Lisa Valerie Kudrow ( ; born July 30, 1963) is an American actress, producer, and screenwriter. She rose to fame for her role as
Phoebe Buffay
Phoebe Buffay is one of the six main characters from the American sitcom, '' Friends''. She is created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman and portrayed by actress Lisa Kudrow.
In the series' universe, Phoebe was born on February 16 and is the ...
in the sitcom ''
Friends
''Friends'' is an American television sitcom created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC from September 22, 1994, to May 6, 2004, lasting ten seasons. With an ensemble cast starring Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa ...
'' (1994–2004), which has since been named one of the greatest television characters of all time. Kudrow has received several awards, including one
Primetime Emmy Award
The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the Primetime ...
for
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series from 15 nominations, two
Screen Actors Guild Awards
Screen Actors Guild Awards (also known as SAG Awards) are accolades given by the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA). The award was founded in 1952 to recognize outstanding performances in movie an ...
from 12 nominations, and one
Golden Globe Award
The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...
nomination.
Kudrow starred in the
cult
In modern English, ''cult'' is usually a pejorative term for a social group that is defined by its unusual religious, spiritual, or philosophical beliefs and rituals, or its common interest in a particular personality, object, or goal. This ...
comedy film ''
Romy and Michele's High School Reunion
''Romy and Michele's High School Reunion'' is a 1997 American comedy film directed by David Mirkin and starring Mira Sorvino, Lisa Kudrow, and Janeane Garofalo. The plot revolves around two 28-year-old girls who appear to have not achieved much s ...
'' (1997) and followed it with an acclaimed performance in the romantic comedy ''
The Opposite of Sex
''The Opposite of Sex'' is a 1998 American romantic black comedy film written and directed by Don Roos, and starring Christina Ricci, Martin Donovan and Lisa Kudrow. A directorial debut for Roos, it marked the final film produced by Rysher En ...
'' (1998), which won her the
and a nomination for the
Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female
The Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female was an award presented annually by Film Independent. It is given in honor of an actress who has delivered an absolutely outstanding performance in a supporting role while working in an indepe ...
. She created, produced, wrote, and starred in the
HBO
Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...
mockumentary series ''
The Comeback'', which lasted for only season in 2005 but was revived for a critically acclaimed second and final season in 2014. She was nominated for the
for both seasons.
In 2007, Kudrow received praise for her starring role in the film ''
Kabluey
''Kabluey'' is a 2007 comedy film written and directed by Scott Prendergast.
It stars Prendergast, as well as Lisa Kudrow, Teri Garr (in her final film role prior to retirement), Christine Taylor, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, and Angela Sarafyan. C ...
'' and appeared in the critically panned box office hit film ''
P.S. I Love You''. She produced and starred in the
Showtime
Showtime or Show Time may refer to:
Film
* ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film
* ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur
Television Networks and channels
* Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global w ...
program ''
Web Therapy
''Web Therapy'' is an improvised online series starring Lisa Kudrow as Fiona Wallice, a therapist who has conceived of a new form of therapy, the titular "web therapy". The series debuted on LStudio.com on September 22, 2008.
Synopsis
Fiona Wal ...
'' (2011–2015), which was nominated for a
Primetime Emmy Award
The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the Primetime ...
. She is a producer on the
TLC
TLC may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Television
* ''TLC'' (TV series), a 2002 British situational comedy television series that aired on BBC2
* TLC (TV network), formerly the Learning Channel, an American cable TV network
** TLC (Asia), an A ...
reality program ''
Who Do You Think You Are Who Do You Think You Are may refer to:
Television series
* ''Who Do You Think You Are?'' (British TV series), a genealogy documentary with many adaptations:
** ''Who Do You Think You Are?'' (American TV series)
** ''Who Do You Think You Are?'' ...
'', which has been nominated for an
Primetime Emmy Award
The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the Primetime ...
five times.
Kudrow has also had roles in ''
Analyze This
''Analyze This'' is a 1999 American mafia comedy film directed by Harold Ramis, who co-wrote the screenplay with playwright Kenneth Lonergan, and Peter Tolan. The plot follows a crisis-stricken mafioso (Robert De Niro) who solicits the assi ...
'' (1999) and its sequel ''
Analyze That
''Analyze That'' is a 2002 American mafia comedy film directed by Harold Ramis and produced by Paula Weinstein and Jane Rosenthal. The film is a sequel to the 1999 film ''Analyze This''. The film starred Robert De Niro and Billy Crystal who res ...
