Entertainment Movies The Many (Beautiful) Faces and Phases of Jennifer Aniston Jennifer Aniston has been a part of the pop culture fabric for so long, it's easy to forget there are many phases to her career. From scream queen to serious awards contender, we take a look back. By People Staff Published on April 18, 2016 05:10 PM Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos 01 of 10 A STARLET IS BORN Alice S. Hall/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank/Getty Aniston had a handful of false starts in Hollywood before snagging her signature role as Rachel in Friends. In the early 1990s she starred in Ferris Bueller, a television adaptation of the full-length film, and Molloy, both of which were canceled. Somewhat more memorably, she also had a role in 1993's kitschy horror film Leprechaun. 02 of 10 THE ONE WHERE SHE'S IN FRIENDS Reisig & Taylor/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank/Getty Rachel Green would become Aniston's defining role, of course — the show ran for 10 seasons and attracted nearly 53 million viewers per episode at one point. 03 of 10 JUST THE RIGHT AMOUNT OF FLAIR Getty Aniston took four years off from film (perhaps scarred by Leprechaun) and would return slowly, branching out with supporting roles, such as in 1996's She's the One and 1997's Office Space. 04 of 10 LEADING LADY Moviestore/REX/Shutterstock Through the early 2000s, Aniston would become a reliable anchor for mainstream comedy (and romantic-comedy) feature-length fare, starring in 2003's Bruce Almighty 2004's Along Came Polly (left) and The Break-Up. She closed out the decade with two hits: 2008's Marley and Me and 2009's He's Just Not That Into You. 05 of 10 RETURN TO THE SMALL SCREEN Nicole Rivelli/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank/Getty Aniston picked up an Emmy nomination for outstanding guest actress in a comedy series for her spot on 30 Rock (left) in 2009. She also returned to the small screen opposite Courteney Cox for a guest stint on the latter's Cougar Town in 2009. 06 of 10 PLAYING AGAINST TYPE Moviestore/REX/Shutterstock Aniston's role as a sex-crazed dentist in 2013's Horrible Bosses was heralded as a refreshingly against-type decision for her. She doubled down on the offbeat comedy route, costarring with Paul Rudd in the David Wain-directed Wanderlust in 2012, We're the Millers with Jason Sudeikis in 2013, and the Elmore Leonard adaptation Life of Crime in 2014. 07 of 10 FRIEND TO COMMERCE Smartwater Aniston's various business ventures include partnerships with L'Oréal, Elizabeth Arden, Smart Water, Aveeno Skincare, haircare brand Living Proof and Emirates Airline. But not all the money earned stays with her: Anison is involved with a number of charities and donated $500,000 to various relief efforts to help the 2010 Haitian earthquake victims. 08 of 10 SERIOUSLY JEN Cinelou Releasing/Everett In 2014, Aniston received nominations at the Screen Actors Guild Awards and Golden Globe Awards for her role in Cake, playing a woman traumatized by chronic pain syndrome and the suicide of a woman in her support group. 09 of 10 BEAUTY QUEEN Netflix In the 2018 Netflix comedy Dumplin', Aniston dug into her comedy roots to play a former pageaunt queen who relives her glory days in her small Texas town by hosting Miss Teen Bluebonnet. 10 of 10 WAKE-UP CALL Hilary B Gayle/Apple On her most recent project, Apple TV+'s The Morning Show, Aniston plays television news anchor Alex Levy opposite Reese Witherspoon. She earned Emmy and Screen Actors Guild Awards for her work in 2020, as well as a Golden Globe Award nomination.