Jennifer Aniston

Early life

Aniston was born in Sherman Oaks, California, the daughter of actor John Aniston and actress Nancy Dow (1936-2016). Her father is Greek, while her mother was born in New York City. One of her maternal great-grandfathers was an Italian immigrant, and her mother's other ancestry includes English, Irish, Scottish, and a small amount of Greek. Aniston has two half-brothers, John Melick, her older maternal half-brother, and Alex Aniston, her younger paternal half-brother. Aniston's godfather was actor Telly Savalas, one of her father's best friends.

As a child, Aniston lived in Greece for a year with her family. They then moved to Eddystone, Pennsylvania, where they lived with her grandmother Stella Anastassakis in a three-bedroom home. While living in Eddystone, Aniston was enrolled at a local elementary school. She and her family later moved to New York City. Despite her father's television career, Aniston was discouraged from watching TV, though she found ways around the prohibition. When she was six, she began attending a Waldorf school. Her mother and father split up when she was nine years old. Her father is best known for his role as Victor Kiriakis on the NBC daytime drama Days of Our Lives, which he originated in 1985. Her mother appeared in two 1960s TV series, The Wild Wild West and The Beverly Hillbillies.

Having discovered acting at age 11 at the Waldorf school, Aniston enrolled in and graduated from Manhattan's Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts, where she joined the school's drama society. Anthony Abeson was her drama teacher. She played The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window by Lorraine Hansberry and Three Sisters by Anton Chekhov. In 2015, she spoke about a childhood incident that led to her lifelong fear of water. She stated during a special event for her film Cake, "I basically have a real fear of going underwater. I was a kid and I was riding this tricycle around a swimming pool and I drove my tricycle into the swimming pool and I didn't let go and my brother tried to (help). So, I can't go underwater and no one will believe me. I honestly can't." The incident led to filming a swimming pool scene 30 times on the set of the film with director Daniel Barnz before getting it right.

1988–1993: Career beginnings

Aniston worked in Off-Broadway productions such as For Dear Life and Dancing on Checker's Grave, and supported herself with several part-time jobs, which included working as a telemarketer, waitress, and bike messenger. In 1989, Aniston appeared on The Howard Stern Show, as a spokesmodel for Nutrisystem. That year, Aniston moved back to Los Angeles.

Aniston was cast in her first television role in 1990, starring as a regular on the short-lived series Molloy. She then co-starred in Ferris Bueller, a television adaptation of the movie Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986), which, like Molloy, was quickly canceled. Aniston then appeared in two more failed television comedy series, The Edge and Muddling Through. Other roles included the horror film Leprechaun (1993), the TV movie Camp Cucamonga (1990), and guest roles on Quantum Leap, Herman's Head, and Burke's Law.

1994–2002: Television breakthrough and rising film career

Depressed over her four unsuccessful television shows, Aniston approached Warren Littlefield at a Los Angeles gas station asking for reassurance about her career. The head of NBC entertainment encouraged Aniston to continue acting, and a few months later helped cast her for Friends, a sitcom that was set to debut on NBC's 1994–1995 fall lineup. The producers of the show originally wanted Aniston to audition for the role of Monica Geller, but Courteney Cox was considered to be better suited to the role. Thus, Aniston was cast as Rachel Green. She was also offered a spot as a featured player on Saturday Night Live, but turned it down to do Friends. She played the character of Rachel from 1994 until the show ended in 2004.

The program was successful and Aniston, along with her co-stars, gained worldwide reputation among television viewers. Aniston received a salary of US$1 million per episode for the last two seasons of Friends, as well as five Emmy nominations (two for Supporting Actress, three for Lead Actress), including a win for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series. She was also nominated for two Golden Globe Awards and won, in 2003, the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy. According to the Guinness World Book of Records (2005), Aniston (along with her female costars) became the highest paid TV actresses of all time with US$1 million-per-episode paycheck for the tenth and final season of Friends. Her character's relationship with Ross Geller, portrayed by David Schwimmer in the show, was widely popular among audiences, and the couple were frequently voted as TV's favorite couple by polls and magazines.

Following a four-year hiatus from cinema, Aniston returned to film work in 1996, when she performed in the ensemble cast of the independent films She's the One (1996), and Dream for an Insomniac (1998). Aniston's first starring vehicle was the film Picture Perfect (1997), in which she starred opposite Kevin Bacon and Jay Mohr. While the film received mixed reviews, Aniston's performance was more warmly received, with many critics suggesting that she had screen presence. She starred in the cult film Office Space (1999) for director Mike Judge. She appeared in The Object of My Affection (1998), a comedy-drama about a woman who falls for a gay man (played by Paul Rudd).

