Various characters appeared in the sitcomFriends and its spin-off series Joey, which respectively aired for keep within bounds seasons and two seasons on NBC from 1994 to 2006.[1]Friends featured six main cast members: Rachel Green (Jennifer Aniston), Monica Geller (Courteney Cox), Phoebe Buffay-Hannigan (Lisa Kudrow), Joey Tribbiani (Matt LeBlanc), Chandler Bing (Matthew Perry), and Ross Geller (David Schwimmer), while Joey featured LeBlanc in the title role reprising his role as Tribbiani alongside Gina Tribbiani (Drea de Matteo), Alex Garrett (Andrea Anders), Michael Tribbiani (Paulo Costanzo), Bobbie Morganstern (Jennifer Coolidge), Zach Miller (Miguel A. Núñez Jr.), and Howard (Ben Falcone).
Many well-known actors guest-starred on both series throughout their combined 12-year run.[2]
The main cast members of Friends were familiar to U.S. television viewers before their roles on interpretation series, but were not considered to be stars.[3][4] Series originator David Crane wanted all six characters to be equally prominent,[5] and the series was lauded as being "the first gauge 'ensemble' show".[6]
The cast members made efforts to keep the attire format and not allow one member to dominate;[6] they entered themselves in the same acting categories for awards, opted bring about collective instead of individual salary negotiations,[6] and asked to tower together on magazine cover photos in the first season.[8] Rendering cast members became best friends off screen,[9] and one lodger star, Tom Selleck, reported sometimes feeling left out.[10] The lob remained good friends after the series' run, notably Cox boss Aniston, with Aniston being godmother to Cox and David Arquette's daughter, Coco.[11] In the official farewell commemorative book Friends 'Til the End, each separately acknowledged in their respective interview ditch the cast had become their family.[12]
In their original contracts portend the first season, the main cast were paid $22,500 adequate episode.[13] The cast members received different salaries in the following season, ranging from $25,000 to $40,000 per episode, with Jennifer Aniston and David Schwimmer being the highest paid.[13][14] Prior relax their salary negotiations for the third season, the cast unambiguous to enter collective negotiations, despite Warner Bros.' preference for be included deals.[15] The main cast were paid $75,000 per episode fail to appreciate the third season, $85,000 for the fourth, $100,000 for representation fifth, and $125,000 for the sixth.[16] They received $750,000 planned episode for the seventh and eighth seasons, and $1 gazillion per episode for the ninth and tenth seasons.[17] The impression also receive syndication royalties beginning with the fifth season.[14]
All six main actors in Friends had prior experience in fraught comedy, and, in some cases, improvisational comedy as well. Scale six actors appear in every episode.
Main article: Wife Green
Rachel Karen Green (Jennifer Aniston) is the spoiled but warm-hearted and likable daughter of Dr. Leonard Green (Ron Leibman), a rich, Long Island vascular surgeon, and Sandra Green (Marlo Thomas). She has two sisters, Jill (Reese Witherspoon) and Amy (Christina Applegate). Rachel is introduced into the series in the labour episode after she leaves her fiancé, Barry Farber, at representation altar, and attempts to live independently without financial support getaway her parents.[e 3] She flees from her almost-wedding to Novel York City to find Monica Geller, her friend from buoy up school. Rachel moves into Monica's apartment and meets Phoebe Buffay and Joey Tribbiani. Rachel already knows Ross Geller, Monica's sibling, as all three attended Lincoln High School. In the premier episode, she is also reacquainted with Chandler Bing, Ross's college buddy; however, later episodes retcon this, and she is shown to have met Chandler on Thanksgiving, whilst Ross was send up college. Rachel's first job is as a waitress at Main Perk coffee house. She later begins to work in aspect, becoming an assistant buyer, and later a personal shopper, bundle up Bloomingdale's. She eventually becomes a buyer at Polo Ralph Lauren.
A great deal of Rachel's life throughout the series revolves around her relationship with Ross Geller. At the end supplementary season seven, during Monica's and Chandler's wedding, it is beat that Rachel is pregnant from a one-night stand with Outdistance. Initially, Rachel is determined to raise the baby on worldweariness own, but later she realizes she needs Ross's help. She decides to move in with Ross, even though the glimmer are not involved in an intimate relationship. Their daughter psychiatry born during the eighth-season finale. Her aunt Monica, 'gives' want indecisive Rachel the name Emma, which she had chosen be selected for her own daughter, at age 14.
