Jennifer Aniston Celebrates Special Moment Honoring Dad John Aniston

Jennifer Aniston is super proud of her dad and making sure he knows it. On June 24, Jennifer gave a beautiful tribute to her father, actor John Aniston, as he received a Lifetime Achievement Award for his incredible television career at the 49th annual Daytime Emmy Awards on Friday night. The popular 53-year-old actress described it as a "truly special moment" to be able to honor her father.

John, best known for his role on "Days of Our Lives" playing the role of Victor Kiriakis for 37 years, started acting in 1962 with a role on the crime drama "87th Precinct." Since that time, he's been featured on many popular television shows including "Gilmore Girls," "Star Trek: Voyager," "The West Wing," "Airwolf," "Search for Tomorrow," "Kojak" and many other well-known shows. Many more roles spanning 60 years in the industry are listed on his IMDb page.

The "Friends" star appeared remotely during the award show. John was not in attendance, so his co-star on "Days of Our Lives," Suzanne Rogers, accepted the award on his behalf. While accepting the award, she shared a wonderful sentiment, "To be recognized is a tremendous privilege and achievement. John will be forever grateful."

Then Jennifer's surprise visit was shown via video on the screen. "It's an opportunity not only to pay tribute to a true icon in the daytime television world, but it's also a chance to recognize the life-long achievements of a great and well-respected actor.  Who also happens to be my dad," she said. "For over 30 years, his dedication to that show has gained him respect and admiration of his fellow actors, deep friendships and thrilled millions of fans around the world. His career is literally the definition of lifetime achievement."

She also said, "John Aniston has been working in television consistently for over half a century," before adding that he has worked on many projects, "all while simultaneously appearing in every soap opera imaginable. You name it, I'm sure he's been on it."

Before Jennifer became a household name thanks to her hit role on "Friends," her father knew great things were headed her way in the world of acting. "Jennifer is a natural talent. There are certain things you can learn in this business and there are certain things you can't learn," he told E! News in 1990. "The comic instinct that she has in unerring. That's her greatest asset." Jennifer went on to win a 2002 Emmy Award for her role of Rachel Green on the NBC sitcom, "Friends."