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Jennifer Aniston

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Jennifer Joanna Aniston (born February 11, 1969) is an American actress. She became famous in the 1990s for her role as Rachel Green in the US sitcom Friends, a role for which she won an Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award.

She has starred in many Hollywood films. While most of her film roles have been in comedies such as Bruce Almighty, Office Space, Rumor Has It, and the romantic comedies Along Came Polly and The Break-Up, she has also appeared in films from other genres, such as the comedy-horror Leprechaun, the crime thriller Derailed and the musical drama movie, Rock Star.

Early life

Jennifer Aniston was born in Sherman Oaks, California, and grew up in New York City. She is the daughter of actor John Aniston and actress Nancy Dow. Aniston's father is a Greek American, born Yannis Anastassakis on the island of Crete, Greece, while her mother is of Italian-Scottish descent and was born in New York City. Aniston has two half-brothers, John Melick (older) and Alex Aniston (younger). Aniston's godfather was the actor Telly Savalas†, her father's best friend. She lived in Greece for one year as a child with her family, and they later relocated to New York City. Her father has appeared in the soap operas Days of our Lives, Love of Life and Search for Tomorrow. Aniston attended the New York Rudolf Steiner School and graduated from Manhattan's Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts. She worked in Off Broadway productions such as For Dear Life and Dancing on Checker's Grave. She supported herself with several part-time jobs, including working as a telemarketer and bike messenger. In 1989, she moved to Los Angeles, California.

Career

[Aniston and Steve Zahn Faces Red Carpet for Premiere of Management.jpg|thumb|left|Aniston, with [[Steve Zahn], at the premiere of Management]], in which she starred.
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 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, and Burke's Law. After the string of canceled shows, along with her appearance in the critically derided 1992 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 Courteney Cox was considered to be better suited to the role. Thus, Aniston was cast as Rachel Green. 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 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 (two for Supporting Actress, three for Lead Actress), 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.

Jennifer Aniston has appeared in various commercials and music videos. In 1996, she was in Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers music video, "Walls." Aniston was in Melissa Etheridge's 2001 music video, "I Want To Be In Love." Jennifer Aniston was cast in a Heineken commercial which was later banned due to branding issues. Aniston has been in commercials for L'Oreal Hair Products. In 1994, Microsoft invited Aniston, along with Friends co-star Matthew Perry, to shoot a 30-minute promotional advertisement for their new operating system, Windows 95. She gained critical acclaim for her performances in The Object of My Affection (1998), a comedy drama about a girl who falls for a gay man, and in the low-budget 2002 film, The Good Girl, directed by Miguel Arteta, playing an unglamorous cashier in a small town. The latter film opened in relatively few theaters—under 700 in total—taking $14M in the U.S. box office. In late 2005, Aniston appeared in two major studio films, Derailed and Rumor Has It.

In addition to her career as a television actress, Aniston has enjoyed a successful film career. Her biggest box office success to date was her appearance in 2003's Bruce Almighty, in which she played the girlfriend of title character Jim Carrey. Aniston then starred in the 2004 film, Along Came Polly opposite Ben Stiller. In 2006, Aniston appeared in the low-budget drama, Friends with Money, which was first shown at the Sundance Film Festival, received a limited release. 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.

In 2007, Aniston guest starred in an episode of Courteney Cox Arquette's series Dirt. Aniston played Arquette's snobby rival Tina Harrod. 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, Mariah Carey, Celine Dion and Jennifer Lopez and is ahead of Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera and the Olsen twins. Aniston's net worth is approximately $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. In 2008, Aniston landed the seventeenth spot on Forbes Celebrity 100 list based on "earnings and fame." Forbes listed Aniston's earnings as $27 million.

Aniston appeared in the third episode of Season 3 of NBC's 30 Rock playing Liz Lemon's old college roommate who stalks Jack Donaghy.

Aniston appears nude in a series of photographs that are published on the cover and inside pages of the January 2009 issue of GQ. She tells the magazine that she feels more comfortable today than she did in her twenties or early thirties. "I'm healthier. I'm more at peace in my mind and with my body," Aniston says. She also appears nude in The Break Up.


On December 25, 2008, Marley & Me, in which Aniston starred alongside Owen Wilson, was released. It set a record for the largest Christmas Day box office ever with $14.75 million in ticket sales.It earned a total of $51.7 million over the four-day weekend and placed #1 at the box office, a position it maintained for two weeks. The total worldwide gross was $242,717,113.

Her next film in wide release, He's Just Not That into You, opened in February 2009. The movie made $27.5 million, ranking #1 at the box office in its opening weekend.www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3ib2336cb7507211a2e4389b8078d6194b While the film received mixed reviews, Aniston along with Jennifer Connelly, and Ben Affleck are often praised by critics as being the stand-outs in the film.

