Jennifer Anistonby Ken Gidley, modified later by the FAQ team. Jennifer Aniston, who plays Rachel on Friends, was born in CA (the Valley, so yes she's a Val!), and raised mostly in New York. Her father, John Aniston, is an actor on "Days of Our Lives", so young Jennifer was around acting from an early age. Her godfather was Telly Savalas. Jennifer has Greek ancestors, and actually spent some time in Greece as a child, before settling in New York because of her father's acting career (specifically he landed a role on "Love of Life"). Her family name was originally Anastassakis (yes, that name was used for the Greek wedding in episode [7.24]). She first started acting around age 11, as part of the Rudolf Steiner School's drama club. Jennifer says that she was always interested in acting, but it Rudolf Steiner's free-spirited atmosphere that encouraged her to make it her career. Jennifer started her professional training at New York's High School for the Performing Arts as a drama student. She graduated in 1987. She appeared in Off-Broadway productions of "For Dear Life" and "Dancing on Checker's Grave", before her first TV role on "Molloy". Other TV shows graced with her presence include "The Edge", "Ferris Bueller" (the TV version), a recurring role on "Herman's Head", and even some guest appearances on "Quantum Leap" and "Burke's Law". Jennifer is also an artist. At age 11 (busy year), one of her paintings was selected for display in the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art. She still spends much time on art projects, including charcoal drawings, clay sculptures, and paintings. Jennifer was born on February 11, 1969. In her spare time, she enjoys hiking, camping, and getting closer to nature. She currently lives in Los Angeles. In Summer 2000 she married Brad Pitt. The following additional information was taken from the January 13, 1995 edition of the Blade-Citizen Preview, page 3 article titled, "Jennifer Aniston having fun with NBC's 'Friends,'" Written by Cheryl Lavin, Tribune Media. (Yes, some of this is out of date, since the article was written in 1995. But since I'm quoting someone else's work, I cannot change it.)1995 Vital statistics on Jennifer Aniston (yes! these are out of date now!): Occupation: Actress Birthday: Feb. 11 Birthplace: Sherman Oaks and raised in NYC Current home: LA Marital status: single Working on: "Friends," on NBC-TV The last good movie I saw was: Quiz show I stay home to watch: Seinfeld, MAY, and ER The book I've been reading is: The Celestine Prophecy by James Redfield Favorite pigout food: Give me a giant bowl of tortilla chips, salsa and guacamole and forget it. Prized possession: My dog Katchina. She's a mix, a golden shepherd. Personal heroes: Lucille Ball and Carol Burnett. Every New Year's I resolve: to be completely healthy, especially inwardly. Nobody know's I'm: Greek I wish I could stop: The violence in this country. I've never been able to: Get back to my art work. I draw, paint and sculpt. I'm better than anyone else when it comes to: Putting on makeup. I'd give anything to meet: Barbra Streisand. She's a strong chick. My fantasy is: I get on a plane, fly to San Francisco, see a show, have a great dinner and fly back. The one thing I can't stand is: People who are overly protective of me. I want them to trust my judgment. If I could change one thing about myself, I would: Finish the things I start. People who knew me in high school thought I was: Bitchy. I knew I was a grown-up when I: Forgave my parents. The price I've paid for my success: A lot of hurt and rejection. If I weren't an actress, I'd be: A therapist. Major accomplishment: Getting my career started. My most humbling experience: Every time I'm with my family; they ground me. Three words that best describe me: Curious, caring and fun.