Actress. Born Jennifer Aniston (original family name was Anastassakis), on February 11, 1969, in Sherman Oaks, California. Daughter to actors Nancy and John Aniston, and the goddaughter of Telly Savalas, Jennifer was exposed to acting at an early age. Of Greek descent, she spent a year of her childhood living in Greece. Her family eventually returned to the U.S., settling in New York when her father landed the role of the villainous Victor Kiriakis on the NBC soap opera Days of Our Lives.
After her graduation in 1987, Aniston appeared in a number of TV commercials and off-Broadway productions, including For Dear Life at New York’s Public Theater, and Dancing on Checker’s Grave. During this time, the struggling actress often supplemented her income by waitressing. In an attempt to find more lucrative work, she moved to Los Angeles, where she was featured in her first television role on the short-lived sitcom Molloy (1990). During the early 1990s, Aniston landed a succession of supporting roles in failed television sitcoms, including Ferris Bueller (1990), Herman’s Head (1991), The Edge (1992), and Muddling Through (1994). She also managed to make her feature acting debut in the poorly received horror film Leprechaun (1993).
Still determined, the actress auditioned for yet another TV pilot called Friends (1994), which focused on a group of 20-something New Yorkers. Impressed with her delivery, the producers cast Aniston in the role of suburban princess turned waitress Rachel Green. The series met with both critical and commercial acclaim when it premiered, making household names of Aniston and her costars — Matthew Perry, Matt LeBlanc, Courteney Cox Arquette, David Schwimmer, and Lisa Kudrow.
 She has appeared in several lighthearted films, including the well-received romantic comedy She’s the One (1996) with Edward Burns and Cameron Diaz, and Picture Perfect (1997) which brought Aniston her first leading role as well as a $2 million paycheck. In 1998’s screen adaptation of Stephen McCauley's novel The Object of My Affection, she delivered a commendable performance as a pregnant social worker who falls for her gay friend.
In 1999, Aniston provided the voice of Annie Hughes in the animated fantasy feature The Iron Giant. She is set to join a stellar cast, including Susan Sarandon, Sally Field and Angelica Huston, in 2000’s Time of Our Lives. In September 2001, she starred as the girlfriend-manager of heavy metal singer Mark Wahlberg in Rock Star. A year later, she earned critical film acclaim for The Good Girl, where she played a dispirited store clerk searching for a more meaningful life. She took a more lighthearted turn in 2003 as the wife of a man (Jim Carrey) endowed with God-like powers in Bruce Almighty. The actress has also signed on to star in and produce a dark comedy about a politician's wife who's confronted by a 10-year-old son she gave up for adoption.