As of 2009, Aniston's movies have grossed $900,618,847 in the United States and over $1,508,048,564 worldwide.

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.

Personal life


Aniston dated her Ferris Bueller TV costar Charlie Schlatter in 1990. She began a relationship with Daniel MacDonald in 1991, which continued until 1994 shortly before she was cast in Friends.
She briefly dated musician Adam Duritz in 1995. From 1995 to 1998, she was romantically involved with actor Tate Donovan and the couple were reportedly engaged.

In 1998, she began dating actor Brad Pitt and married him on July 29, 2000, in a lavish Malibu wedding. For a few years, their marriage was considered the rare Hollywood success. However, the couple announced their separation on January 6, 2005. Pitt became involved with actress Angelina Jolie, though Pitt has denied cheating on Aniston with her. Pitt and Aniston were seen together publicly after announcing their separation, even at a dinner party for Aniston's birthday, and friends of the couple had declared they were reconciling. Aniston, however, filed for divorce on March 25, 2005. It was finalized on October 2, 2005. Media reports speculated that the split was due to Aniston's refusal to have children with him. Aniston denied that this was the cause of their split in an August, 2005 Vanity Fair interview, stating, "...I've always wanted to have children, and I would never again give up that experience for a career."

Aniston 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."

Following her divorce, Aniston began a relationship with actor Vince Vaughn, with whom she costarred in The Break Up. Relationship troubles were reported in September 2006, followed by a confirmed split in December of that year. She briefly dated model Paul Sculfor for a few months in 2007. In February 2008, she began dating singer John Mayer. The couple had broken up in August, but resumed the relationship in October, before splitting again in March 2009.

Aniston has had two septoplasties to correct her deviated septum—one which was incorrectly done in 1994 and the second in January 2007. Septoplasty is a surgical operation that helps alleviate a common condition that can lead to breathing difficulty and trouble sleeping. She is the godmother of Coco Riley Arquette, the daughter of her good friends, actors Courteney Cox Arquette and David Arquette. Aniston is also very close with her formers co-stars in Friends, Lisa Kudrow and Matthew Perry.

Philanthropy

Aniston is a supporter of many charity foundations. She 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 and has appeared in many TV commercials for St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital, which she supports. She made a guest appearance on Oprah's Big Give show to support the cause and donated money to help. Aniston 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 community.

Filmography

Actress

[|thumb|right|Aniston at the [[2008 Toronto International Film Festival]]]
Film
Year Film Role Notes
1993 Leprechaun Tory Reding First feature film
1996 She's the One Renee Fitzpatrick
Dream for an Insomniac Allison
1997 'Til There Was You Debbie
Picture Perfect Kate Mosely
1998 The Thin Pink Line Clove
Waiting for Woody Herself Short film
The Object of My Affection Nina Borowski
1999 Office Space Joanna
The Iron Giant Annie Hughes Voice Only
2001 Rock Star Emily Poule
2002 The Good Girl Justine Last Won a Teen Choice Award

Nominated for an Independent Spirit Award

Nominated for an OFCS Award

Nominated for a Golden Satellite Award

Nominated for a Teen Choice Award
2003 Bruce Almighty Grace Connelly Nominated for an MTV Movie Award shared with Jim Carrey
Nominated for a Teen Choice Award
Abby Singer Herself Cameo 2004 Along Came Polly Polly Prince Nominated for an MTV Movie Award shared with Ben Stiller 2005 Derailed Lucinda Harris Rumor Has It... Sarah Huttinger 2006 Friends with Money Olivia The Break-Up Brooke Meyers Won a Teen Choice Award Won a People's Choice Award
2008 Marley & Me Jenny Grogan Christmas Day box-office record with $14.75 million
Nominated for a Kid's Choice Award

Won a Teen Choice Award
2009 He's Just Not That into You Beth Murphy Nominated for a Teen Choice Award Management Sue Claussen Love Happens Eloise Chandler 2010 The Baster Kassie Larson Post-production The Bounty Hunter Cassidy Daley Post-production Counter Clockwise Ellen Langer Pre-production The Goree Girls TBA Pre-Production Chemistry Paige Abbott In Development 2011 Pumas Helena Reeves In Development Holler Karla Brooks In Development
colspan=4 style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Television
style="background: #CCCCCC;" | Year
style="background: #CCCCCC;" | Title
style="background: #CCCCCC;" | Role
style="background: #CCCCCC;" | Notes
1990MolloyCourtneyMain role (6 episodes)
1990Camp CucamongaAva SchectorTelevision movie
19901991Ferris BuellerJeannie BuellerMain role
19921993The EdgeVarious charactersMain role
1994Muddling ThroughMadeline Drego CooperMain role
19942004FriendsRachel GreenWon a Golden Globe (2003)

