2010-02-16T14:06:00.000-08:00

Six young actors gathered on a Hollywood soundstage on may 4, 1994. Culled from hundreds of young actors and actresses who had read for what industry buzz had as the hottest new television series since MASH, the six eyed each other warily, made small talk, shared smokes outside the stage door and revealed in the good fortune of being chisen for the pilot for a new series called six of one.
“That day was really strange,” recalled the hopeful Matt Perry.
“I was kind of like, ‘Hi, I don’t know who you are, but hopefully we’ll be working together for the next 12,000 years.”
Only one, a young woman named Courteney Cox, had had any solid success. She had played Michael J. Fox’s girlfriend on Family Ties and Jim Carrey’s girlfriend in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective.
The producers of Six Of One had her in mind to play Rachel Green - though Courteney intuited that she’d make a better Monica Gellar.

After 19 years of marriage, Cox's parents, Richard, a building contractor, and her mother, Courteney, a homemaker, divorce. She lives with her mother and her three older siblings, a brother and two sisters, in Mountain Brook, Alabama.
Cox begins working for the Ford Modeling Agency. She appears on the covers of teen magazines Tiger Beat and Young Miss before moving to Washington, D.C., to major in architecture at Mount Vernon College. After one year, she drops out and returns to New York to continue modeling.
At an audition for director Brian de Palma, Cox lands the memorable part of a Bruce Springsteen fan in the singer's music video "Dancing in the Dark." She is paid $350 for Springsteen to pluck her from the audience at a concert and dance with her on stage.

In a commercial for Tampax tampons, Cox becomes the first person to use the word "period" in a biological sense on TV in the U.S. She also lands bit parts on TV shows, including As the World Turns and The Love Boat, before nabbing her first role in a major motion picture, Masters of the Universe, a live-action feature film based on a popular cartoon series.

Jennifer Aniston

1980-02-09T13:37:00.000-08:00

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 Scottish-Italian 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, waitress, and bike messenger. In 1989, she moved to Los Angeles, California.
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. She dates her Ferris Bueller TV costar Charlie Schlatter in 1990.
She began a relationship with Daniel MacDonald in 1991.
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. The movie was directed by Mark Jonesand was shot in Saugus, California.
In 1994 shortly before she was cast in Friends she end up his relationship with Daniel MacDonald.
Aniston's plans of giving up acting 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.
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 had aseptoplasty to correct her deviated septum in 1994.
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 briefly dated musician Adam Duritz in 1995 and then start dating actor Tate Donovan.
Jennifer Aniston has appeared in various commercials and music videos.

Jennifer played Renee Fitzpatrick in the 1996's romantic comedy She's the One, written, directed and starred by Edward Burns. Her character was Mike McGlone's estranged wife whom he cheats on with Cameron Diaz. The soundtrack was composed and performed by Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers and Jennifer appeared on the music video "Walls".
In 1996 she also co-starred Dream for an Insomniac, a romantic comedy movie written and directed by Tiffanie DeBartolo and also starring Ione Skye and Mackenzie Astin.
In 1997 she played Debbie in 'Til There Was You an American romantic drama film directed by Scott Winant. The screenplay, written by Winnie Holzman, traces thirty-odd years in the parallel lives of two people whose intertwined paths finally converge when their mutual interest in a community project brings them together.

In 1997 she also starred Picture Perfect, a romantic comedy film, also starring Jay Mohr, Kevin Bacon, Illeana Douglas, Olympia Dukakis, and Anne Twomey.
In 1997 she started shooting The Object Of My Affection in various locations around New York City, New Jersey, and Connecticut.
In 1998 she participated on the documentary The Think Pink Line directed by Joe Dietl and Michael Irpino.
In 1998 she broke up with actor Tate Donovan and start dating famous actor Brad Pitt.

