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Jennifer Aniston is an icon and she should always be celebrated. It’s not an opinion, it’s a fact and one that we firmly stand behind!
Since today Aniston, who is one of America’s sweethearts, turns 50 years old—even though she looks nowhere near this age—we get to honor and toast to the actress all day long.
Want to join us? It’ll be fun…we promise.
Throughout the California native’s career she has been on TV shows and in movies that have continued to make her one of the most beloved stars in Hollywood and now that she’s hit a milestone birthday we had to take a look back at some of her most iconic film and TV roles to celebrate.
While Aniston has more than 60 acting credits to her name, we somehow managed to narrow this list down to her top 24 or so and they are all pretty epic.
From playing Ross’ lobster and everyone’s favorite Central Perk employee AKA Rachel on Friends to her most-recent gig as a beauty queen turned pageant director in Netflix’s Dumplin‘, Aniston continues to impress us and steal the show with every new role she portrays.
Sure, she will forever be Rachel to any big TV lover, but the longtime actress has a ton of movie credits to her name that we can’t help but love or watch anytime they are on.
She’s played a rocker chick in Rock Star, made us cry while watching her in Marley & Me, showed off her comedic chops in Horrible Bosses and was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for her dramatic role in Cake.
These films are just the beginning when you start to think about all of the characters Aniston has embodied over the past few decades.
She is truly iconic, and no matter what she does she proves that she really is only getting better with age.
We are already counting down the days until she reunites with her Friends sister Reese Witherspoon for her TV return on an untitled Apple series, but for now we are taking a trip down memory lane to honor the legendary star.
Take a peek at some of the birthday girl’s most memorable roles below and vote for your absolute favorite when you’re done.
Happy birthday, Jen! You might not know it but you’re our favorite gal pal and the friend we aspire to be.
Trimark Pictures
Leprechaun
Jennifer Aniston has had her share of costars. A leprechaun however, easily takes the cake for most unusual.
Warner Bros.
Friends
For 10 seasons—beginning in 1994—Aniston played everyone’s favorite gal pal Rachel Green on Friends and we will always love her…and her iconic haircut.
The Movie Company
She’s the One
Trouble arises for Aniston’s onscreen marriage to Mike McGlone when a new woman comes into the picture in this 1996 rom-com.
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20th Century Fox
Office Space
Aniston’s character Joanna does not need 37 pieces of flair to express herself, OK?
Warner Bros. Pictures
Rock Star
This 2001 film is a classic. In it, Aniston’s Emily Poule dates Mark Wahlberg’s Chris “Izzy” Cole who has dreams of being a rock star, which he achieves while totally looking the part.
Fox Searchlight
The Good Girl
Aniston’s not-so-funny role in The Good Girl as a discount store clerk who strikes up an affair with a moody Jake Gyllenhaal was a huge hit with critics.
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Universal Studios
Bruce Almighty
The 50-year-old actress plays Grace, who is in love with Bruce Nolan (Jim Carrey) despite his change in behavior and new duties as God.
Universal Studios
Along Came Polly
Ben Stiller’s character wasn’t sure what he got himself into when he started dating Aniston’s Polly Prince in this 2004 flick. After some spicy food and salsa dancing, there was no denying these costars had chemistry.
Sony Pictures Classics
Friends With Money
After leaving her high-paying job, Aniston’s Olivia reevaluates her successful and wealthy friends choices as well as her own.
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Melissa Moseley/ Universal Studios
The Break-Up
Talk about a nasty separation. Aniston and Vince Vaughn play a couple whose relationship had so many issues we can’t even count them in this rom-com.
Barry Wetcher/ Fox
Marley & Me
If you are a dog lover, tissues are a necessity while watching Aniston and Owen Wilson help raise, and later say goodbye, to their lab named Marley.
Darren Michaels/Warner Brothers Entertainment
He’s Just Not That Into You
Based on the best-selling book about romance and dating dynamics, this star-studded movie includes Aniston as well as Ben Affleck, Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Connelly and many others.
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Kimberley French/ Universal Studios
Love Happens
Aniston thinks she has found the man of her dreams with Aaron Eckhart in Love Happens, but unfortunately, his wife’s passing could be holding him back from true love.
Columbia Pictures
The Bounty Hunter
If there’s anyone we’d like to have arrest us, Gerard Butler would definitely be on the list.
Miramax
The Switch
Jason Bateman as an accidental sperm donor?! Trouble, confessions and laughs ensue in this comedy.
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ABC/KAREN NEAL
Cougar Town
It might’ve just been a cameo, but when Aniston teamed back up with Friends costar Courteney Cox to appear on her show as Glenn we were overjoyed.
Sony Pictures
Just Go With It
The California native plays Katherine, the assistant to Danny (Adam Sandler), who finds herself pretending to be his ex-wife while on a complicated trip to Hawaii with his new girlfriend and her kids. Hilarity ensues as the pair figure out the hard way that their love stories might be more connected than they’d like to admit.
John P. Johnson/New Line Cinema
Horrible Bosses
Aniston as a horrible boss? We can’t imagine. In the 2011 comedy however, Aniston gives Charlie Day‘s character a run for his money as Stacy the dentist. She also reprises her role in the 2014 sequel and is equally as funny.
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Universal Pictures
Wanderlust
In Wanderlust, a couple find themselves unemployed and therefore decide to experiment with living on a rural commune where free love is the name of the game. The movies also stars Paul Rudd, and Aniston’s now ex-husband Justin Theroux.
Courtesy of Youtube
We’re the Millers
We’ve seen the star act out many roles, but who knew she’d play a stripper so well? In the film, Aniston plays Rose, a stripper who works with a drug dealer (Jason Sudeikis) and pretends to be a part of his fake family to get weed into the U.S. from Mexico.
Cinelou Films
Cake
This is a side of Aniston we had never seen before, but she nailed it. The actress plays a woman who not only suffers from chronic pain in Cake, but is also a prescription pill addict on the verge of committing suicide.
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Open Road Films
Mother’s Day
Aniston plays Sandy, a divorced mom of two boys trying to deal with her husband getting remarried as one of the many stories of moms and their different struggles in Mother’s Day.
Paramount Pictures
Office Christmas Party
After his sister (Aniston) threatens to shut down his branch of the company, Clay (T.J. Miller) throws an epic Christmas party to try and save the company and all his employees’ jobs.
Netflix
Dumplin’
In 2018, Aniston became a part of the Netflix family with Dumplin‘. In the movie she is a former beauty queen and pageant director for Miss Teen Bluebonnet, which her plus-size daughter Willowdean (Danielle Macdonald) enters as a protest against that lifestyle and its lack of diversity.
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