| Human Profile | |
| Name: | Jennifer Joanna Aniston |
| Birthday: | February 11, 1969 (age 56 years), Born in Sherman Oaks, California |
| Height: | 5'5" (165 cm) |
| Education: | Rudolf Steiner School (No Degree) Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts (Diploma), Drama N/A (No Degree) |
Overview
Jennifer Aniston is an American actress, daughter of actors John Aniston and Nancy Dow, widely recognized for her Emmy and Golden Globe-winning portrayal of Rachel Green in the popular sitcom Friends, as well as her roles in numerous films and the drama series The Morning Show.
Latest News (Feb 2, 2026): Appeared in a new Dunkin' Donuts Super Bowl teaser alongside Ben Affleck and Matt LeBlanc that premiered during the 2026 Grammys, jokingly begging Affleck not to air "monster cringe" archival footage. She also used her Instagram platform to issue a rare political call to action, urging her followers to contact their representatives regarding the fatal shooting of an ICU nurse in Minneapolis.
Early Life and Education
Jennifer Joanna Aniston was born on February 11, 1969, in Sherman Oaks, California. Her parents were both actors, John Aniston and Nancy Dow. Her father is of Greek descent from the island of Crete, and her mother had English, Irish, Scottish, and a small amount of Greek ancestry. One of her maternal great-grandfathers was from Italy. Jennifer Joanna Aniston has two half-brothers: an older maternal half-brother, John Melick, and a younger paternal half-brother, Alex Aniston. Actor Telly Savalas was her godfather.
When she was a child, her family relocated to New York City. Her parents divorced when she was nine years old, and she was raised by her mother. Despite her father’s career in television, she was discouraged from watching it. At the age of six, she attended a Waldorf school. She discovered her interest in acting at age 11 at the Rudolf Steiner School’s drama club. She later enrolled at Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts in New York City, where she joined the drama society. After graduating in 1987, she began her acting career in off-Broadway productions while working part-time jobs as a telemarketer, waitress, and bike messenger to support herself.
Career Beginnings
Jennifer Joanna Aniston’s early career included roles in Off-Broadway productions such as “For Dear Life” and “Dancing on Checker’s Grave”. She had an uncredited minor role in the 1988 film Mac and Me. In 1989, she moved to Los Angeles and began appearing on television. She was a spokesmodel for Nutrisystem on The Howard Stern Show.
Her first regular television role was in the short-lived 1990 series Molloy. That same year, she appeared in the television film Camp Cucamonga and the television adaptation of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, which was also quickly canceled. She also had guest roles in series such as Quantum Leap, Herman’s Head, and Burke’s Law. Her first major film role came in the 1993 horror-comedy Leprechaun.
Breakthrough with “Friends”
Jennifer Joanna Aniston’s breakthrough came when she was cast as Rachel Green in the NBC sitcom Friends, which aired from 1994 to 2004. The role was initially offered to Courteney Cox, who was instead cast as Monica Geller. The series, centered on a group of six friends in New York City, became a massive success and a global phenomenon.
Her character’s on-again, off-again relationship with Ross Geller, played by David Schwimmer, was a popular storyline throughout the series. For her portrayal of Rachel Green, Jennifer Joanna Aniston received a Primetime Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award. By the end of the series, she and her co-stars were earning $1 million per episode, making them among the highest-paid television actors of all time. The “Rachel” hairstyle she sported on the show became an international trend.
Film Career and Television Return
During her time on Friends, Jennifer Joanna Aniston also pursued a film career, often appearing in romantic comedies. She starred in films such as The Object of My Affection (1998) and the cult hit Office Space (1999). In 2002, she received critical acclaim for her role in the independent drama The Good Girl, where she played a bored retail clerk having an affair. She followed this with the successful comedy Bruce Almighty (2003) opposite Jim Carrey.
After Friends concluded, she focused on her film career, starring in a variety of genres. Her notable films include the romantic dramedy The Break-Up (2006), the comedy Marley & Me (2008), and the ensemble comedies Horrible Bosses (2011) and We’re the Millers (2013). For her performance in the 2014 drama Cake, she earned Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Award nominations.
She made a return to television in 2019, both producing and starring in the Apple TV+ drama series The Morning Show. Her role as Alex Levy earned her a Screen Actors Guild Award.
Personal Life
Jennifer Joanna Aniston’s personal life has often been the subject of media attention. She was married to actor Brad Pitt from 2000 to 2005. Their marriage and subsequent divorce were highly publicized. In 2015, she married actor Justin Theroux. They announced their separation in 2017 and later divorced. Jennifer Joanna Aniston does not have any children. In a 2022 interview, she revealed that she had privately undergone in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatments in her late 30s and 40s.