She gained critical acclaim for her performance in the low-budget film The Good Girl (2002), playing an unglamorous cashier who cheats on her husband. The latter film opened in relatively few theaters – under 700 in total – taking US$14 million at the U.S. box office. In 2002, film critic Roger Ebert declared the role as her breakthrough film, stating that, "after languishing in a series of overlooked movies that ranged from the entertaining Office Space to the disposable Picture Perfect (1997), Jennifer Aniston has at last decisively broken with her "Friends" image in an independent film of satiric fire and emotional turmoil. It will no longer be possible to consider her in the same way."

2003–2011: Film career

Aniston's biggest box office success to date was her appearance in the comedy Bruce Almighty (2003), in which she played the girlfriend of Jim Carrey's title character. Aniston then starred in the romantic comedy film Along Came Polly (2004) opposite Ben Stiller. Aniston appeared in two major studio films, the thriller Derailed (2005), and the rom-com Rumor Has It... (2005). Aniston appeared in the low-budget drama Friends with Money (2006), which was first shown at the Sundance Film Festival and received a limited release. Aniston's next film was the romantic comedy The Break-Up (2006) alongside Vince Vaughn which received mixed reviews. The A.V. Club's Keith Phipps gave the film a negative review stating, "It’s like watching the 'we were on a break' episode of Friends stretched to feature length, and without the blessed relief of commercial breaks or the promise of Seinfeld around the corner." CinemaBlend gave the film a positive review stating, "In an era of formulaic romantic movies that bear no resemblance to reality, The Break-Up offers a refreshing flipside." It was released on June 2 and grossed approximately US$39.17 million during its opening weekend. The film was successful at the box office grossing US$204 million worldwide.

Aniston directed a hospital emergency room-set short film called Room 10 (2006), starring Robin Wright and Kris Kristofferson as part of Glamour's Reel Moments film series. Aniston noted that she was inspired to direct by actress Gwyneth Paltrow, who also directed a short film in 2006. In 2007, Aniston guest starred in an episode of Courteney Cox Arquette's series Dirt, playing Arquette's rival, Tina Harrod. She appeared in the third episode of Season 3 of NBC's 30 Rock playing Liz Lemon's old college roommate who stalks Jack Donaghy.

On December 25, 2008, the comedy-drama Marley & Me, in which Aniston starred alongside Owen Wilson, was released. It set a record for the largest Christmas Day box office ever with US$14.75 million in ticket sales. It earned a total of US$51.7 million over the four-day weekend and placed number one at the box office, a position it maintained for two weeks. The total worldwide gross was US$242.7 million. Her next film in wide release, the romantic comedy-drama He's Just Not That Into You (2009), where she starred opposite Ben Affleck, opened in February. The movie grossed $178.8 million globally and ranked at number one at the United States box office for its opening weekend. While the film received mixed reviews, Aniston, along with Affleck, Ginnifer Goodwin, and Jennifer Connelly, were often praised by critics as being the stand-outs in the film.

On July 16, 2009, Aniston received an Emmy nomination in the category of Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for her role on 30 Rock. Aniston was a guest star on the season 2 premiere of ABC's sitcom Cougar Town, playing a psychiatrist. Her announcement to appear on Cougar Town garnered excitement and was dubbed as her return to television. The A.V. Club wrote, "Aniston plays Jules' therapist, and the part is more or less a twist on the old, 'The psychiatrist is crazier than the patient!' gimmick, though the show has a lot of fun with the idea that the therapist is obviously batshit [...] It's a funny bit, and it highlights just how much Jennifer Aniston is built to be a TV star." Numerous media outlets also praised her performance.

In March 2010, Aniston appeared in the romantic comedy action film The bounty hunter, which costarred Gerard Butler. The film was panned by critics. The Hollywood Reporter described it as a "mishmash ends up as a thoroughly unfunny adult cartoon." It was a modest box office success, garnering over US$130 million worldwide. A lukewarm box-office reception greeted her next film, the romantic comedy The Switch (2010), in which she co-starred with Jason Bateman. The film's opening weekend drew what The Hollywood Reporter dubbed "a dispiriting US$8.4 million." The film received generally mixed reviews, with review site Metacritic showing 13 out of 30 critics delivering a positive verdict.

