All About Jennifer Aniston’s Parents, John Aniston and Nancy Dow

For Jennifer Aniston, a love for acting runs in the family.

The Friends actress was born on Feb. 11, 1969, in Sherman Oaks, Calif., to the late actors Nancy Dow and John Aniston, who raised their only daughter in New York City.

Though she had a bittersweet bond with mother Nancy and occasionally shared sweet father-daughter moments with father John over the years, Jennifer’s relationship with her parents was strained at times. Nancy and John divorced when Jennifer was young, and in a 2020 Interview magazine profile, the Morning Show star opened up about her unsettling childhood.

Speaking with her pal Sandra Bullock, Jennifer said that “growing up in a household that was destabilized and felt unsafe” helped her learn to stay afloat when things in her life didn’t go as planned. “I guess I have my parents to thank,” she said. “You can either be angry or be a martyr, or you can say, ‘You’ve got lemons? Let’s make lemonade.’ “