Jennifer Aniston's Impressive Career, In Photos

From Off-Broadway to the silver screen, Jennifer Aniston has blessed her fans with many memorable performances throughout her career. She stole our hearts as Rachel Green on Friends and continued to captivate us through high-profile romances, philanthropic efforts, and various hair trends. For decades, Aniston has been there for audiences all over the world, and they've been there for her, too.

After attending Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts in New York City, Jennifer Aniston landed some Off Broadway roles and made a handful of appearances on Molloy, but her first real break came with 1990's Ferris Bueller. No, not the movie — the television show based on the Matthew Broderick film. She played Ferris' sister, Jeannie Bueller, for 13 episodes.

A 24-year-old Aniston made her movie debut with Leprechaun, a horror film about a teen who finds an evil leprechaun living in her basement.

Maybe some of the "luck of the Irish" rubbed off on Aniston, because shortly after Leprechaun, she landed the role of a lifetime as Rachel Green on Friends. Her co-star, Courtney Cox, was initially pegged to play Rachel, but later opted for the role of Monica. The show would go on to become one of the most popular sitcoms in television history.

In 1997, Aniston starred in Picture Perfect, a romantic comedy. It was her first leading role in a major motion picture and she shared the silver screen with Jay Mohr. In the film, Aniston plays Kate, a woman working in advertising who concocts a plan to get engaged so she can get a promotion at work.

With Friends bringing in big-time ratings, Aniston appeared in the cult-classic comedy, Office Space. In the film, she played Peter's (Ron Livington) love interest, Joanna, a frustrated waitress working in a gimmicky restaurant.

After being set up by their agents, Aniston and dreamboat movie star Brad Pitt, began dating. They made their debut as a couple on the red carpet in 1999, and a year later the two were married in Malibu.

In 2002, Aniston won an Emmy for her performance as Rachel Green on Friends. She'd have to wait until 2007 for her second statuette, which came via a guest spot on 30 Rock.

2003 saw Aniston as Grace Connelly in Bruce Almighty. The movie, which was a box-office hit, also starred Jim Carrey and Morgan Freeman.

Aniston followed up Bruce Almighty by teaming up with Ben Stiller in Along Came Polly, a 2004 comedy directed by John Hamburg. Jen played the free-spirited titular character, Polly Prince. Filming the salsa dancing scenes of the film left Aniston's feet looking like "raw meat," as she told IGN.

In 2004, Aniston said goodbye to the show that made her a mega star, a hair icon, and (along with her castmates) a very highly paid actress. Though Friends was slated to have 24 episodes in its last season, Jen's busy movie career only made it possible to shoot 18. The finale drew in 52.5 million viewers.

After five years of marriage, and one guest appearance on Friends, Pitt ends things with Aniston. Though he quickly began a relationship with his Mr. and Mrs. Smith co-star, Angelina Jolie, a joint statement released by the couple states "For those who follow these sorts of things, we would like to explain that our separation is not the result of any of the speculation reported by the tabloid media. This decision is the result of much thoughtful
consideration."

In 2005, Aniston starred in Derailed, a steamy thriller that co-starred Clive Owen. It was one of Jen's first departures from comedy since Friends took off back in 1994.

Though still an emotional film, Aniston made a return to the light-hearted with 2005's Marley & Me. Jen starred alongside Owen Wilson in the tale about a mischievous dog. "It was unbelievably creatively fulfilling. It’s a mainstream film and I loved everybody I worked with. This one was sort of a home run. They don’t always all happen that way," Aniston told Collider.

In 2006, Aniston co-starred in The Break-Up with Vince Vaughn. The two briefly dated after meeting on the set of the comedy. After her romance with Pitt died out, Jen referred to Vince as her "defibrillator."

In 2009, Aniston played Beth in the ensemble drama He's Just Not That Into You. The star-studded cast also featured Bradley Cooper, Drew Barrymore, Scarlett Johansson, Jennifer Connelly, and Ginnifer Goodwin.

After meeting on the set of Bounty Hunter, the rumored coupling of Aniston and Gerard Butler was a bigger story than the actual film on the night of its 2010 debut. The rumors were later confirmed, but the relationship was not meant to be.

In 2011, Aniston was hired to star in the dark comedy Horrible Bosses along with Jason Bateman, Jason Sudeikis, and Charlie Day. The movie was a hit and led to a follow-up film in 2014.

Aniston was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2012. Adam Sandler, Malin Akerman, and longtime friend, Kathryn Hahn, were there to help her celebrate.

After working together on the 2012 film Wanderlust, Aniston and actor Justin Theroux began dating and, shortly thereafter, were engaged. The two tied the knot at their Bel-Air home in 2015.

In 2016, Aniston joined Andy Samberg and Kelsey Grammer in the animated film Storks. That same year, she was honored for her philanthropic work with St. Jude's Children's Hospital.

After two years of marriage, Aniston and Theroux called it quits. The breakup was rumored to be caused by the couple's difference in opinion over where to live. Theroux saw himself as more of a New Yorker, while Aniston preferred her Los Angeles home.

In 2018, Aniston directed and starred in Dumplin', which was released by Netflix. In the film, Aniston plays Rosie, a single mother trying to relive her beauty queen past by running her local pageant. The movie features original music by Dolly Parton.

Aniston teamed up with Adam Sandler once again, this time for 2019's Murder Mystery. In this action comedy, Aniston plays Audrey Spitz, the wife of a New York cop who gets framed for the death of an elderly billionaire while on vacation.

In 2019, Friends fans were in uproar when they found out that the show would be leaving Netflix. Luckily for them, the classic sitcom is still available to stream on HBO Go.

Speaking of streaming, in 2019, Apple launched Apple+, which featured The Morning Show during its initial rollout. The big budget program about a scandal-plagued morning news show stars Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, and Steve Carrell.

In 2019, Aniston was honored as the People's Icon at the E! People's Choice Awards. She was presented the award by her Murder Mystery co-star, Adam Sandler. An emotional Aniston thanked the crowd and her fans at home for "being on this journey with me" and "sticking by me."

In 2020, Aniston won for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series for her work in The Morning Show at the SAG Awards—but that's not what made headlines everywhere the next morning. A friendly moment between Aniston and her ex, Brad Pitt, backstage was photographed and sent the world into a whirlwind of Brad and Jen speculation.