Jennifer Aniston (born
February 11,
1969) is an
Emmy- and
Golden Globe Award-winning
American film and
television actress, best known for her role as
Rachel Green in the popular television
sitcom Friends. Since
Friends she has starred in several successful
Hollywood films, including
Bruce Almighty,
Along Came Polly and
The Break-Up.
Early life
Aniston was born in
Sherman Oaks, California, and grew up in
New York City. She is the daughter of the
Greek-American actor
John Aniston (originally Yannis Anastassakis) and actress
Nancy Dow. Aniston has two half-brothers, John Melick and Alex Aniston. Aniston's father was born on the island of
Crete, while her maternal grandfather, Gordon McLean Dow, was of
Scottish and
English descent, and her maternal grandmother, Louise Grieco, was of
Italian ancestry.
[1] Aniston's
godfather was the late
Greek American actor Telly Savalas, her father's best friend. Aniston spent part of her childhood in
Greece, but most of it in
New York City, where her father appeared in the soap operas
Love of Life and
Search for Tomorrow. In 1985, the family moved to
Los Angeles, where Aniston's father starred on the soap opera
Days of our Lives as
Victor Kiriakis.
Aniston graduated from Manhattan's
Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts. Among her high school friends was future gay rights activist
Chastity Bono. Aniston's desire to become an actress grew as she worked in
Off-Broadway productions such as
For Dear Life and
Dancing on Checker's Grave. During this time, she supported herself with several part-time jobs, including working as a
telemarketer and bike messenger.
Career
Aniston moved to
Hollywood and was cast in her first
television role in 1990, starring as a regular on the short-lived series
Molloy and in the TV movie
Camp Cucamonga. She also co-starred in
Ferris Bueller, a television adaptation of the 1986 hit movie
Ferris Bueller's Day Off, the same year; the series, however, was quickly canceled. Aniston then appeared in two more failed television comedy shows,
The Edge and
Muddling Through, and guest-starred on
Quantum Leap,
Herman's Head,
Burke's Law, on
South Park in episode
Rainforest Schmainforest. After the string of cancelled shows, along with her appearance in the critically derided 1993
horror film,
Leprechaun, Aniston considered giving up acting.
Aniston's plans changed, however, after auditioning for
Friends, a sitcom that was set to debut on
NBC's 1994-1995 fall line-up. The producers of the show originally wanted Aniston to audition for the role of
Monica Geller, but she persuaded them that she was better suited for the role of
Rachel Green. She was cast in the role and played the character from 1994 until the show ended in 2004.
The program was hugely successful and Aniston, along with her co-stars, gained wide renown among
television viewers. Her hairstyle at the time, which became known as the
"Rachel", was widely copied. Aniston received a salary of one million dollars per episode for the last two seasons of
Friends, as well as five
Emmy nominations, including a win for "Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series".
According to the Guinness World Book of Records (2005), Aniston (along with her female costars) became the highest paid TV actress of all time with her $1 million-per-episode paycheck for the tenth season of
Friends.
Aniston has starred in several theatrical films, including
Office Space and
Picture Perfect (1997) .
She gained the most critical acclaim for her role in the low-budget 2002 film,
The Good Girl, directed by Miguel Arteta, playing an unglamorous cashier in a small town. The film opened in relatively few theaters - under 700 in total - taking $14M in the U.S. box office.
Jennifer's biggest box office success was her appearance in 2003's
Bruce Almighty, in which she played the girlfriend of title character (
Jim Carrey); the film grossed $243M at the United States box office and almost twice that worldwide. Aniston's 2004 film,
Along Came Polly (opposite
Ben Stiller), also did well at the box office after opening at the #1 spot.
In late 2005, Aniston headlined two major studio films,
Derailed and
Rumor Has It, both of which performed fairly at the box office, grossing over $36 million each despite little support from critics.
In 2006, Aniston appeared in the low-budget drama,
Friends with Money, which was first shown at the Cannes Film Festival, received a limited release, and grossed over $13 million. Aniston's next film,
The Break-Up, which was released on
June 2, grossed approximately $39.17 million during its opening weekend, despite lukewarm reviews.
[2] It has currently grossed over $118 million at the U.S. box office and over $203 million worldwide.
In addition to acting, Aniston has also directed a
hospital emergency room-set
short film named
Room 10, starring
Robin Wright Penn and
Kris Kristofferson; Aniston has noted that she was inspired to direct by actress
Gwyneth Paltrow, who directed a short film in 2006.
Forbes listed Aniston as the 10th richest woman in the
entertainment industry for the year 2007. She is behind such powerhouses as
Oprah Winfrey,
J. K. Rowling,
Madonna and
Jennifer Lopez and is ahead of
Britney Spears,
Christina Aguilera and the
Olsen twins. Aniston's net worth is approximately $110 million.
