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 parents divorced in 1980, Aniston lived primarily with her mother. Two years later, she enrolled at the Rudolf Steiner School, where she was a member of the drama club. She went on to attend New York City’s renowned High School of Performing Arts, where she was educated in theater and fine arts. Although she was an artist of considerable talent (one of her paintings was chosen to be exhibited at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art), Aniston opted for a professional acting career.

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.

The success of the show was followed by a wealth of media attention. Aniston’s popularity was confirmed when she was listed among People magazine’s “Most Intriguing People” of 1995 and 1996. Furthermore, the layered hairstyle that she adopted in the early years of the show became such an overwhelming trend with American women that Rolling Stone named her “America's First Hairdo.”

Aniston has since translated her TV stardom into success on the big screen. 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.

Aniston provided the voice of Annie Hughes in the animated fantasy feature The Iron Giant (1999). She joined a stellar cast, including Susan Sarandon, Sally Field and Angelica Huston, in 2000’s Time of Our Lives. She also starred as a rock groupie opposite Mark Wahlberg in Rock Star (2001).

Friends was one of the most popular sitcoms on television. In 2000, after a widely publicized battle with NBC, Aniston and her fellow cast members negotiated a salary of $750,000 per episode. In addition to her professional strides, she has remained in the headlines for her high-profile personal relationships. In 1995, she dated Counting Crows band member Adam Duritz, before starting a three-year relationship with actor Tate Donovan, which ended in 1998. Later that year, she began a serious romance with actor Brad Pitt. Aniston and Pitt were married July 29, 2000, in Malibu, California, and divorced in 2005.