Aniston, Jennifer

Jennifer Aniston was born on February 11, 1969, in the town of Sherman Oaks ( California , USA) in the family of an American actor of Greek descent John Aniston (née Yannis Anastassakis, born in Crete) and Nancy Dow (1936-2016), an actress with Scottish and Italian ^[11] roots ^{[12] [13]} . Jennifer has two brothers - John Melik (senior) and Alex Aniston (younger) ^[13] . The godfather Aniston is a Greek-American actor Telli Savalas ^[13] , her father’s best friend. Her grandfather (named Anastassakis) came to the United States from Greece and became the owner of the diner.

Aniston studied at the Steiner School ^[14] in New York. In the school drama circle, her acting talent was manifested ^[15] . In the same school, her drawing abilities appeared ^[15] .

When the girl was 9 years old, her parents divorced ^[16] . She stayed with her mother, but often went to her father in Los Angeles , where John Aniston played a major role in the television series Days of Our Lives . At age 11, Jennifer began playing in the drama club of the Rudolf Steiner school. She continued her professional training in 1987 at LaGuardia New York School of the Arts, after which she took part in several Broadway productions (For Dear Life, Dancing on Checker's Grave, and others) ^[13] . During this period, Aniston also worked as a courier and was engaged in telephone marketing ^[13] .

Aniston participated in the Howard Stern radio show in the late 1980s and early 1990s ^[17] . She moved to Hollywood ^[18] and in 1990 received her first television role in the TV series Molloy, as well as her role in the television movie Camp Cucamonga. When Jennifer found an agent who agreed to represent her, he set a tough condition - she must lose 30 pounds. In addition, she starred in the series “ Ferris Buhler's Day Off ” (1990), “The Edge” (1992) and “ Get Out ” (1994), and also appeared as a guest actress in the television series “ Quantum Leap ”, “Herman's Head” and Burke's Law ^[19] . After a series of canceled series, as well as her appearance in the critically acclaimed horror film Leprechaun ^[20], Aniston was seriously thinking about ending her career as an actress.

However, Aniston’s plans changed when she came to the casting of the series Friends , which started on NBC in 1994. The producers of the show initially wanted to take on the role of Rachel Green actress Courtney Cox , but Courtney said she sees herself in the role of Monica Geller ^[22] . After the appearance of Jennifer on the set, it became clear to everyone that she was ideally suited for the role of Rachel Green . She played this character throughout the series from 1994 to 2004 ^{[23] [24]} . The series became very successful, and Aniston, along with other leading actors, gained fame among viewers. Her hairstyle was copied by women all over the world. In the last two seasons of Friends , Jennifer received a salary of one million dollars per episode. For participating in this show, the actress was nominated five times for an Emmy (and won once) ^{[25] [26]} in the nomination "Best Actress in a Comedy Series" ^[27] . In 2003, Rachel Green Aniston was awarded the Golden Globe Award for her role.

In between filming "Friends," Aniston starred in various films. Her first notable work was a supporting role in the independent comedy “ Only She Is The Only ”, in which Cameron Diaz also starred. In 1997, Jennifer played her first major role in a big movie - in the romantic comedy “ Portrait of Perfection ”. The film received mixed reviews from critics, but Aniston’s play in it was rated positively ^[28] . At the same time, Jennifer starred in the films “ The Escaping Ideal ” with Sarah Jessica Parker , “The Thin Pink Line” and “ Office Space ”, she also voiced the main character of the animated film “The Steel Giant ”. In 1998, the actress played a woman in love with homosexuals in the tragicomedy “ Object of my admiration ” ^[29] , and in 2002 she played the role of an unattractive cashier from a supermarket in the independent drama “ A Good Girl ”. Aniston's work in these films was recognized by film critics and proved that she can play more serious roles.

Also a successful film with the participation of the actress was the fantastic comedy " Bruce Almighty ", in which she played the role of the girlfriend of the protagonist Jim Carrey ^[30] . In 2004, she starred with Ben Stiller in the comedy “ And Here's Polly ” ^[31] . At the end of 2005, Aniston starred in the films “The Price of Treason ” and “ Rumor Has It ” ^{[32] [33]} , which had good box office, bringing in more than $ 30 million each. In 2006, the low-budget film Friends with Money was released for limited release ^[34] , in which, in addition to Aniston, Catherine Keener , Joan Cusack and Francis McDormand also played the main roles. The next film with Aniston's “ American Divorce ” was coolly received by critics ^[35] , but raised over $ 100 million at the box office. Also, in 2006, Aniston directed the short film “Room 10” with Robin Wright Penn and Chris Kristofferson ^[36] . According to the actress, she was inspired by the directorial experience of Gwyneth Paltrow ^[37] .