By June 20, 2010, Aniston's movies had grossed more than US$1 billion in the United States and over US$1.7 billion worldwide. Aniston's romantic comedy Just Go with It (2011), with Adam Sandler, was released on Valentine's Day weekend. The story is about a plastic surgeon, played by Sandler, who asks his office manager, played by Aniston, to pose as his wife, to prove his honesty to his much younger girlfriend, played by Brooklyn Decker. Aniston starred in the comedy movie Horrible Bosses (2011), with Colin Farrell, Jason Bateman, Charlie Day, and Jamie Foxx, directed by Seth Gordon. The film focuses on a trio of employees who plot to murder their titular tyrannical supervisors. Aniston played one of the bosses, a sexually aggressive dentist who harasses Charlie Day's character. She reprised her role in the sequel Horrible Bosses 2 (2014).

2012–present

Aniston appeared in the comedy Wanderlust (2012) with Paul Rudd, with whom she co-starred in the movie The Object of My Affection (1998) and also Friends. The script for Wanderlust, bought by Universal Pictures, was written by Rudd, Ken Marino, and David Wain, with the latter also directing the film, and was produced by Judd Apatow. The movie was about a married couple who join a commune after losing their money and deciding modern life is not for them. Wanderlust received positive reviews but was a box office failure, grossing only $21 million worldwide, against a production budget of $35 million.

Aniston starred with Jason Sudeikis in EUE/Screen Gems Productions' We're the Millers (2013), filmed in the summer of 2012 in Wilmington, North Carolina and in the state of New Mexico. The film, a comedy about a drug dealer with a fake family, received mixed reviews from critics. We're the Millers was a financial success grossing US$269 million against a budget of US$37 million. Aniston played the role of Mickey Dawson in Life of Crime (2014), a film adaptation of Elmore Leonard's 1978 novel The Switch. Catherine Shoard of The Guardian described her performance as "endearingly comic" and Eric Kohn of Indie Wire wrote that her role in the film outshone every recent film performance by her stating, "Aniston tops any of her recent performances with a spirited turn that harkens back to her neurotic days on Friends." The movie was released in the US to positive reviews. The cast include Tim Robbins, John Hawkes, Mos Def, Isla Fisher, Will Forte, and Mark Boone Junior.

Aniston starred in the film Cake (2014), directed by Daniel Barnz, portraying an astringent woman named Claire Simmons who struggles with chronic pain. The film received mixed reviews; however, Aniston's performance was highly praised, dubbed by some critics as "Oscar-worthy." The Toronto International Film Festival called her performance "heartbreakingly good", Gregory Ellwood of HitFix stated, "It's really on most people's radar for being a rare dramatic turn for Jennifer Aniston, and she doesn't disappoint." He further stated, "Aniston makes you believe in Claire's pain. She makes you believe this character is at her lowest point and only she can pull herself out of it. [...] It's a complete performance from beginning to end and she deserves the appropriate accolades for it." For her portrayal, Aniston was nominated for the Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress, Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama, and Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role. The movie also starred Adriana Barraza, Anna Kendrick, Sam Worthington, Felicity Huffman, and William H. Macy.

In 2015, she played Jane Claremont in She's Funny That Way directed by Peter Bogdanovich. The movie was produced by Wes Anderson and Noah Baumbach, and starred Owen Wilson, Imogen Poots, Kathryn Hahn, Rhys Ifans, and Will Forte. The film received mixed reviews but Aniston's performance was once again noticed. Wesley Morris of The Grantland called her "one of the great screen comedians. [...] Most of her scenes here are extraneous, but her vulgarity and tartness are so sharp that the movie needs them. [...] This isn’t just Aniston having the best stuff. It’s her having the most fun with her talent. She’s funny in every way." She's "one of the film’s few bright spots" for Lou Lumenick from The New York Post.

Aniston starred in the romantic comedy Mother's Day (2016), directed by Garry Marshall and co-starring Julia Roberts, Kate Hudson, Timothy Olyphant, and Jason Sudeikis. The film was released in April 2016. It received very bad reviews and didn't work well to the Box Office.

In 2016, Aniston had a role in the animated movie Storks, voicing Sarah Gardner, alongside Andy Samberg and Kelsey Grammer. The film was released on September 23. The reviews were mostly positive and it grossed over $182 million with a $70 million budget.

She then starred in Office Christmas Party, opposite Jason Bateman and Kate McKinnon, which was directed by Josh Gordon & Will Speck and released on December 9, 2016.

From December 2015 to January 2016, she shoot the war drama film The Yellow Birds, directed by Alexandre Moors, starring alongside Alden Ehrenreich, Tye Sheridan, Jack Huston, and Toni Collette. It was first presented during the 2017 Sundance Film Festival on January 21, 2017.