She won critical acclaim for her performance in The Object of My Affection a 1998 romantic comedy and drama movie, adapted from the book of the same title by Stephen McCauley also starring Paul Rudd. The story concerns a pregnant New York social worker who develops romantic feelings for her gay best friend, and the complications that ensue. The film is directed by Nicholas Hytner and based on a screenplay by Wendy Wasserstein.
The Object of My Affection was released in US theaters on April 17, 1998, and took in $9,725,855 on its opening weekend, coming in at #2 at the box office in 1,890 theaters, averaging $5,146 per theater. The film went on to gross $29,187,243 in the United States alone, over a span of five weekends. The film continued to open in European countries throughout the fall and winter of 1998, and ultimately grossed $17,718,646 outside of the United States.
Critical reaction to the film was mixed. Roger Ebert gave the film two stars, saying "The Object of My Affection deals with some real issues and has scenes that work, but you can see the wheels of the plot turning so clearly that you doubt the characters have much freedom to act on their own." Ruthe Stein of the San Francisco Chronicle said the film "occasionally borders on being too clever. But that's a small quibble about a movie that gets so much right."
In 1999 she played Joanna in Office Space an American comedy film written and directed by Mike Judge. It satirizes work life in a typical 1990s software company, focusing on a handful of individuals who are fed up with their jobs. The film's sympathetic portrayal of ordinary IT workers garnered it a cult following among those in that profession, but the film also addresses themes familiar to office workers and white collar employees in general. Her character was Ron Livingston's prospected girlfriend. It was filmed in Dallas and Austin, Texas.
Office Space was released on February 19, 1999 in 1,740 theatres, grossing USD $4.2 million on its opening weekend. It went on to make $10.8 million in North America, barely recouping its production costs. On the Monday after the opening weekend, Judge received a phone call from Jim Carrey's agent. The comedian loved the film and wanted to meet him. Chris Rock called two weeks later.
The film received mixed to positive reviews with a 79% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and 68 metascore on Metacritic. In his review in the New York Times, Stephen Holden wrote, "It has the loose-jointed feel of a bunch of sketches packed together into a narrative that doesn't gather much momentum". Roger Ebert gave the film three out of four stars and wrote that Judge, "treats his characters a little like cartoon creatures. That works. Nuances of behavior are not necessary, because in the cubicle world every personality trait is magnified, and the captives stagger forth like grotesques". In his review for the San Francisco Chronicle, Mick LaSalle writes, "Livingston is nicely cast as Peter, a young guy whose imagination and capacity for happiness are the very things making him miserable". In the USA Today, Susan Wloszczyna wrote, "If you've ever had a job, you'll be amused by this paean to peons".
However, Owen Gleiberman in Entertainment Weekly gave the film a "C" rating and criticized it for feeling "cramped and underimagined". In his review for the Globe and Mail, Rick Groen wrote, "Perhaps his TV background makes him unaccustomed to the demands of a feature-length script (the ending seems almost panicky in its abruptness); or maybe he just succumbs to the lure of the easy yuk . . . what began as discomfiting satire soon devolves into silly farce"

