Facts
Jennifer Aniston was born in Sherman Oaks, California, and
is the daughter of Cretan-Greek actor John Aniston
(originally Yannis Anastasakis,
later americanised to John Aniston)
and his wife Nancy Dow. Aniston's
godfather is actor Telly Savalas, John Aniston's
best friend. Aniston spent much of her
childhood in New York, where her father
won a role in the soap opera Love of Life
and later Search for Tomorrow.
In 1985, the family moved to Los Angeles
when John Aniston started on Days of Our Lives. Aniston's
mother, from whom she is now estranged, is
an actress of half Scottish, as well as
English, and Italian descent; through her,
Jennifer is a direct descendant of the royal House of Stuart of Scotland.
Attending Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts during 1987, Jennifer Aniston was a member of the drama club. Her desire to become an actress grew as she worked in off-Broadway productions such as For Dear Life
and Dancing on Checker's Grave. She appeard as a Nutri-System
girl on the Howard Stern Radio Show
in the late 80s/early 90s.
She moved to Hollywood and appeared in her
first television roles in 1990, starring as a regular
on the short-lived series Molloy
and in the TV movie Camp Cucamonga.
She also co-starred in the
short-lived Ferris Bueller
the same year, a television
adaptation of the 1986 teen
movie Ferris Bueller's Day Off
(it barely lasted a season).
Aniston then starred in two more
failed sitcoms, The Edge and Muddling Through
and guest-starring on shows such as Quantum Leap, Herman's Head,
and Burke's Law. After this string of flops, especially her appearance in the critically-derided horror movie Leprechaun, Aniston
seriously considered giving up acting, until a script
for a new sitcom on NBC's 1994-1995 fall line-up came her way.
In 1994, the producers of the new NBC
show called Friends originally wanted Aniston
to audition for the role of Monica Geller,
but she persuaded them that the role of Rachel Green
was more suited to her character. She played the character until
the show ended in 2004.
Although she's been in a handful of films,
including the cult hit Office Space, Aniston
first gained critical acclaim for her role in The Good Girl.
In January 2005 her marriage to actor Brad Pitt
came to an end, and she was thrust in the spotlight
when Pitt started dating actress Angelina Jolie.
Months later, Aniston began dating actor Vince Vaughn, though the two have kept quiet about their relationship.
