The Break-Up, Part One

Jennifer Aniston

Despite her movie stardom, it was news of her split from husband Brad Pitt in January 2005 that put Aniston directly in the spotlight. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

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Jennifer Aniston Women want to be her, men want to marry her. She's the honey-haired girl-next-door who rose to fame as Rachel Green on the long-running hit sitcom "Friends" and whose star has continued to shine, earning her a spot on Forbes' list of Hollywood's Top Ten Highest Paid Actresses. (Photo by Charley Gallay/Getty Images)
John Aniston & J... Born into a show business family, Aniston's father is soap star John Aniston, who starred on "Days of Our Lives" for over 20 years. (Photo by Stephen Shugerman/Getty Images)
Jen's Godfather Another member of the extended showbiz family? Actor Telly "Kojak" Savalas, who was Aniston's godfather. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
Jennifer Aniston... Aniston attended the High School of the Performing Arts in New York City, graduating in 1987. She worked steadily after in TV, including on a variety sketch show "The Edge" that ran on Fox in 1992. (Photo By Getty Images)
Jennifer Aniston... Shortly after, Aniston was cast as Rachel Green, a spoiled rich girl now working as a coffee shop waitress in the sitcom "Friends." Aniston lost 30 pounds to win the role of Rachel and continued to slim down as the show progressed. (Photo: Getty)
Jennifer Aniston... While the show was a huge success, Aniston's shag hairstyle, "The Rachel" was a star in its own right. (Photo: Getty)
Jennifer Aniston... The cast of "Friends" was famously close. They conducted all of their contract negotiations as a unit, an unusual strategy in the Hollywood arena which ended up working in their favor. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
Ross & Rachel "Friends" was a phenomenon throughout the 1990s and early 2000s. The ups and downs of the romantic relationship between Aniston's Rachel and David Schwimmer's Ross kept viewers hooked for the 10 seasons of the show.
Girl 'Friends' Although the cast was close, Aniston (pictured here with costars Courteney Cox and Lisa Kudrow) is the only one who has really had continued success in the film world. Her first films included the schlock-fest "Leprechaun" (1993), "She's the One" (1996) alongside Ed Burns and "Til There Was You" (1997). (AP Photo/Michael Caulfield)
'Picture Perfect... Aniston costarred with Kevin Bacon in this critical and box-office disappointment in 1997... (Photo: 20th Century Fox) 1997
'The Object of M... ...but was more fortunate with her next film, "The Object of My Affection" with Paul Rudd in 1998.
'Office Space' It was in another role as a waitress that Aniston first found big screen success. In 1999, she starred as Joanna, a server at the fictional Flingers restaurant chain and the love interest of Ron Livingston's character in the cult classic film "Office Space."
Jennifer Aniston... Aniston was engaged to actor Tate Donovan, who starred as Rachel's boyfriend on season four of "Friends." They never married. (Photo by Online USA)
Jennifer Aniston... In 1997, Aniston started dating actor Brad Pitt, whom she married in July, 2000. (Photo by Getty)
Wedding Bells The couple were married under a tent on the beach in Malibu attended by A-list celebs and punctuated by a fireworks display. (AP Photo)
'Rock Star' Jennifer Aniston, left, and Mark Wahlberg, starred in the film "Rock Star" in 2001. (AP Photo/kevork Djansezian)
'The Good Girl' In 2002, Aniston made a dramatic departure away from the light comedy she's best known for to star in the indie film "The Good Girl"
Emmy Winner Aniston won an Emmy for Best Lead Actress in 2002 for her work on "Friends." The stars of "Friends," from left, Matthew Perry, Courteney Cox Arquette, Jennifer Aniston and Matt LeBlanc. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon)
Jennifer Aniston Aniston is known for her classic all-American red carpet style. She even managed to look chic with a cane. (Photo by Robert Mora/Getty Images)
$1 Million Per E... Aniston could afford to keep herself in gorgeous clothing; she was reportedly earning $1 million per episode in the final two seasons of "Friends." (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
'Along Came Poll... In 2004, the final year of "Friends," Aniston's movie career was on solid ground with her work in films like "Along Came Polly" with Ben Stiller and "Bruce Almighty" with Jim Carrey.
The Break-Up, Pa... Despite her movie stardom, it was news of her split from husband Brad Pitt in January 2005 that put Aniston directly in the spotlight. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
The Break-Up, co... Speculation was rampant over what caused the breakup of one of Hollywood's happiest marriages... (Photo: AP)
'Mr. & Mrs. Smit... ...shortly after the break-up, Pitt became involved with his "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" costar. The two have denied having had a relationship while he was married to Aniston. (Photo: 20th Century Fox)
'The Break-Up', ... While her actual break-up with Pitt was going on, Aniston was filming the movie "The Break-Up" about a divorcing couple who still live together... (Photo by Dave Hogan/Getty Images)
Jennifer Aniston ... her costar was actor Vince Vaughn, who, in a particularly Hollywood web of weirdness, also starred alongside Jolie and Pitt in "Mr. & Mrs. Smith"...
Jennifer Aniston... ...and then started dating Jennifer Aniston. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
'Friends with Mo... Aniston has continued to act in movies, including the critically acclaimed "Friends with Money"...
'Marley & Me' Anniston stars alongside Own Wilson in the big-screen adaptation of the best selling book "Marley & Me." (AP Photo/Alan Diaz)
'He's Just Not T... ...the hotly anticipated "He's Just Not That Into You," based on the bestselling book. The movie will be released in 2009.
People's Choice ... She continues to win awards, like the 2007 People's Choice Award for Favorite Female Movie Star Award. (Photo by Mark Mainz/Getty Images for PCA)
Jennifer Aniston... Despite her career and financial success, it's her love life that continues to dominate the tabloids. She recently dated and reportedly broke up with musician John Mayer. (Mayer Photo by Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images) (Aniston Photo: AP/Chris Carlson)
'Friends' Foreve... While her romantic life has had its ups and downs, she's still best friends with "Friends" costar Courteney Cox. The two shared an onscreen kiss on Cox's now-canceled FX show "Dirt" and Aniston is godmother to Cox's daughter Coco. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images)
"30 Rock" Aniston poked fun at her "clingy" reputation by guesting on the ratings-starved comedy "30 Rock" as the ultimate crazy girlfriend.
Vogue, 2008 Aniston continued her feud with Angelina Jolie in the pages of Vogue magazine, when she called Jolie "uncool" for falling in love with Brad Pitt on the set of "Mr. and Mrs. Smith." Pitt was reportedly furious that Aniston hadn't moved on.