Jennifer Aniston puts name in star on Walk of Fame

Actor Adam Sandler speaks as actress Jennifer Aniston smiles nearby, before unveiling her star on the Walk of Fame in Hollywood, California February 22, 2012.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Actress Jennifer Aniston was honored with a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame on Wednesday, the first of the "Friends" actors to receive the emblem of celebrity that she described as "surreal."

"I was born in Sherman Oaks, California. I am a California girl through and through, and I'm sure this is always just sort of been in the back of my mind," said Aniston at the ceremony.

"It probably wasn't even a dream, it was one of my wildest dreams. I don't think that I ever even thought that this would be here, this day. So I am utterly humbled and grateful," the "Friends" actress told her fans and friends.

Aniston was joined by her father John Aniston and "Wanderlust" co-stars including boyfriend Justin Theroux as she received her star.

Her "Just Go With It" co-star Adam Sandler was on hand to deliver some wisecracks to the crowd, referring to Aniston's universally coveted hairstyle and her role in 1993 horror film "Leprechaun."

"She prayed for three things: to have everyone in the entire world be fascinated with her hair, to one day star in a movie about an evil leprechaun who kills people, and most importantly, receive a star on the prestigious Hollywood Walk of Fame. Well, today, Jennifer, the trifecta is here," quipped Sandler.

Aniston, 43, rose to fame in the role of Rachel Green in the hit 1990s sitcom "Friends," for which she won a Golden Globe and Emmy award. Her friends co-stars Courteney Cox, Matthew Perry, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer were not present at Wednesday's ceremony.

The actress' private life has also been in the spotlight with numerous high-profile relationships over the past two decades, including her five-year marriage to actor Brad Pitt that at the time made the pair one of Hollywood's super couples.

After "Friends" ended in 2004, Aniston made a successful transition into films, with roles opposite Jake Gyllenhaal in the critically-acclaimed "The Good Girl," Clive Owen in "Derailed" and numerous comedies including "The Break-Up," "The Switch" and "Horrible Bosses."

The actress will next be seen in comedy "Wanderlust" with Paul Rudd, Malin Akerman and Theroux, out in U.S. theaters on Friday.

(Reporting by Reuters TV; writing by Piya Sinha-Roy; Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)