Jennifer Aniston Biography

Biography written by Jeremy Falcone of AbsoluteNow. Please do not reproduce without credit.

Jennifer Aniston struggled for many years in Hollywood, until a little show they call 'Friends' came along.

She came from a land far away - Greece - where she was raised for just a year before her family moved back to the United States. Her family name was Anastassakis; luckily, her folks realized this might be a bit tough for Americans to pronounce, so they shortened it to Aniston. Her father is actor John Aniston (Days of Our Lives) and her mother is Nancy (a model and occasional actress). Her parents divorced when Jennifer was just 9.

Her father's status in the biz probably sparked her initial interest; which she finally discovered at age 11, when she joined the Rudolf Steiner School's Drama Club. She loved the gig, and decided to train professionally. She attended New York's High School of the Performing Arts.

Upon graduation, Jennifer set off for stardom. At first, all that came to her were a few roles in off-Broadway productions. She decided to hang up her New York shoes and her waitress' apron, and head to Hollywood. Eventually, she nabbed a few small roles on television and screen, but not until she shed some weight. Aniston credits her agent as advising her to drop some thirty pounds, and it would certainly seem that the advice worked. But the roles didn't amount to much (Exhibit A: Leprechaun, quite possibly the dumbest horror flick to take itself seriously in a long time.)

But then, fate came knocking. Asked to audition for the role of Monica on an up-and-coming tv series called "Friends Like These" (later shortened to "Friends" in case you'd lived under a rock throughout the 90s), Aniston declined and opted instead for the role of Rachel. She got the role, the cast met and the rest is history. Blessed with the time slot before Seinfeld, some great writers, and a beautiful but talented cast the series took off. And during the peak of its hype, Aniston was receiving most of the attention, as she was donned the "Sexy Friend." Her hair-do was the most mimiced since Farrah Fawcett's Charlie's Angels locks.

Because of the hype, the career choices of the "Friends" were under the microscope. Some quickly shot themselves in the foot (Matt LeBlanc in "Ed" may never live down that disappointment) but many saw Aniston as the one to rise above the pack. She has starred in two features, both "Picture Perfect" and "The Object of My Affection", each receiving both critical praise and a decent outing at the box office.

Her high profile job has made her love life just as high profile. She's cuddled with Adam Duritz (of the Counting Crows, who also dated Courteney Cox for two years) and Tate Donovan. Donovan, apparently was reluctant to pop the question, so Aniston spun into the arms of the sexiest man alive - Mr. Brad Pitt. He too has had a high profile romance career, most notably with Ms. Gwyneth Paltrow. The combination of the two was too much for tabloids - who had a field day. The two finally tied the knot on July 29, 2000. The million dollar wedding was highly protected, but still highly covered by media organizations around the world.

Celebrities galore were present at the wedding, but missing were Gwyneth Paltrow and Aniston's mother. Apparently, Jennifer became estranged from her mother, who made unflattering statements about Jennifer in a tabloid. Because of this, Jennifer refused to invite her mother to her wedding and her mother again turned to a tabloid, revealing that the dis had hurt her severly.

Aniston, often confused with the ditzy character she plays on TV, is quite the opposite. Intelligent and versatile, she toyed with the idea of a career in the fine arts. When she was 11, a painting she'd done was displayed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Luckily, she turned to acting instead.

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