This page is all about the brilliant actors who play our favourite characters in friends!

Jennifer Aniston

Born in Sherman Oaks, California, Jennifer Aniston spent a year of her childhood living in Greece with her family. Her family then relocated to New York City where her parents, John Aniston and Nancy Dow, divorced when she was 9. Jennifer was raised by her mother and her father landed a role, as Victor Kiriakis, on the daytime soap "Days of Our Lives" (1965). Jennifer had her first taste of acting at age 11 when she joined the Rudolf Steiner School's drama club. It was also at the Rudolf Steiner School that she developed her passion for art. She began her professional training as a drama student at New York's High School of the Performing Arts. In 1987, after graduation, she appeared in such Off-Broadway productions as "For Dear Life" and "Dancing on Checker's Grave". In 1989, she landed her first television role, as a series regular on "Molloy" (1990). She also appeared in "The Edge" (1992), "Ferris Bueller" (1990)By 1993, she was floundering. Then, in 1994, a pilot called "Friends Like These" came along. Originally asked to audition for the role of Monica, Aniston refused and auditioned for the role of Rachel Green, the suburban princess turned coffee peddler. With the success of the series "Friends" (1994), Jennifer has become famous and sought-after as she turns her fame into movie roles during the series hiatus.

Courteney Cox was born on June 15th, 1964 into an affluent Southern family. Her father Richard L Cox (1930-2001) was a business man married to her mother Courteney. She was the baby of the family with two older sisters (Virginia and Dottie) and an older brother Richard Jnr. She was raised in an exclusive society town, Mountain Brook, Alabama. Courteney was the archetypal Daddy's girl, and therefore was understandably devastated when, in 1974 her parents divorced, and her father moved to Florida.She became a rebellious teen, and did not make things easy for her mother, and new step-father, New York businessman Hunter Copeland. Now, she is great friends with both. She attended Mountain Brook High School, where she was a cheerleader, tennis player and swimmer. In her final year, she received her first taste of modelling. She appeared in an advert for the store, Parisians. Upon graduation, she left Alabama to study architecture and interior design at Mount Vernon College. After one year she dropped out to a pursue a modelling career in New York.She appeared on the covers of teen magazines such as Tiger Beat and Little Miss, plus numerous romance novels. She then moved on to commercials for Maybeline, Noxema, New York Telephone Company and Tampax.In 1989, "Family Ties" (1982) ended, and Cox went through a lean spell in her career, featuring in unmemorable movies such as Mr. Destiny (1990) with Michael Caine. Fortunes changed dramatically for Cox, when in 1994, she starred alongside Jim Carrey in the unexpected hit Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994), and a year later she was cast as Monica Geller on the hugely successful sitcom "Friends" (1994). It was this part that turned her into an international superstar and led to an American Comedy Award nomination.In 1996 Cox starred in Wes Craven's horror/comedy Scream (1996).Not only did her involvement in this movie lead to critical acclaim, but it also led to her meeting actor husband David Arquette.

Lisa Kudrow was born in Encino on July 30, 1963. Her father Lee Kudrow was a physician, and her mother Nedra a travel agent. Lisa was raised in Tarzana. Lisa played varsity-level tennis in high school and college and is a pool shark who has mastered some of the more difficult trick shots (so beware). Lisa graduated from Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology. At first she wanted to pursue a career in research, so she returned to Los Angeles to begin working with her father. However, Lisa got inspired to perform by one of her brother's friends, comedian Jon Lovitz. And so the tall (5'9") blond-haired, green-eyed beauty entered show biz. Lisa auditioned for the improv theater group The Groundlings, based in Los Angeles. Cynthia Szigeti, a well-known improv teacher, took Lisa under her wing. In that class, Lisa became a friend of Conan O'Brien. Graduating with honors, in 1989 Lisa became a full-fledged member of The Groundlings. Breaking into TV, Lisa got a recurring role as Ursula, the ditzy waitress on "Mad About You." This led to Lisa's starring role on "Friends." In the debut season (1994-95) of "Friends, " Lisa earned an Emmy nomination as Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series; in 1998 she won that award for her role as Phoebe, the ditzy but lovable folk singer. Lisa has also been nominated for Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild and American Comedy Awards for her performances. Lisa made the transition to the silver screen with a lot of success. In 1997 Lisa starred opposite Oscar winner Mira Sorvino in the hit comedy "Romy and Michele's High School Reunion." Lisa garnered more praise for her work in movies when she got the New York Film Critics Award for her starring role in "The Opposite of Sex." Lisa married Michael Stern, an advertising executive on May 27, 1995. On May 7, 1998, they were blessed with a son, Julian Murray; they live in Los Angeles.

