Lisa Kudrow's Full Biography
For 10 seasons, we loved watching Lisa Kudrow on our screens as the kooky but lovable Phoebe Buffay on everyone's favorite '90s sitcom, Friends.
However, Kudrow's talent and versatility extend far beyond her iconic portrayal of Phoebe. Since the show's finale in 2004, she has continued to captivate audiences with her exceptional acting skills and comedic timing in a wide range of projects. From critically acclaimed films to successful television series, Kudrow's post-Friends career has been nothing short of impressive.
Early Life/Entertainment
On July 30, 1963, Kudrow entered into the world in Encino, California. Her mother, Nedra, was a travel agent, and her father, Lee, was a physician who specializes in the study of headaches. She was the third of four children. She was the youngest of three children and grew up in a Jewish family that belonged to the middle class. As a child, Kudrow was a talented tennis player, and she earned a spot on the varsity team at Taft High School, which is located in Los Angeles.
After receiving her degree in research from Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York, Kudrow relocated to Los Angeles in order to begin working with her father and pursue a career in the field of academia. Lisa was encouraged to pursue a career in acting by comedian Jon Lovitz, a childhood friend of her older brother. Despite the fact that she was still working for her father as a medical researcher, Lisa attempted to break into the industry.
Eventually, Kudrow became a member of the famed improv comedy troupe The Groundlings, which was based in Los Angeles. She honed her comedic skills there as well as with other improv groups like Unexpected Company, where she collaborated with Conan O'Brien, and the Transformers Comedy Group.
Career
Despite facing some setbacks in her early television career, Kudrow persevered and eventually found success. Her unsuccessful audition for Saturday Night Live in 1990 did not deter her, as she went on to secure the role of Ursula, the eccentric waitress on Mad About You in 1992. Kudrow's talent and comedic timing also landed her guest appearances on Bob Newhart's program in 1993.
Kudrow's most significant opportunity arose when she landed the role of Phoebe Buffay, the endearing folk-singing massage therapist, on the highly popular sitcom Friends. The show quickly gained immense popularity upon its debut in 1994, and Kudrow's exceptional performance earned her prestigious accolades such as an Emmy Award in 1998 and a Screen Actors Guild Award in 2000.
Using the popularity of her well-regarded TV show as a springboard, Kudrow made the jump to the big screen, making appearances in movies like Romy and Michele's High School Reunion (1997), The Opposite of Sex (1998), Analyze This (1999), Happy Endings (2005), and P.S. I Love You (2007). In Hercules: The Animated Series, she voiced Aphrodite; in The Simpsons, Alexandra Whitney, a student; and in Dr. Dolittle 2, Ava the bear.
Michael Patrick King, an executive producer of Sex and the City, teamed up with Kudrow to co-create and co-write the HBO comedy The Comeback, which made its debut in 2005. The Comeback cleverly parodies the entertainment industry and features Kudrow as Valerie Cherish, a former sitcom actress determined to make a comeback. Initially canceled after airing 13 episodes, the show defied expectations and returned for a second season in 2014.
As a self-centered therapist named Fiona Wallice, Kudrow starred in the popular improvisational web series Web Therapy, which she also debuted in 2008. In 2011, Showtime picked up the show as a TV series, and it aired for four seasons. It featured guest stars like Jane Lynch, Molly Shannon, and Selma Blair.
In addition, Kudrow served as an executive producer for the documentary series Who Do You Think You Are?, which focuses on genealogy and follows famous people as they research their family trees. In an episode from 2010, Kudrow researched her own family tree, which included ancestors who came to the United States from Belarus, Germany, and Hungary. She was deeply affected by the scene in which she discovered that her great-grandmother had been killed during the Holocaust.
Since then, Kudrow has had roles on both the big and small screens, most recently in the 2014 Seth Rogen comedy Neighbors and, more recently, as a recurring character on the critically acclaimed television drama Scandal. She has proven time and again that she has the innate ability to make audiences laugh, as evidenced by the tenth Emmy nomination that she received in 2015 for her work on The Comeback.
Afterward and more recently, Lisa Kudrow was in Booksmart (2016), The Girl on the Train (2016), The Boss Baby (2017), and Long Shot (2019). Over two billion dollars' worth of money has been made around the world thanks to her appearances in various movies.
Personal Life
Lisa Kudrow has been happily married to her husband, advertising executive Michel Stern, for more than 25 years, according to Entertainment Tonight. They had one son together in 1998, named Julian.
Net Worth
Lisa Kudrow has a net worth of $130 million. She was paid a total of $90 million throughout her role on Friends.