Won a Primetime Emmy Award (2002)

Won a Screen Actors Guild (1996)

Won a Logie Award (2004)

Won 3 Teen Choice Awards (2002-2004)
colspan=4 style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Guest appearances
style="background: #CCCCCC;" | Year
style="background: #CCCCCC;" | Title
style="background: #CCCCCC;" | Role
style="background: #CCCCCC;" | Notes
1992Quantum LeapKiki Wilson"Nowhere to Run" (Season 5, Episode 4)
19921993Herman's HeadSuzie Brooks
  • "Twisted Sister" (Season 1, Episode 25)
  • "Jay Is for Jealousy" (Season 3, Episode 8)
1994Burke's LawLinda Campbell"Who Killed the Beauty Queen?" (Season 1, Episode 4) 1998PartnersCPA Suzanne"Follow the Clams?" (Season 1, Episode 17) 1998Disney's HerculesGalatea (Voice)"Dream Date" (Season 1, Episode 27) 1999South ParkMrs. Stevens - Choir Teacher (Voice)"Rainforest Schmainforest" (Season 3, Episode 1) 2003Freedom: A History of UsJessie Benton"Wake Up America " (Season 1, Episode 4) King of the HillPepperoni Sue/Stephanie (Voice)"Queasy Rider" (Season 7, Episode 13) 2007DirtTina Harrod"Ita Missa Est " (Season 1, Episode 13) 200830 RockClaire Harper"The One With the Cast of Night Court" (Season 3, Episode 3)

Director credits


style="background:#b0c4de;" | Year
style="background:#b0c4de;" | Title
style="background:#b0c4de;" | Notes
2006Room 10Short Film

Won a CineVegas International Film Festival

Producer credits


style="background:#b0c4de;" | Year
style="background:#b0c4de;" | Title
style="background:#b0c4de;" | Notes
2008ManagementExecutive producer
2010The BasterExecutive producer
The Goree GirlsProducer
_ The Senator's WifeProducerwww.imdb.com/name/nm0000098/#producer

Awards


Jennifer Aniston has won multiple awards during her career, for both television and movie productions.
Here is a complete list of awards that she has achieved in her life.

Year || Award || Category || Work || Result
1996american comedy awardsfunniest supporting female performer in a TV seriesFriendsaward-nom
screen actors guild awardsOutstanding performance by an ensemble in a comedy seriesaward-won
1999American comedy awardsFunniest supporting female performer in a TV seriesaward-nom
Screen actors guild awardsOutstanding performance by an ensemble in a comedy seriesaward-nom
2000Emmy awardsOutstanding supporting actress in a comedy seriesaward-nom
Satellite awardsBest performance by an actress in a series, comedy or musicalaward-nom
Screen actors guild awardsOutstanding performance by an ensembleaward-nom
2001American comedy awardsFunniest supporting female performer in a TV seriesaward-nom
Emmy awardsOutstanding supporting actress in a comedy seriesaward-nom
Screen actors guild awardsOutstanding performance by an ensembleaward-nom
2002Emmy awardsOutstanding lead actress in a comedy seriesaward-won
Golden globe awardsBest performance by an actress in a supporting roleaward-nom
Screen actors guild awardsOutstanding performance by an ensembleaward-nom
Outstanding performance by a female actor in a comedy seriesaward-nom
2003Emmy awardsOutstanding lead actress in a comedy seriesaward-nom
Golden globe awardsBest performance by an actress in a television series musical or comedyaward-won
Satellite awardsBest performance by an actress in a series, comedy or musicalaward-nom
Screen actors guild awardsOutstanding performance by an ensembleaward-nom
Outstanding performance by a female actor in a comedy seriesaward-nom
Independent spirit awardBest Female leadThe Good Girlaward-nom
Satellite awardsBest performance by an actress in a motion picture, comedy or musicalaward-nom
Online Film critics societyBest Actressaward-nom
2004Emmy awardsOutstanding lead actress in a comedy seriesFriendsaward-nom
Screen actors guild awardsOutstanding performance by an ensembleaward-nom
2009Emmy awardsOutstanding Guest actress in a comedy series30 Rockaward-nom

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Jennifer Aniston".

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maria galay said on 11/11/2008 1:41 AM.
I HONESTLY BELIEVE THINGS HAPPEN FOR A REASON. I KNOW HOW JENNIFER FEELS WITH REGARDS TO LOVE AND I KNOW THAT IN LIFE THERE IS SOMEONE OUT THERE FOR US. IM SUCH A HUGE FAN OF YOURS AND I LOVE YOUR WORK. YOURE BEAUTIFUL!!!

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