Matt Le Blanc was born on July 25th 1967 at 4.18am. After receiving his first motorcycle at age 8, Matt LeBlanc started participating in various amateur competitions with hopes of racing professionally. He soon ran into a roadblock: his mother, who forced him to find a different outlet for his talents. He trained for a career in carpentry, but aspired to incorporate artistic elements into it. Upon his graduation from high school, he set his sights on making a life for himself in New York City. By 1987 he had obtained parts in national television commercials for such products as Levi's 501 jeans, Coca-Cola and Doritos. He also appeared in a Heinz catsup spot that won the prestigious Gold Lion Award at the 1987 Cannes Film Festival. In 1988 LeBlanc started formal acting training. Within a year he landed a starring role on the television series "TV 101," and relocated to Los Angeles. His TV credits since then include starring roles on "Top of the Heap" and "Vinnie & Bobby" and in the movie "Anything to Survive" (opposite Robert Conrad). He also guest-starred on the cable series "Red Shoe Diaries" and starred in "Reform School Girls," the final installment of "Rebel Highway," a one-hour cable anthology series. LeBlanc made his feature-film debut in "Lookin' Italian" with Alanis Morissette. He recently starred in the family comedy feature film "Ed," which was directed by award-winning documentarian Bill Couterie. During the past 10 years he has developed a passion for landscape photography, which has taken him to such locations as Amsterdam, Switzerland, Germany, Vancouver and various places in the United States. LeBlanc lives with his dog, Lady, who was one of the first friends he made when he moved to Los Angeles.

Born in Williamstown, Massachusetts, Matthew Perry was raised in Ottawa, Ontario, where he became a top-ranked junior tennis player in Canada. However, after moving to Los Angeles at the age of 15 to live with his father (actor John Bennett Perry), he became more interested in acting. In addition to performing in several high school stage productions, he remained an avid tennis player. Perry ranked 17th nationally in the junior singles category and third in the doubles category. Upon graduating from high school, Perry intended to enroll at the University of Southern California. However, when he was offered a leading role on the television series, "Second Chance" (1987), he seized the opportunity to begin his acting career.
Perry appeared in the hit comedy film The Whole Nine Yards (2000), as the neighbor of a hit man played by Bruce Willis' . His other feature film credits include _Fools Rush In (1997)_ , A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon (1988), She's Out of Control (1989) and Parallel Lives (1994) (TV). He also co-starred with Chris Farley in the buddy comedy Almost Heroes (1998) and in the romantic comedy, Three to Tango (1999), opposite Neve Campbell. Perry currently resides in Los Angeles. He enjoys playing ice hockey and softball in his spare time. His father appeared on an episode of "Friends" (1994), as the father of one of Jennifer Aniston's boyfriends.The part of Col. Don West in Lost in Space (1998) was originally offered to him, but eventually went to "Friends" (1994) co-star Matt LeBlanc.His favorite NHL team is the Ottawa Senators. He often attends the playoff games in Ottawa, Canada. He attended this year's playoff games between Ottawa and Toronto Maple Leafs (2004). His birthday is on august 19th.

Born in New York and raised in Los Angeles, Schwimmer was encouraged by a high school instructor to attend a summer program in acting at Northwestern University. Inspired by that experience, he returned to Northwestern where he received a bachelor's degree in speech/theater. In 1988, along with seven other Northwestern graduates, he co-founded Chicago's Looking glass Theatre Company.Before "Friends" (1994) Schwimmer competed against high-school friend Jonathan Silverman and actor Jon Cryer for a role in the TV pilot Couples (1994) (TV). Silverman won the role opposite Helen Slater, but ABC passed on the show. The producers later reconceived the show for singles and sold it to NBC as "Friends" (1994) in which Schwimmer was the first actor to be cast. David Schwimmer went to the same High School as Angelina Jolie, Michael Klesic, Nicolas Cage, Lenny Kravitz, Jonathan Silverman, Gina Gershon, Rhonda Fleming, Jackie Cooper, Rob Reiner, Antonio Sabato Jr., Pauly Shore, Michael Tolkin, Betty White, Crobin Bernsen, E.G. Daily, Albert Brooks and Crispin Glover. David once said in an interview, he would like to become a public school teacher after Friends ended. His birthday is on November 2nd 1966.