The daughter of actor John Aniston (a star of the NBC soap Days of Our Lives) and an actress/model, actress Jennifer Aniston was raised on showbiz (her godfather is noted actor Telly Savalas), but did not really find her niche as an actress until she was cast as the sexy and feisty waitress Rachel on the NBC sitcom Friends (1994-- ). She was born in Sherman Oaks, California, but spent her youth in New York. She also lived in Greece for a year with her family. Aniston joined the Rudolf Steiner School drama club at age 11 and discovered a life-long fascination with acting that was encouraged by Steiner himself. His was an alternative school that provided children with an extensive background in the creative arts and in addition to acting, Aniston also studied painting. The same year the acting bug bit, one of her paintings was displayed at the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art. In her teens, she attended New York's presigtious High School of the Performing Arts and graduated in 1987. Aniston then began working off-Broadway. She made her television debut in 1989 on the series Molloy and from there had regular roles in several short-lived series including The Edge and Herman's Head. She also made guest appearances in a few series, including Quantum Leap. Aniston made her film debut in Leprechaun in 1993. The following year she landed her role on Friends and when the show became a smash hit, she became a major star and a sex symbol; her distinctive big-hair style inspired a national fad. With her sudden popularity came movie offers. Her film credits include She's the One and Til There Was You. In 1996, she appeared with Quentin Tarantino in a CD-ROM titled Steven Spielberg's Director's Chair. In addition to acting, Aniston still continues to paint, make charcoal drawings and sculpt.