Other work and business ventures

Aniston has appeared in various commercials and music videos throughout her career. In 1996, she was in Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers music video for "Walls". In 2001, Aniston was in Melissa Etheridge's music video for "I Want To Be In Love". She was cast in a Heineken commercial which was later banned in the U.S. due to branding issues. Aniston has also been in commercials for L'Oreal hair products. In 1995, Aniston and her Friends co-star Matthew Perry shot a 60-minute instructional video for the release of Microsoft's Windows 95 operating system. Along with Brad Pitt and Brad Grey, CEO of Paramount Pictures, Aniston founded the film production company Plan B Entertainment in 2002, although she and Grey withdrew in 2005. In 2008, she and producer Kristin Hahn formed the production company Echo Films.

Under a contract with Elizabeth Arden, Inc., Aniston worked for over a year on a new perfume, which was released on July 21, 2010, at Harrods in London. Original plans called for the perfume to be named Lolavie by Jennifer Aniston, but to avoid confusion with a similarly named perfume, the name was changed to simply Jennifer Aniston. In an interview following the launch, Aniston said that she would also like to create a fragrance for men. In 2014, she launched her second perfume named J. In 2015, she launched her third perfume named Near Dusk and created her fourth scent in 2016, named Beachscape. In July 2017, her fifth perfume Luxe is released.

Since 2007, Aniston has worked in a publicity campaign for the drink SmartWater; on March 7, 2011, she released a YouTube video, titled "Jennifer Aniston Goes Viral", for SmartWater, which tripled online interest in the product within 24 hours of its release. In January 2013, Aniston became the new spokesperson and face of Aveeno Skincare. The commercials began airing in May 2013. In 2015, she became the new face of Emirates airline in a deal reported to be roughly US$5 million. Aniston's marketing campaign for the Dubai-based Emirates airline was reportedly a success, with the airline bagging No.1 position as the most popular brand in the UAE for the second consecutive year. The 5th October 2016, a second ad was released. In 2016, she became the spokesperson for MyEyeLove Campaign.

From 2012 to 2016, She was also a spokesperson and co-owner of hair care brand Living Proof. Unilever bought the company in 2016 and Aniston left at that time.

Philanthropy

Aniston is a supporter of Friends of El Faro, a grassroots non-profit organization that helps raise money for Casa Hogar Sion, an orphanage in Tijuana, Mexico. She has appeared in many TV commercials for St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital, which she supports. She also hosted September 2008's Stand Up to Cancer show. In the "It Can't Wait" campaign to free Burma, Aniston directed and starred in a video.

On April 14, 2007, Aniston received GLAAD's Vanguard Award for her contributions to increased visibility and understanding of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community. On Earth Day 2010, she joined Courteney Cox, Woody Harrelson, Ben Stiller and others, in "The Cove PSA: My Friend is...", an effort to stop the slaughter of dolphins and protect the Japanese people from the toxic levels of mercury found in dolphin meat. Other charities that Aniston has supported include AmeriCares, Clothes Off Our Back, Feeding America, EB Medical Research Foundation, Project A.L.S., OmniPeace, and Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network.

Aniston donated US$500,000 to Doctors Without Borders, Haitian health care provider Partners In Health and AmeriCares, and also participated in the Hope for Haiti Now telethon. In 2013, she was named the Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF) ambassador for the Saks Fifth Avenue Key To The Cure campaign, which raises funds for the EIF Women's Cancer Research Fund to support research into the detection, treatment, and cures for women's cancers. In 2015, she supported the Comic Relief, Inc. charity.

In 2016, Aniston was honored by SmartWater for her ongoing philanthropic work for St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital at a special event in LA for the hospital that was attended by numerous celebrities. During the event, Aniston spoke of the importance of philanthropy in her life to InStyle magazine stating, "We live an extremely beautiful, fortunate life being able to do what we get to do for a living. And so it's a way of being able to be in a position to do something for people who are less able. It’s something that makes my heart smile."

Relationships

From 1990 to 1994, Aniston had a relationship with actor Daniel McDonald. Aniston met Brad Pitt in 1998; their relationship became high-profile as it was widely publicized in the press. She married Pitt, after two years of dating, on July 29, 2000 in a lavish Malibu wedding. For a few years, their marriage was considered the rare Hollywood success. On January 7, 2005, they announced their separation and finalized their divorce on October 2, 2005. During their divorce proceedings, there was intense speculation in the media that Pitt had been unfaithful to Aniston with his Mr. & Mrs. Smith co-star Angelina Jolie, whom he started dating soon after the split. In the following months, the public's reaction toward the divorce was reported in the press, and "Team Aniston" and "Team Jolie" T-shirts appeared throughout the country. The divorce made the front-pages of tabloid magazines for years, and it still continues to be discussed in the media. Aniston commented on the divorce in a January 2015 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, stating that "Nobody did anything wrong.... It was just like, sometimes things [happen]."

