Lisa Kudrow Biography

Born Lisa Valarie Kudrow, Lisa Kudrow is an American actress, writer, comedian, and producer from California. She came to international prominence after appearing in several 1980s television sitcoms. Her portrayal in the American sitcom Friends as Phoebe Buffay earned her Primetime Emmy and Screen Actors Guild Awards.

Lisa Kudrow Age|Birthday

Kudrow was born on 30th July 1963. Therefore she is 58 years. The actress celebrates her birthday on 30th July every year.

Lisa Kudrow Height|Weight

Kudrow’s height is 5 feet 8 inches (approximately 173 centimeters). Moreover, she weighs 62 kilograms.

Lisa Kudrow Family

Kudrow was born in Encino, Los Angeles, California to her parents Nedra and Lee. Her mother is a travel agent and her father is a physician specializing in the treatment of headaches. In addition, she has three siblings, an elder sister named Helene, and two brothers named David and Derrick.

Lisa Kudrow Husband

Kudrow has been married to Michael Stern, a French-American entrepreneur, and advertising executive since May 27, 1995. In addition, the couple has a son together named Julian Murray Stern.

Lisa Kudrow Education

Kudrow graduated from Taft High School in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles after Portola Middle School in Tarzana. However, intending to become an expert on headaches like her physician father, she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Biology from Vassar College. Moreover, she was breaking into acting while her father was earning a research credit on his study on the comparative likelihood of left-handed individuals developing cluster headaches while working on his staff for eight years.

Lisa Kudrow Career

Early Career (1989 – 1994)

Kudrow began her comedic career as a member of The Groundings at the urging of her brother’s childhood friend, comedian Jon Lovitz. It was an improv and sketch comedy school in Los Angeles. In addition, she calls Cynthia Szigeti, her improv teacher at The Groundings the best thing that happened on so many levels for changing her perspective on acting. Moreover, in the short-lived improv troupe Unexpected Company, she briefly joined with Conan O’Brien and director Tim Hillman. Additionally, at The Transformers Comedy Troupe, she was the only regular female member. In an episode of the NBC sitcom Cheers, she played a role. The Saturday Night Live show chose Julia Sweeney instead of her in 1990 when she tried.

Newhart

In addition, in three episodes of season one of the Bob Newhart sitcom Bob (CBS, 1992 – 1993), she had a recurring role as Kathy Fleisher. This role she played after taking part in the series finale of Newhart’s previous series Newhart. She appeared in at least two network-produced pilots prior to Friends. The pilots are CBS’ Close Encounters (Matchmaker) in 1990 as Vally girl and NBC’s Just Temporary (Temporary Yours) in 1989 as Nicole.

Frasier

Her role as Roz Doyle in Frasier was re-cast with Peri Gilpin during the taping of the pilot episode. She explained that she knew it wasn’t working and she could feel it all slipping away and was panicking which only made things worse. This was during the rehearsals. Furthermore, on the NBC sitcom Mad About You, her role was recurring as Ursula Buffay, the eccentric waitress. Moreover, she co-starred as massage therapist Phoebe Buffay, Ursula’s twin sister reprising her character on the NBC sitcom Friends.

Friends and Breakthrough (1994 – 2004)

Kudrow’s 1998 honor as Outstanding Supporting Actress in a comedy series for her starring role as Phoebe on Friends (NBC, 1994 – 2004) made her the first Friends cast member to win an Emmy Award. Moreover, alongside co-stars, Jennifer Aniston and Courtney Cox became the highest-paid TV actresses of all time earning $1 million per episode for the ninth and the tenth seasons of Friends. This was according to the 2005 Guinness Book of World Records.

Additionally, she appeared in several comedy films such as Hanging Up, Romy, and Michelle’s High School Reunion during her tenure on Friends. Also, she appeared in Analyze This and its sequel Analyze That, Dr. Dolittle, and dramatic films such as The Opposite of Sex and Wonderland. Moreover, The Simpsons, Hope and Gloria, King of the Hill, and hosting Saturday Night Live were some of the numerous television series she also guest-starred.

Post-Friends (2004 – Present)

On the single-season HBO series, The Comeback which premiered June 5, 2005, Kudrow starred as protagonist Valerie Cherish. It was about a has-been sitcom star trying for a comeback where she was also a co-creator, writer, and executive producer. HBO revived the series in 2014 for an abbreviated second season nine years after the original series. Her work on The Comeback comedy series made her receive two Emmy nominations for Outstanding Lead Actress. Is or Isn’t Entertainment is her production company.

She is the executive producer for the U.S. version of the British television series Who Do You Think You Are where celebrities trace their family trees. It was discovered that her great-grandmother was murdered in the Holocaust with Kudrow herself as the subjects of the first series.

Web Therapy Lstudio.com

She improvised and co-created comedy web series, Web Therapy on Lstudio.com. Additionally, it has earned several Webby nominations and one Oustanding Comedic Performance Webby for her improv series which launched online in 2008. Moreover, she plays therapist Fiona Wallice and offers her patients three-minute sessions over iChat. Moreover, a reformatted, half-hour version of the show premiered on Showtime in July 2011. However, it was canceled after four seasons in 2015. Scandal, Angie Tribeca, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Cougar Town, and BoJack Horseman are some of the multiple television series she has guest-starred.

Comedy

In addition, she has appeared in multiple comedic films such as Happy Endings, Hotel for Dogs, Long Shot, Booksmart, and Easy A following Friends. Also, she has also co-starred in the film thriller, as well as The Girl on the Train. Additionally, she has appeared in the romantic drama P.S. I Love You.

