Collin County Living Well Magazine September/October 2016 | Page 11

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By Nadine Bubeck

he one and only Jennifer Aniston has a resume most of us common
folk dream of. Not only is she America’s favorite television friend,
a bona fide movie star, and considered one of the most beautiful
women in the world by numerous publications, the 47-year-old is also
a dedicated philanthropist and spokesperson.

Early Life

The Beginning

Hollywood runs in Aniston’s blood. She’s the offspring of
actor John Aniston and the late actress Nancy Dow. Her
father is Greek, and her mother comes from Italian decent.
Aniston was born in Sherman Oaks, California, but lived in
Greece for a year with her family. They then moved to Pennsylvania, living with her grandmother in a cozy three-bedroom home. Her clan later relocated to New York City, where
Aniston, despite her father’s television career, was discouraged from watching the tube. However, little “Jenny” snuck
in covert television time and fell in love with the small screen.

Like many Hollywood wannabes, Aniston got her start pursuing Off-Broadway roles, while supporting herself with
several part-time jobs. And yes, she had stints waitressing,
just like her character in Friends. She was also a telemarketer and bike messenger. Who would have thought?

When she was 6, Aniston began attending a Waldorf
School, where she discovered a natural proclivity for acting. School and her newfound passion for acting was a
good distraction from her parents divorcing. Eventually,
Aniston graduated from Manhattan’s Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts.

In 1990, she was cast in a short-lived series, Molloy,
followed by co-starring in Ferris Bueller, a spinoff of the
popular 1986 movie. However, both shows flopped. And,
the failed attempts continued. Aniston then appeared in a
handful of other comedy shows that didn’t make it big time.
But, luck was on her side.

Aniston got a publicity boost after appearing on The Howard
Stern Show as a spokes model for Nutrisystem. That same year,
she made the leap to the West Coast, and Los Angeles became
her home.

Photo credit: Open Road Films

Continued, page 10

Photo credit: Depositphotos

Julia Roberts, left, and
Jennifer Aniston in a scene
from, “Mother’s Day.”

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