History

• Jennifer Joanna Aniston was born in Sherman Oaks, Calif., on Feb. 11, 1969. Her father, John Aniston, was an actor of Greek descent, originally born Yannis Anastassakis. Aniston's godfather was actor Telly Savalas. While living in New York, Aniston attended the High School of the Performing Arts, where she began her training as an actress. Upon graduation she landed small roles in series such as "Quantum Leap" and "Ferris Bueller," as well as parts in B movies including "Leprechaun," before she landed her breakthrough role as Rachel Green on the series "Friends."
  
  

Significance

• Starring in the "Friends," Aniston, along with her fellow cast mates, became an icon of the Generation X crowd in the late '90s. But it was her hair that would really cement her status as a style icon. During the series' first and second seasons, the actress sported a long, layered shag that became the most requested haircut in the U.S. and Britain at that time. Despite the fact that the actress eventually wore different, longer hair cuts in the following seasons, she is still associated with that particular haircut.
  In 1998, the actress once again made headlines when she began a high-profile relationship with actor Brad Pitt.
  
  

Geography

• Aniston and her family relocated to Greece, spending a year there with her father's family before moving to New York, where Aniston's father had a role on the soap opera "Days of Our Lives." After graduation, she continued to live in New York. She had roles in some off-Broadway theater productions before eventually moving back to California in 1989. She has lived there ever since.
  
  

Misconceptions

• Aniston has been making headlines since she began her relationship with Pitt. The two were married in July 2000. However, the pair made even bigger headlines in 2005 when they filed for divorce, with rumors that Pitt had had an off-screen affair with co-star Angelina Jolie. Jolie and Pitt have denied that they had an affair while filming the movie "Mr. and Mrs. Smith." However, they soon began openly dating when Pitt's divorce from Aniston was finalized. Media reports speculated that Pitt had wanted children but Aniston did not. The actress has denied that this was the reason for their split.
  
  

Potential

• Since the "Friends" went off the air, Aniston has been involved with a number of movie projects, the most recent of which include "Marley and Me," "He's Just Not That Into You," "Management" and "Traveling." The actress has also continued to have an on-again/off-again relationship with musician John Mayer.