In 2005, amid reports that Pitt and Aniston's divorce was due to Aniston's refusal to have children with Pitt, Aniston stated to Vanity Fair, "I've never in my life said I didn't want to have children. I did and I do and I will... I would never give up that experience for a career." Aniston also revealed that her divorce prompted her to reach out to her mother, Nancy, from whom she was estranged for nearly a decade. They initially became estranged when Nancy talked about her daughter on a television show and later wrote a book entitled, From Mother and Daughter to Friends: A Memoir (1999). Aniston has also stated she was devastated by the death of her longtime therapist, whose work helped make her separation from Pitt easier. Aniston said her relationship with Pitt, which she does not regret, was "seven very intense years together" and that "it was a beautiful, complicated relationship".

Aniston dated actor Vince Vaughn from 2005 to December 2006. She was in a relationship with musician John Mayer from 2008 to 2009.

Aniston started a relationship with actor, director, and screenwriter Justin Theroux in May 2011. In January 2012, Aniston and Theroux purchased a home in Los Angeles's Bel-Air neighborhood for roughly US$22 million. They became engaged on August 10, 2012 and were married on August 5, 2015 at their Bel-Air estate.

Health and fitness

Aniston practices yoga and a Budokan karate. In 2014, Aniston spoke of her Transcendental Meditation practice.

Aniston said she had undiagnosed dyslexia, which had affected her education and self-esteem, and that after being diagnosed in her 20s, her outlook toward life changed. She stated, "I thought I wasn't smart. I just couldn't retain anything. Now I had this great discovery. I felt like all of my childhood trauma-dies, tragedies, dramas were explained."

Wealth

In 2007, Forbes rated Aniston as one of the top 20 richest women in entertainment and estimated her net worth to be about US$110 million. Aniston was also included in the annual Star Salary Top 10 of trade magazine The Hollywood Reporter for 2006. According to Forbes, in October 2007, Aniston was the top-selling celebrity face of the entertainment industry. She was also Hollywood's most profitable actress. Aniston has been on the Forbes Celebrity 100 list, based on "earnings and fame", every year since 2001, topping the list in 2003. For the year of 2008, Forbes listed Aniston's earnings as US$27 million. In 2014, Aniston ranked 3rd on Forbes Top Earning Actresses, earning US$31 million in that year. Her net worth is estimated to be US$150 million as of 2014. In 2015, Aniston ranked 5th on Forbes Top Earning Actresses, earning US$16.5 million in that year. In 2016, Aniston ranked 4th on Forbes Top Earning Actresses, earning US$21 million in that year. She has been on the Forbes Top Earning Actresses for 15 years, every year since 2001. In May 2017, Forbes estimated Aniston's net worth to be $200 million. The following August, the magazine ranked her as the world's second highest-paid actress with yearly earnings of $25.5 million.

Public image

In 2005, Aniston became the first-ever GQ Woman of the Year. She has frequently appeared on People's annual list of "Most Beautiful Women", and was number-one in 2004 and recently in 2016. She also topped the magazine's Best Dressed List in 2006. She has been a regular on FHM's 100 Sexiest Women list since 1996, ranking at number 79 in 2012, number 81 in 2010, number 24 in 2009, and number 27 in 2008. In 2011, The Daily Telegraph reported the most sought after body parts of the rich and famous revealed by two Hollywood plastic surgeons who carried out a survey among their patients to build up the picture of what the perfect woman would look like. Under the category of the most sought after body shape, Aniston was voted in the top three, alongside Gisele Bündchen and Penélope Cruz. In the same year, readers of Men's Health magazine voted Aniston the "Sexiest Woman of All Time".

Although Aniston disliked the hairstyle she wore during her first two years on Friends, "The Rachel" became very popular among women. Aniston received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on February 22, 2012. The star is located at 6270 Hollywood Boulevard, in front of The W Hollywood Hotel. It is recognized as STAR 2, 462nd. On Forbes' list of the 100 Most Powerful Actresses in Hollywood, she was ranked number-8 in 2009, number-2 in both 2011 and 2012, and number-3 in 2013.

In July 2016, Jennifer Aniston wrote an essay for The Huffington Post, in reply to recent rumors about her, where she criticized "The objectification and scrutiny we put women through..." and stated that "We are complete with or without a mate, with or without a child. We get to decide for ourselves what is beautiful when it comes to our bodies....We don’t need to be married or mothers to be complete. We get to determine our own “happily ever after” for ourselves." The essay was supported by many celebrities and thoroughly discussed in the media.

Accolades

Aniston's accolades include a Primetime Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award.