She starred as Maggie Naird in the Netflix comedy series, Space Force. Additionally,  in season 4 episode 12 of The Good Place ‘Patty”, she played Hypatia of Alexandria.

Along with Mary McCormack, an executive producer of the syndicated game show 25 Words or Less is one of the celebrity guests playing with a contestant on the show.

Filmography

Film

1983 – 2000

1983 – Overdrawn at the Memory Bank – Extra
1986 – America 3000 – Warrior Women Leader
1989 – L.A. on $5 a Day – Charmer
1991 – To The Moon Alice – Friend of Perky Girl,
– The Unborn – Louisa
1992 – Dance with Death – Millie
– In the Heat of Passion – Esther
1994 – In the Heat of Passion 2 – Teller
1995 – The Crazysitter – Adrian Wexler-Jones
1996 – Mother – Linda
1997 – Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion – Michele Weinberger
– Clockwatchers – Paula
– Hacks – Reading Woman
1998 – The Opposite of Sex – Lucia DeLury
1999 – Analyze This – Laura MacNamara Sobel
2000 – Hanging Up – Maddy Mozell
– Lucky Numbers – Crystal

2001 – 2010

2001 – All Over The Guy – Marie
– Dr. Dolittle 2 – Ava (voice)
2002 – Bark! – Dr. Darla Portnoy
– Analyze That – Laura Sobel
2003 – Marci X – Marci Field
– Wonderland – Sharon Holmes
2005 – Happy Endings – Mamie
2007 – Kabluey – Leslie
– P.S. I Love You – Denise
2009 – Hotel for Dogs – Los Scudder
– Powder Blue – Sally
– Paper Man – Claire Dunn
– Bandslam – Karen Burton
– The Other Woman – Dr. Carolyn Soule
2010 – Easy A – Mrs. Griffith

2014 – Present

2014 – Neighbors – Carol Gladstone
2016 – El Americano: The Movie – Lucile (voice)
– Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising – Carol Gladstone
– The Girl on the Train – Martha
2017 – Table 19 – Bina Kepp
– The Boss Baby – Janice Templeton (voice)
2018 – Love in the Age of Like – Ozma(voice)
2019 – Long Shot – Katherine
– Booksmart – Charmaine Antsler
2020 – Like a Boss – Shay Whitmore
2021 – The Boss Baby: Family Business – Janice Templeton (voice)
TBA – Better Late Then Nver – Heidi

Television

1989 – 1998

1989 – Married to the Mob, Cheers as Emily, Just Temporary as Nicole
1990 – Newhart as Sada, Life Goes On as Stella
1991 – Murder in High Places as Miss Stich
1992 – Room for Two as Woman in Black
1993 – 1999 – Mad About You as Ursula Buffay, Flying Blind as Amy,
1993 – 1994 – Coach as Lauren/Nurse Alice
1994 – 2004 – Friends as Phoebe Buffay
1995 – 2001 – Friends as Ursula Buffay
1996 – Hope & Gloria as Phoebe Buffay, Duckman Private as Female Beta Maxians (voice), Saturday Night Live as Host
1997 – Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist as Lisa (voice)
1998 – The Simpsons as Alex Whitney (voice)
1998 – 1999 – Hercules: The Animated series as Aphrodite (voice)

2001 – 2011

2001 – King of the Hill as Marjorie Pittman (voice), Blue’s Clues as Dr. Stork (voice)
2005 – Father of the Pride as Foo-Lin (voice), Hopeless Pictures as Sandy (voice)
2005 – 2014 – The Comeback as Valerie Cherish
2006 – American Dad! as The Ghost of Christmas Past (voice)
2008 – 2014 – Web Therapy as Fiona Wallice
2010 – Cougar Town as Dr. Amy Evans
2010 – present – Who Do You Think You Are as Herself
2011 – 2015 – Web Therapy as Fiona Wallice
2011 – Allen Gregory as Sheila (voice)

2013 – present

2013 – Wendell and Vinnie as Natasha, Scandal as Congresswoman Josephine Marcus
2015 – BoJack Horseman as Wanda Pierce (voice)
2016 – Must-See TV AS herself, Angie Tribeca as Monica Vivarquar
2016 – 2019 – Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt as Fairy Godmother (voice) / Lori Ann Schmidt
2017 – Rupaul’s Drag Race as Guest
2018 – present – 25 Words or Less as Herself
2018 – Grace and Frankie as Sheree, Bright Futures as Narrator
2019 – Gjosting: The Spirit of Christmas
2020 – The Good Place as Hypatia of Alexandria, Death to 2020 as Jeanetta Grace Susan, Space Force as Maggie Naird
2020 – 2021 – Feel Good as Linda
2021 – Friends: The Reunion as Herself, HouseBroken as Honey (voice), History of the sitcom as Herself

Awards and nominations

Kudrow’s role in the sitcom Friends received seven nominations at the Primetime Emmy Awards and she has also been honored with numerous accolades over her career. Moreover, she won the 1998 Outstanding Supporting Actress in a comedy series. The 2021 Primetime Emmy Award is her most recent nomination. Additionally, she has had two wins at the Screen Actors Guild Awards and received twelve nominations. Also, she has had eight nominations at the American Comedy Awards and one win.

Lisa Kudrow Net Worth

As of 2021, Kudrow’s net worth is $90 million.