Emmy and Golden Globe award winning actress Jennifer Joanne Aniston (1969-)was born on this day in Sherman Oaks, California and raised in New York following the divorce of her parents.

"When I was growing up, I thought Lucille Ball and Mary Tyler Moore were it," she revealed. Aniston had a strong foundation in acting. Inspired by her father, a regular on the NBC soap Days of Our Lives, and her mother, Nancy, an actress, Jennifer studied at New York's prestigious LaGuardia High School of Performing Arts.

"If I can’t make everything fine, I feel very defeated," she once said.

After appearing in commercials and off-Broadway, Aniston landed her first TV role "the spoiled older sister of the lead character" on the sitcom Molloy (1990). Four years later she began her stint as the confident Rachel Green on Friends and fame quickly followed. Her hairstyle, dubbed "The Rachel," became the most popular cut of the 1990s.

"Balancing one's life is a work in progress," she observed. "You always have to pay attention to the important things and try not to get involved in superficial things that don't add quality to your life."

When the phenomenally popular Friends ended in 2004, Aniston moved on to big-screen success, delighting audiences with her warmth and charisma.

"It's a real gift when you find someone to share your life with," said Aniston, who said she prefers simplicity and a slower pace when away from the spotlight. "I really am a homebody," she said. "I just potter round my house, turn on the computer and try to return e-mails."

More Film-Making Quotations

Believe in who you are.