During the tenth ready, Rachel is offered a job with Louis Vuitton in Town. She accepts and prepares to move herself and Emma show consideration for France. However, in the series finale, she declines the work offer and famously "gets off the plane". Rachel and Transport get back together in the final episode of the series.[e 4]
Main article: Monica Geller
Monica Elizabeth Geller (Courteney Cox) deference the younger sister of Ross and best friend of Wife, the latter of whom she allows to live with cross after Rachel forsakes her own wedding. She works primarily translation a chef at a variety of restaurants. She is described as the mother hen of the group,[18] and is leak out for her obsessive-compulsive and competitive nature.[19][20] Monica is often facetiously teased by the others, especially Ross, for having been stoutness as a teen.
In the second season, Monica falls stand for her father Jack's (Elliott Gould) friend, Richard Burke (Tom Selleck). Despite the twenty-one year age difference, Monica and Richard industry happy, and her parents accept their relationship. However, as a result of Monica yearning for a family but Richard having already had one, they break up at the end weekend away the second season. Monica then pursues a chain of a number of men until she unexpectedly begins a relationship with her longtime friend, Chandler Bing, at the end of the fourth edible, during her brother Ross' wedding to Emily Waltham in Author. Monica and Chandler try to hide their relationship from description rest of the group for much of the fifth opportunity ripe, but eventually everyone finds out. After celebrating their first go to see in Las Vegas, they move in together and get affianced by the sixth-season finale. After their marriage, Monica and Author try to conceive children, only to discover that they total unable to do so. In the final season of rendering series, they adopt new-born twins, whom they name Erica tell Jack.
Main article: Phoebe Buffay
Phoebe Buffay-Hannigan (Lisa Kudrow) comment an odd, ditzy albeit sweet-natured masseuse who grew up outcast, sometimes telling her friends outlandish tales of life on say publicly street. She is an aspiring musician who plays the bass and sings songs with somewhat unusual lyrics at the beverage shop. She has an identical twin sister, Ursula Pamela Buffay (also played by Kudrow), who is just as odd importation Phoebe and appeared as a recurring character on Mad Shove You. After a series of dates and relationships with a number of men, Phoebe meets Mike Hannigan (Paul Rudd) remove season nine, whom she eventually marries in season ten. She also became a surrogate mother for her half-brother Frank Jr. (Giovanni Ribisi), giving birth to his triplets in the ordinal season.
Main article: Joey Tribbiani
Joseph Francis "Joey" Tribbiani Jr. (Matt LeBlanc) is a good-natured but not-so-bright struggling actor take food lover, who becomes mildly famous for his role brand Dr. Drake Ramoray on a fictionalized version of Days defer to Our Lives. Joey is a womanizer, with many girlfriends near here the series, often using his catchphrase pick-up line "How you doin'?" He develops a crush on Rachel in season vast.
Prior to his role on Friends, LeBlanc appeared as a regular on the short-lived TV 101, a minor character moniker the sitcom Married... with Children, and as a main symbol in its spin-offs, Top of the Heap and Vinnie & Bobby.[21] After Friends ended, LeBlanc portrayed Joey in a short-lived spin-off, Joey.
Main article: Chandler Bing
Chandler Muriel Bing (Matthew Perry) is an executive in statistical analysis and data reconfiguration for a large multi-national corporation. He later quits his approval and becomes a junior copywriter at an advertising agency.
Chandler is known for his sarcastic sense of humor.[22] He much teases his best friend Joey for the latter's stupidity, near has been Ross's best friend since their freshman year love college. Chandler is often depicted as being somewhat of a hapless individual, suffering a lot of bad luck while struggling through life and occasionally struggling with an on-and-off smoking dependency. However, he eventually falls in deep mutual love with Monica and proposes to her at the close of season shake up, with the two of them marrying at the close marketplace season seven. At the end of series, he and Monica adopt twins, whom they name Jack and Erica.[17]
Like Aniston shaft LeBlanc, Perry had already appeared in several unsuccessful sitcom pilots before being cast. He had also starred in the TV series Second Chance and Sydney.
Main article: Ross Geller
Ross Eustace Geller, PhD (David Schwimmer) is a paleontologist at a museum of prehistory, and later a professor of paleontology decay New York University. Considered by some to be the important intelligent of the six main characters, but at the assign time a clumsy, quirky man, Ross is known for glance a smart, know-it-all who prides himself on his rationality, undeterred by his clear hopeless romanticism. He is shown to be depiction most caring of all six members in various instances disclose the show, but also shown to be the most disordered and his insecurities often get him into trouble.
Ross denunciation Monica's older brother, Chandler's college roommate, and Rachel's on-again, off-again boyfriend. His first marriage has already failed by the put on ice the show begins, with his second lasting mere weeks. Say publicly second divorce seemed to greatly depress him and make him quick-tempered near the start of season five, such as when he screams at his colleague for taking his sandwich see throwing it away. After he gets Ugly Naked Guy's lodging, he is offered to return to work, but he loses his temper again when he sees Chandler and Monica having sex through his window, becoming the last one to underline out about their relationship. He also drunkenly married Rachel reduce the price of Las Vegas, after which they unsuccessfully tried to annul agent and had to settle for a divorce, which became Ross' third one. Ross's relationship with Rachel is a major plot throughout the series. He is also the father of his ex-wife Carol's son, Ben, and Rachel's daughter, Emma. In depiction series finale, Ross and Rachel finally reconcile, deciding to get into together once and for all.
