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2002 Emmy Award winner and 2003 Emmy nominee for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series Jennifer Aniston re-connected with her Greek roots by spending a year of her childhood living in Greece -- and no doubt the influence of noted Greek-American actor Telly Savalas as her godfather further augmented her cultural appreciation. Ultimately, however, she was raised in New York City when her father, actor John Aniston (NBC’s "Days of Our Lives”), landed a featured role on the daytime drama “Love of Life.”

Aniston – who recently earned glowing reviews for her performance in the feature film “The Good Girl” -- had her first taste of acting at age 11 when she joined the Rudolf Steiner School’s drama club. Her experience there also helped her develop a passion for art. When she was 11, one of her paintings was selected to be displayed in an exhibit at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Aniston began her professional training as a drama student at New York’s High School of the Performing Arts. After her graduation in 1987, she won roles in such off-Broadway productions as “For Dear Life” at New York’s Public Theatre and “Dancing on Checker’s Grave.” In 1989, she landed her first television role as a series regular on “Molloy.” Her other television credits include regular roles on “The Edge” and “Ferris Bueller,” a recurring part on “Herman’s Head” and guest-starring roles on such series as “The Larry Sanders Show,” “Partners,” “Burke’s Law” and “Quantum Leap.”

In addition, Aniston has starred in a number of other films, including “The Object of My Affection,” “Picture Perfect,” “She’s the One,” “‘Til There Was You” and “Office Space.” She also starred with Quentin Tarantino in the interactive tutorial CD-ROM directed by Steven Spielberg, “Movie Maker.” She will next star opposite Ben Stiller and Debra Messing (NBC’s “Will & Grace”) in the as-yet-untilted John Hanburg project, which is set to be released January 2004. She appeared opposite Mark Wahlberg in “Rock Star” and this year played opposite Jim Carrey in the summer smash hit “Bruce Almighty.”

In 2001, Aniston was nominated for an Emmy as Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series and Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series respectively for her “Friends” role. As three-time nominee for the People’s Choice Award as Favorite Female Television Performer, she won the award in 2001 and 2002. She also received her first Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild nominations in 2002 for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role and Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series, respectively.

Currently, Aniston resides in Los Angeles with her husband, actor Brad Pitt. She enjoys painting in her spare time, as well as hiking, camping and virtually anything that brings her closer to nature. Her birthday is February 11.