The sitcom Friends hit the airwaves in 1994 and Jennifer Aniston, as the goofy and sexy Rachel, quickly became the show's first breakout star. Her distinctively curvy haircut became a popular craze, and she was an early favorite of tabloids and celebrity gossip columns, especially after her marriage to actor Brad Pitt in 2000; they divorced in 2005 amid a flurry of rumors that Pitt had become interested in actress Angelina Jolie. (The rumors proved true.) Since then her love life and family plans have been fodder for entertainment publications, while her career has been a steady stream of romantic -- and sometimes oddball -- comedies Aniston's feature films include the cult favorite Office Space (1999, directed by Mike Judge), Rock Star (2000, with Mark Wahlberg), The Good Girl (2002, with Jake Gyllenhaal), Along Came Polly (2004, with Ben Stiller), Rumor Has It (2005, with Kevin Costner); The Break-Up (2006, opposite one-time real-life beau Vince Vaugh); Love Happens (2009, with Aaron Eckhart); and The Bounty Hunter (2009, with Gerard Butler).

Extra credit: Aniston's godfather was late actor Telly "Kojak" Savalas.