[3] Aniston was also included in the annual Star Salary Top 10 of trade magazine
The Hollywood Reporter for
2006.
[4] According to Forbes in October 2007, Aniston was the top-selling celebrity face of the entertainment industry.
[5]
Aniston has been signed to play a role in the up-coming thriller
Wanted along with
Meryl Streep and
Martin Hernandez.
[6]
Personal life
Aniston has previously dated musician Adam Duritz, actor
Paul Rudd and was engaged to actor
Tate Donovan. Her high-profile relationship with actor
Brad Pitt was frequently publicized in the press. She married Pitt on
July 29,
2000, in a lavish
Malibu wedding. Though their marriage was, for years, considered the rare Hollywood success, rumors of trouble began circulating, and the Pitts announced their separation on January 7, 2005. As Pitt's marriage to Jennifer drew to a close, he and actress
Angelina Jolie were involved in a well-publicized Hollywood scandal in which Jolie was often painted as the "other woman," largely due to their chemistry during the filming of the movie
Mr. and Mrs. Smith. While Jolie and Pitt both denied any claims of adultery, speculations continued to mount throughout 2004 and early 2005. Aniston and Pitt later separated on
January 7,
2005, and Aniston officially filed for
divorce on
March 25,
2005. The
divorce was finalized on
October 2,
2005.
Media reports have speculated that the split was due to Aniston's refusal to have children. Aniston vehemently denied this later on in an August 2005
Vanity Fair interview, stating, "I've never in my life said I didn't want to have children... I've always wanted to have children, and I would never give up that experience for a career." (Also, in the same article, she has said that because of the divorce, she reached out to her mother, from whom she was estranged for nearly a decade. They initially became estranged when Nancy talked about Jennifer on a tv show and later wrote a book titled "From Mother and Daughter to Friends: A Memoir" (1999)
[7].)
She has also stated that the death of her longtime therapist, whose work helped to make the separation from Pitt easier, more than a year ago was "devastating."
[8] Summing up her relationship with Pitt, Aniston has said that their relationship, which she does not regret, was "seven very intense years together" and that "it was a beautiful, complicated relationship."
[9]
Since the couple's divorce, Aniston has been romantically linked with actor
Vince Vaughn.
[10] In August of
2006, Aniston denied rumors that the two were engaged or that Vaughn had proposed.
[11] In October
2006, gossip magazine
Us Weekly quoted sources from Vaughn that the couple had split. "Jen lives in a crazy crazy world with all the press. It's just not his world."
[12]
In December 2006, reps for both Aniston and Vaughn confirmed that they had indeed split up a few weeks before when Aniston visited Vaughn in London.
Courteney Cox Arquette is Aniston's best friend. In 2007, Aniston was invited to guest star in an episode of Arquette's new television show
Dirt. Aniston played Arquette's snobby rival Tina Harrod on
March 27.
[13] Jennifer Aniston is also the godmother of Courtney's child, Coco.
She has had two
septoplastys to thin her
deviated septum: one incorrectly done in 1994 and one in early 2007. This is a simple medical procedure which helps cure the common condition which can lead to breathing difficulty and trouble sleeping. Tabloids falsely reported this as a "nose job."
[14] Aniston says if she could be one person for a day she would be Oprah.
Filmography
Awards
- 1995: Screen Actors Guild Award: Outstanding Ensemble Performance in a Comedy Series, Friends
- 2001: People's Choice Award: Favorite Female Television Performer, Friends
- 2001: Aftonbladet TV Prize, Sweden: Best Foreign TV Personality- Female, Friends
- 2002: Emmy Award: Best Actress in a Comedy Series, Friends
- 2002: People's Choice Award: Favorite Female Television Performer, Friends
- 2002: Hollywood Film Festival: Actress of the Year
- 2002: Teen Choice Award: Choice TV Actress- Comedy, Friends
- 2002: Aftonbladet TV Prize, Sweden: Best Foreign TV Personality- Female, Friends
- 2003: Golden Globe Award: Best Actress in a Comedy Series, Friends
- 2003: People's Choice Award: Favorite Female Television Performer, Friends
- 2003: Teen Choice Award: Choice TV Actress- Comedy, Friends
- 2003: Teen Choice Award: Choice Movie Actress- Drama/Action Adventure, The Good Girl
- 2003: Aftonbladet TV Prize, Sweden: Best Foreign TV Personality- Female, Friends
- 2004: Logie Awards: Most Popular Overseas Star, Friends
- 2004: People's Choice Award: Favorite Female Television Performer, Friends
- 2004: Teen Choice Award: Choice TV Actress- Comedy, Friends
- 2004: Aftonbladet TV Prize, Sweden: Best Foreign TV Personality- Female, Friends
- 2006: Teen Choice Award: Choice Movie Chemistry (shared with Vince Vaughn), The Break-Up
- 2007: People's Choice Award: Favorite Female Movie Star, The Break-Up
- 2007: GLAAD Media Awards: Vanguard Award
References
1.
