Expert: libby carson - 8/9/2004

Question
 How long did it take for Jen to get her career started?

Answer
Hi Ashlie!

Well, I can't put a number of years on it, but Jennifer surely wasn't one of those few celebrities who went to one audition and got her big break. She worked very hard for it.
At a very young age, Jennifer new what she wanted to become. She went to the famous acting school in NY but after graduating, she wasn't very succesful. Like you probably know, her agent suggested her to loose weight.
She got a few roles on TV shows (like the Ferris Bueller sitcom), but they soon got cancelled. She also starred in some B-movies (like Leprechaun), but her claim to fame didn't come until 1994, when she was 25. Of course you know what that claim to fame was: the widely popular sitcom "Friends".
Here's a short bio from IMDB.com which will be useful:

Born in Sherman Oaks, California, Jennifer Aniston spent a year of her childhood living in Greece with her family. Her family then relocated to New York City where her parents divorced when she was 9. Jennifer was raised by her mother and her father landed a role, as Victor Kiriakis, on the daytime soap "Days of Our Lives" (1965). Jennifer had her first taste of acting at age 11 when she joined the Rudolf Steiner School's drama club. It was also at the Rudolf Steiner School that she developed her passion for art. She began her professional training as a drama student at New York's High School of the Performing Arts. In 1987, after graduation, she appeared in such Off-Broadway productions as "For Dear Life" and "Dancing on Checker's Grave". In 1989 she landed her first television role, as a series regular on "Molloy" (1990). She also appeared in "Edge, The" (1992), "Ferris Bueller" (1990), and had a recurring part on "Herman's Head" (1991). By 1993, she was floundering. Then, in 1994, a pilot called "Friends Like These" came along. Originally asked to audition for the role of Monica, Aniston refused and auditioned for the role of Rachel Green, the suburban princess turned coffee peddler. With the success of the series "Friends" (1994), Jennifer has become famous and sought-after as she turns her fame into movie roles during the series hiatus.

If you need a fimography with al Jen's roles, go to IMDB.com, you'll find a lot of info on there!

Thanks for you're question,
Libby