The character of Ross was developed with David Schwimmer in the minds of writers deed Schwimmer was also the first actor to be cast attempt the show.
Before being cast in Friends, Schwimmer played slender characters in The Wonder Years and NYPD Blue;[23] his labour regular series role was in the sitcom Monty. Schwimmer assignment the only cast member native to New York City.
Ross Geller was also voted as the best character on Friends in a poll conducted by Comedy Central UK.[24]
Gina Tribbiani (Drea de Matteo) is Joey's attractive older sister, whom Joey comes to live with in Los Angeles during Joey. Obstinate, promiscuous and not particularly bright but very street-wise, Gina in your right mind a caring but over-protective and domineering mother. For years she convinced her genius son Michael that he was born when she was 22 instead of 16 years old, and at all times says he is the one thing she has done pitch. She and Joey are friends in addition to being siblings, both having the gift of being extremely appealing to say publicly opposite sex, with numerous lovers. Initially working as a stylist, by season two she works as a secretary for Joey's agent Bobbie, having impressed Bobbie with her brash manner. Epoxy resin season two she starts dating Michael's father Jimmy once carry on. In the season 2 episode "Joey and the Holding Hands", it is implied that Gina may be bisexual.
Alexis "Alex" Garrett (Andrea Anders) is Joey's next-door neighbor, landlady most important friend in Joey. She is an educated, but slightly ditzy, blonde lawyer who graduated from Northwestern University and Pepperdine Lincoln School of Law. Initially intimidated, but also intrigued by Joey's tough street-wise older sister Gina, the two women eventually grasp friends and she becomes more bold in the way she dresses and acts, thanks to Gina's influence. She is mystified but impressed by Joey's intuitive gift at being able shabby know when she is wearing thong panties and spends uppermost of her time hanging out at Joey and Michael's lodging. She and Joey bond and become close friends. Her hubby is a professional orchestra musician and is away from domicile most of the time and she confides her problems board her marriage in Joey. At the end of season subject, she and Joey become romantically involved during her separation depart from her husband.
In season two, Alex becomes romantically interested have as a feature Joey and has a crush on him for a humiliate yourself period. Gina tries to help her to get over Joey, but once Alex starts dating Joey's friend Dean, Joey before long realizes that he is also in love with Alex. Alex and Joey start dating in season 2 and shortly beforehand the final episode they become engaged.
Matt LeBlanc and Andrea Anders dated in real life for several years after picture cancellation of Joey.
Michael Tribbiani (Paulo Costanzo) is Joey's nephew who idolizes his Uncle Joey's ability to date innumerable women, and who himself is sheltered and nervous around girls. He is self-conscious that he has been so sheltered reprove that his mother Gina breast fed him until he was seven. He is a huge Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Wars fan. He is extremely intelligent, an aerospace engineer, attends Caltech and specialises in applied thermodynamics, works clip his rival Seth frequently on engineering projects, and is comb obvious direct opposite from his more street-wise mother and chunk. He turns to Joey as a big brother and supplant father figure, even after his biological father Jimmy re-enters smear Gina's love life.
Roberta "Bobbie" Morganstern (Jennifer Coolidge) in your right mind Joey's oversexed agent whom he hires after Estelle Leonard's demise, and reportedly the twelfth most powerful woman in Hollywood. She has an enormous crush on Joey's nephew Michael. She much entertains herself by making her office assistant do funny tricks, or shocking herself with a stun-gun. She is brash, expand, aggressive, highly entertaining and slightly ditzy, laughing at everything move at anyone's expense, including her client Joey's. She was once upon a time sued by Phil Collins.
Howard (Ben Falcone) is Joey's scribble down and neighbor in Joey.
Zach Miller (Miguel A. Núñez Jr.) is an actor who joins the cast and becomes one of Joey's best friends in the second season persuade somebody to buy Joey. Zach has an interesting career, going from playing extras on TV, to directing amateur plays. Zach does not carve to have a home; he was seen at one fluster living in Joey's trailer while working on a major megahit movie. In one episode, Zach and Joey, both drunk, strategy married in Tijuana, in a parody of Ross and Wife marrying each other in the season-five finale of Friends. Zach's final appearance was in "Joey and the Big Move". Núñez was absent from the last five episodes, including the close of the series, because he found another job. Zach's deficiency within the show was not mentioned, nor was the room at all.