Also in 1999 she played Annie in The Iron Giant an animated science fiction film produced by Warner Bros. Animation, based on the 1968 novel The Iron Man by Ted Hughes. Brad Bird directed the film, which also stars a voice cast of Eli Marienthal as Hogarth Hughes, as well as Harry Connick, Jr., Vin Diesel, Christopher McDonald and John Mahoney. The film tells the story of a lonely boy raised by his widowed mother, discovering a giant iron man which fell from space. Hogarth, with the help of a beatnik named Dean, has to stop the U.S. military and a federal agent from finding and destroying the Giant. The Iron Giant takes place during the height of the Cold War (1957). Her character was Hogarth's mother n her early 30s who works hard as a waitress in the local diner. As a single mom, Annie is somewhat cautious over her son's activities.
The Iron Giant opened on August 6, 1999 in the United States in 2,179 theaters, accumulating $5,732,614 over its opening weekend. The film went on to gross $23,159,305 domestically, Analysts at IGN feel it "was a mis-marketing campaign of epic proportions at the hands of Warner Bros, they simply didn't realize what they had on their hands." Tim McCanlies said, "I wish that Warner had known how to release it."
Lorenzo di Bonaventura, president of Warner Bros. at the time, explained, "People always say to me, 'Why don't you make smarter family movies?' The lesson is, Every time you do, you get slaughtered." Stung by criticism that it mounted an ineffective marketing campaign for its theatrical release, Warner Bros. revamped its ad strategy for the video release of the film, including tie-ins with Honey Nut Cheerios, AOL and General Motors and secured the backing of three U.S. congressmen (Ed Markey, Mark Foley and Howard Berman).
The film had met with universal critical acclaim. Based on 110 reviews collected by Rotten Tomatoes, The Iron Giant received an overall 97% "Certified Fresh" approval rating. With the 30 critics on Rotten Tomatoes' "Cream of the Crop", which consists of popular and notable critics from the top newspapers, websites, television and radio programs, still averaging a 97% "Certified Fresh" approval rating. By comparison, Metacritic calculated an average score of 85 (out of 100) from the 27 reviews it collected. The film has since then gathered a cult following. The Nostalgia Critic placed the film as #6 on his list of The Top 11 Underrated Nostalgia Classics.
Roger Ebert very much liked the Cold War setting, feeling "that's the decade when science fiction seemed most preoccupied with nuclear holocaust and invaders from outer space." In addition he was impressed with parallels seen in E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial and quoted, "[The Iron Giant] is not just a cute romp but an involving story that has something to say." In response to the E.T. parallels, Bird quoted, "E.T. doesn't go kicking ass. He doesn't make the Army pay. Certainly you risk having your hip credentials taken away if you want to evoke anything sad or genuinely heartfelt.
Peter Stack of the San Francisco Chronicle agreed that the storytelling was far superior to other animated films, and cited the characters as plausible and noted the richness of moral themes. Jeff Millar of the Houston Chronicle agreed with the basic techniques as well, and concluded the voice cast being excelled with a great script by Tim McCanlies.
The Hugo Awards nominated The Iron Giant for Best Dramatic Presentation, while the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America honored Brad Bird and Tim McCanlies with the Nebula Award nomination. The British Academy of Film and Television Arts gave the film a Children's Award as Best Feature Film. In addition The Iron Giant won nine Annie Awards and was nominated for another six categories, with another nomination for Best Home Video Release at The Saturn Awards.
Jennifer married Brad Pitt on July 29, 2000, in a lavish Malibu wedding.
In 2001, Aniston was in Melissa Etheridge's music video for "I Want To Be In Love".

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 Jim Carrey's title character.
Aniston then starred in the 2004 film, Along Came Polly opposite Ben Stiller.
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 and Brad announced their separation on January 6, 2005.
Jennifer filed for divorce on March 25, 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."
Jennifer's divorce was finalized on October 2, 2005.
In late 2005, Aniston appeared in two major studio films, Derailed and Rumor Has It.
Following her divorce, Aniston began a relationship with actor Vince Vaughn, with whom she costarred in The Break Up, but relationship troubles were reported in September 2006, followed by a confirmed split in December 2006.
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, 2006 grossed approximately $39.17 million during its opening weekend, despite lukewarm reviews.
Aniston was also included in the annual Star Salary Top 10 of trade magazine The Hollywood Reporter for 2006.
Aniston had her second aseptoplasty to correct her deviated septum in January 2007.
In 2007, Aniston guest starred in an episode of Courteney Cox Arquette's series Dirt, playing Arquette's rival, Tina Harrod.
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.
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.
According to Forbes in October 2007, Aniston was the top-selling celebrity face of the entertainment industry.
She briefly dated model Paul Sculfor for a few months in 2007
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.
In February 2008, she began dating singer John Mayer.
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 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.
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.
In March 2009 Jennifer and John broke up.
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.

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Jennifer Aniston