Stay Out of the Public Eye?

There is no confirmed public statement from Otelia Cox explaining her preference for privacy. The most that can reasonably be said is that, unlike some spouses of well-known actors, she has not appeared in interviews, attended red carpet events under her own public profile, or maintained a known public social media presence tied to her name.

Multiple biography sites warn that accounts or photos claiming to belong to Otelia Cox online cannot be verified and may not actually depict her. Readers should treat any social media profile claiming to be Otelia Cox with caution unless it is directly linked or confirmed by Tony Cox himself.

What Is Otelia Cox’s Net Worth?

There is no publicly verified net worth figure for Otelia Cox specifically. She does not have an independently documented career, salary, or business ownership on record. Any specific dollar figure attributed to her online is an estimate from a secondary source rather than a confirmed financial record, and should not be treated as fact.

Tony Cox’s own income comes from a screen acting career spanning from 1980 to his retirement in 2016, but a husband’s professional earnings do not equate to a documented personal net worth for his spouse.

Who Is Tony Cox?

To understand why Otelia Cox receives public attention at all, it helps to know her husband’s career. Joseph Anthony Cox, known professionally as Tony Cox, was born on March 31, 1958, and stands 3 feet 6 inches tall. According to Wikipedia, he began his acting career in 1980 after moving to Los Angeles and studying at the Merrick Studio School of Acting.

Over more than three decades, Cox built a filmography that includes:

• Bad Santa (2003) as Marcus, opposite Billy Bob Thornton
• Bad Santa 2 (2016), reprising the role of Marcus
• Friday (1995)
• Me, Myself & Irene (2000)
• Star Wars: Episode VI, Return of the Jedi (1983), as an Ewok
• Spaceballs (1987)
• Beetlejuice (1988), as the Preacher
• Willow (1988)
• Date Movie (2006)
• Epic Movie (2007)
• Disaster Movie (2008)
• Leprechaun 2 (1994)

He is most widely recognized for Bad Santa, in which he played Marcus Skidmore, the sharp-tongued partner of Billy Bob Thornton’s character.

Why Did Tony Cox Stop Acting?

According to CBS 42’s 2023 profile of Cox, he underwent hip replacement surgery following the release of Bad Santa 2 in 2016. With fewer roles being offered afterward, Cox, then 58, decided to retire from acting altogether. He has since spoken about spending time with family and enjoying life away from the entertainment industry.

What Isn’t Publicly Known About Otelia Cox

Given how often Otelia Cox is searched, it is worth being explicit about the gaps in her public record rather than letting them go unaddressed. As of this writing, none of the following have been confirmed by Wikipedia, IMDb, Encyclopedia.com, or any other primary source:

• Her date of birth or current age
• Her place of birth or childhood hometown
• Her occupation or work history, if any
• Her education, including whether she attended or graduated high school or college
• Her daughter’s name, birth year, or current occupation
• Any personal net worth figure, individually or combined with Tony Cox
• Any verified personal hobbies, interests, or creative pursuits
• Any active, verified social media account under her name
• The exact circumstances of how her relationship with Tony Cox began, beyond the fact that they met in high school

Several smaller websites fill these gaps with specific-sounding claims, such as naming a hobby, giving an age range, or estimating a net worth. Because none of these details trace back to an interview, public record, or a source like Wikipedia, IMDb, or Encyclopedia.com, they should be treated as guesses rather than facts. The most accurate current answer to most of these questions is simply that the information has not been made public, and there is no indication that Otelia Cox intends to change that.

Quick Facts About Otelia Cox

Final Thoughts

Otelia Cox’s public story is defined less by what is known about her personally and more by the long, largely private marriage she has maintained with Tony Cox since either 1981 or 1989, depending on the source. She is confirmed to be his spouse and the mother of their one daughter, but details about her own background, career, and personal life remain undocumented by any primary source.

Rather than filling in those gaps with speculation, the most accurate way to describe Otelia Cox is as a private individual who has chosen to stay out of the entertainment spotlight throughout her husband’s decades-long acting career.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Otelia Cox?

Otelia Cox is the wife of retired American actor Tony Cox, known for roles in Bad Santa, Friday, and Spaceballs. She has not pursued a public entertainment career of her own.

How did Otelia Cox meet Tony Cox?

According to Wikipedia’s biography of Tony Cox, the two met during high school in Uniontown, Alabama, in the mid-1970s.

When did Otelia Cox and Tony Cox get married?

Sources disagree. Wikipedia lists 1981. IMDb and Encyclopedia.com both list 1989.

Do Otelia Cox and Tony Cox have children?

Yes. Encyclopedia.com states they have one daughter. Her name and other personal details have not been made public.

Is Otelia Cox an actress?

No. There is no record of Otelia Cox appearing in any film or television project.

Is Otelia Cox on social media?

There is no verified public social media account confirmed to belong to Otelia Cox.

What is Otelia Cox’s net worth?

Her personal net worth has not been publicly documented or verified.

Are Tony and Otelia Cox still married?

Yes. No divorce or separation has been publicly reported, and public records continue to list them as married.

Why did Tony Cox retire from acting?

Per a CBS 42 interview, Cox retired following hip replacement surgery after Bad Santa 2 (2016), citing fewer role offers and a decision to step back from Hollywood.