^ [1]
2.
^ Box Office Mojo.
The Break-Up's opening weekend gross. Retrieved on June 16, 2006.
3.
^ Forbes.com.
In Pictures: The Richest 20 Women In Entertainment. Retrieved on March 2, 2007.
4.
^ Hollywood.com.
Nicole Kidman Tops Hollywood Earners List at Hollywood.com. Retrieved on March 2, 2007.
5.
^ [2]
6.
^ IMDb.com.
Jennifer Aniston, Meryl Streep & Martin Hernandez in the up-coming thriller Wanted. Retrieved on August 6, 2007.
7.
^ [3]
8.
^ Vogue.
Vogue interview. Retrieved on June 14, 2006.
9.
^ Daily Times.
Aniston just wants to make Friends with Pitt. Retrieved on June 18, 2006.
10.
^ The National Ledger.
Jennifer Aniston Dodges Vince Vaughn Questions on Letterman. Retrieved on May 26, 2006.
11.
^ TMZ.com.
Aniston Calls "Bull" on Engagement Stories. Retrieved on August 24, 2006.
12.
^ [4]
13.
^ TVSquad.com.
Jennifer Aniston to guest star on Dirt. Retrieved on March 2, 2007.
14.
^ usmagazine.com.
Jen Gets a Nose Job. Retrieved on March 2, 2007.
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Birth name William Bradley Pitt
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Presented by ATAS/NATAS
Country United States
First awarded 1949
“Emmy” redirects here.
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Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series winners:
- 1950: Gertrude Berg, The Goldbergs
- 1951: Imogene Coca, Your Show of Shows
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- 1953: Eve Arden,
..... Click the link for more information. Friends is a US situation comedy about a group living in the New York City borough of Manhattan that was originally broadcast from 1994 to 2004. It was created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, and produced by Kevin S. Bright, Marta Kauffman and David Crane.
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The Golden Globe Award
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First awarded 1944
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Friends is a US situation comedy about a group living in the New York City borough of Manhattan that was originally broadcast from 1994 to 2004. It was created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, and produced by Kevin S. Bright, Marta Kauffman and David Crane.
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The Actor: The Screen Actors Guild Award Statue
Awarded for Excellence in film and television by members of the Screen Actors Guild
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Friends is a US situation comedy about a group living in the New York City borough of Manhattan that was originally broadcast from 1994 to 2004. It was created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, and produced by Kevin S. Bright, Marta Kauffman and David Crane.
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Awarded for Excellence in television
Presented by ATAS/NATAS
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First awarded 1949
“Emmy” redirects here.
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The Golden Globe Award
Awarded for Best in film and television programs
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Country United States
First awarded 1944
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Motto
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actor, actress, or player (see terminology) is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity.
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Rachel Karen Green
First appearance "The Pilot"
Last appearance "The Last One"
Information
Gender Female
Age 24 (start of series) 34 (by end of series)
Occupation Former Waitress at Central Perk, Former Buyer and Personal Shopper at Bloomingdale's, Executive at
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worldwide view.
A
situation comedy, usually referred to as a
sitcom, is a genre of comedy programs which originated in radio. Today, sitcoms are found almost exclusively on television, as one of its dominant narrative forms.
..... Click the link for more information. Friends is a US situation comedy about a group living in the New York City borough of Manhattan that was originally broadcast from 1994 to 2004. It was created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, and produced by Kevin S. Bright, Marta Kauffman and David Crane.
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Hollywood is a district in Los Angeles, California, situated west-northwest of Downtown Los Angeles. Due to its fame and cultural identity as the historical center of movie studios and movie stars, the word "Hollywood" is often used as a metonym for the Cinema of the United States.
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Bruce Almighty is a 2003 comedy movie directed by Tom Shadyac and written by Steve Koren, Mark O'Keefe, and Steve Oedekerk. It stars Jim Carrey, Morgan Freeman, and Jennifer Aniston.
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Along Came Polly is a 2004 American romantic comedy film written and directed by John Hamburg.
An insurance actuary who's afraid of risk (Stiller) makes a living analyzing risk for insurance purposes, but finds his wife (Messing) cheating
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IMDb profile
The Break-Up is a Universal Pictures film that was released on June 2, 2006. The Break-Up stars Vince Vaughn, Jennifer Aniston, Joey Lauren Adams, Jon Favreau, Ann-Margret, Vincent D'Onofrio, Cole Hauser, Jason Bateman, Justin Long and Judy
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Sherman Oaks is an 8.1-square-mile district in the San Fernando Valley region of the City of Los Angeles, California.
Geography
The neighborhood is roughly bounded by Studio City to the east, Van Nuys to the north, Encino to the west, Bel Air and Beverly Hills to the south.
..... Click the link for more information.