On December 25, 2008, the comedy " Marley and Me " was released, where Owen Wilson became Jennifer Aniston's partner. Its world fees amounted to 242 717 113 dollars ^[38] . The next film, Aniston, was the romantic comedy " Promise Doesn't Mean Marriage ." In the first weekend, the picture raised $ 27.5 million and won first place on the chart ^[39] . Although the reviews for the film were mixed, the work of Aniston, as well as her film partners Ben Affleck , Jennifer Connelly , Scarlett Johansson and Drew Barrymore , was rated positively ^{[40] [41]} .

In March 2010, the premiere of the movie " Bounty Hunter " with the participation of Jennifer and Gerard Butler . The picture was completely scolded by critics, but it raised more than $ 130 million at the box office ^[42] . Aniston’s next film, the comedy melodrama More Than A Friend , failed at the box office and received mixed reviews, but was rated higher than The Bounty Hunter.

February 11, 2011 was released the romantic comedy " Pretend to be my wife " ^[43] . According to the plot of this film, a successful plastic surgeon ( Adam Sandler ) asks his secretary (Aniston) to pretend to be his wife so that he can prove his honesty to his girlfriend (Brooklyn Decker) ^[44] .

In the summer of 2011, the comedy The Unbearable Bosses was released with Jennifer Aniston, Jason Bateman , Colin Farrell , Kevin Spacey and Jamie Foxx . According to the plot of the film, three friends decide to kill their tyrant bosses. Jennifer plays the role of a sexually preoccupied female dentist who harasses one of the main characters (Charlie Day) ^[45] .

February 24, 2012 the premiere of the comedy " Thirst for Wanderings " ^[46] . The director of the film was David Wayne, and the producer was Judd Apatow ^[47] . It is noteworthy that the day before the actress received a star on the famous Walk of Fame ^{[48] [49]} . This is not the first time Jennifer has worked with film partner Paul Rudd — they starred together in the movie “ The Object of My Admiration, ” in addition, Paul became a guest star at the end of the 9th and 10th seasons of “ Friends ” ^[50] .

On August 3, 2013 the premiere of the comedy " We are the Millers " took place. Jennifer's partner was Jason Sudeikis , with whom she also starred earlier in the films “ The Unbearable Bosses ” and “The Bounty Hunter ” ^[51] . On September 14, 2013, as part of the Toronto International Film Festival , the crime comedy “ Steal My Wife ” premiered. Jennifer's partners in the film were Isla Fisher and Tim Robbins . In the fall of 2013, in New York , the film was shot, which received the Russian name " Miss Trouble " ^[52] . The picture is about a girl of easy virtue, who, with the help of a Broadway director, dreams of getting on the theatrical stage. The actress's company was Imogen Poots and Owen Wilson , with whom Jennifer previously starred in the film " Marley and Me ."

At the beginning of 2014, filming of " The Unbearable Bosses 2 " started - the continuation of the first part of 2011, which was a huge success. Jennifer's partners were still Jason Bateman , Charlie Day and Jason Sudeikis . Chris Pine and Christoph Waltz also joined the picture. The film is set by the scriptwriter of another comedy with Aniston " We Are the Millers " by Sean Anders. In the same year, Aniston, along with Casey Affleck and Pamela Anderson , took part in the dubbing of the documentary film "Unity", which tells the story of the creation of the Universe. September 8, 2014 at the International Film Festival in Toronto , the premiere of the drama " Cake ". The actress played the role of a girl suffering from chronic pain by the name of Claire, who in the support group learns about Nina, who committed suicide. To better understand the motives of her act, Claire met her family, in particular, her husband Roy, played by Sam Worthington ^[53] . The film was warmly received by critics. For this film, she received nominations for the Screen Actors Guild Award and Golden Globe , but lost the award to Julianne Moore for the film " Still Alice ."

For a long time, Aniston was listed in the project “I Miss You Already”, which is directed by Twilight director Catherine Hardwick , where she was supposed to play a couple with Tony Collett . As a result, she was replaced by Rachel Weisz , who, in turn, refused to participate in the filming due to their constant transfer. Drew Barrymore replaced Aniston.

In the past, Aniston met with musician Adam Duritz ^[13] and actor Tate Donovan ^[54] . Her serious relationship with actor Brad Pitt was often covered in the press ^{[13] [55]} . She married Pitt on July 29, 2000 in Malibu. ^[56] The couple announced their separation on January 7, 2005 ^{[57] [55]} , on March 25, Aniston filed for divorce ^[58] , and they divorced on October 2 of the same year ^[59] .

In 2011, Aniston began dating actor Justin Theroux , whom she met on the set of The Thirst for Wanderings . In August 2012, the couple became engaged ^[60] . On the night of August 5-6, 2015, they married at their home in Los Angeles ^[61] . In February 2018, Aniston and Theroux announced their breakup. ^[62]

Jennifer Aniston is an Orthodox Christian ^{[63] [64] [65]} . He is a parishioner and philanthropist of the Savior Transfiguration Cathedral of the ROCA in Los Angeles ^[66] . Practicing transcendental meditation ^[67] .

A complete list of awards and nominations on the site IMDb.com ^[72] .

• Jennifer Aniston at Box Office Mojo (англ.)