'' (2002) ''
Dr. Dolittle 2
''Dr. Dolittle 2'' (also known as ''Doctor Dolittle 2'') is a 2001 American fantasy comedy film and a sequel to the 1998 film ''Dr. Dolittle''. It was written by Larry Levin, one of the co-writers of ''Dr. Dolittle'', and directed by Steve Carr. ...
'' (2001), ''
Bandslam
''Bandslam'' is a 2009 American musical romantic comedy drama film directed by Todd Graff who co-wrote the screenplay with Josh A. Cagan. The film stars Aly Michalka, Vanessa Hudgens, Gaelan Connell, Lisa Kudrow, Scott Porter, Ryan Donowho, an ...
'' (2008), ''
Hotel for Dogs
''Hotel for Dogs'' (1971) is a children's novel by Lois Duncan. It was adapted into a film of the same name by Nickelodeon Movies for DreamWorks Pictures, released on January 16, 2009. When the book was originally released in 1971, Andi's name ...
'' (2009), ''
Easy A
''Easy A'' (stylized as ''easy A'') is a 2010 American teen romantic
comedy film directed by Will Gluck, written by Bert V. Royal, starring Emma Stone, Stanley Tucci, Patricia Clarkson, Thomas Haden Church, Dan Byrd, Amanda Bynes, Penn Bad ...
'' (2010), ''
Neighbors'' (2014) and its sequel ''
Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising'' (2016), ''
The Girl on the Train'' (2016), ''
The Boss Baby
''The Boss Baby'' is a 2017 American computer-animated comedy film produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by 20th Century Fox. Loosely based on the 2010 picture book of the same name by Marla Frazee, it was directed by Tom McGrath fr ...
'' (2017), ''
Long Shot
In photography, filmmaking and video production, a wide shot (sometimes referred to as a full shot or long shot) is a shot that typically shows the entire object or human figure and is usually intended to place it in some relation to its surrou ...
'' (2019) and ''
Booksmart
''Booksmart'' is a 2019 American comedy film directed by Olivia Wilde (in her feature directorial debut) and written by Emily Halpern, Sarah Haskins, Susanna Fogel, and Katie Silberman. It stars Beanie Feldstein and Kaitlyn Dever as two grad ...
'' (2019). The films in which she has appeared have collectively grossed over $2 billion worldwide.
Early life
Lisa Valerie Kudrow was born in the
Encino neighborhood of
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
on July 30, 1963,
the daughter of Nedra, a travel agent, and Lee Kudrow, a doctor who specialized in treating headaches.
She has an older sister named Helene, and two brothers named David and Derrick.
She was raised in a middle-class
Jewish
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
family and had a
Bat Mitzvah.
She is of Belarusian, German, Hungarian, and Polish descent.
Some of her Belarusian ancestors were from
Ilya
Ilya, Iliya, Ilia, Ilja, or Ilija (russian: Илья́, Il'ja, , or russian: Илия́, Ilija, ; uk, Ілля́, Illia, ; be, Ілья́, Iĺja ) is the East Slavic form of the male Hebrew name Eliyahu (Eliahu), meaning "My God is Yahu/Jah." ...
and
Mogilev
Mogilev (russian: Могилёв, Mogilyov, ; yi, מאָלעוו, Molev, ) or Mahilyow ( be, Магілёў, Mahilioŭ, ) is a city in eastern Belarus, on the Dnieper River, about from the border with Russia's Smolensk Oblast and from the bor ...
. Almost all of the Jews in Ilya were killed during
the Holocaust
The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; a ...
, including Kudrow's paternal great-grandmother. Her paternal grandmother later left Belarus for
Brooklyn
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
, where her father grew up.
Kudrow attended Portola Middle School in the
Tarzana neighborhood of Los Angeles. She graduated from
Taft High School Taft School or Taft High School may refer to:
* Taft School in Watertown, Connecticut, founded by Horace Dutton Taft, William Howard Taft's brother
Schools named after William Howard Taft:
* William Howard Taft High School (Los Angeles)
* Willi ...
in the
Woodland Hills neighborhood, which was attended at the same time by rappers
Ice Cube
An ice cube is a small piece of ice, which is typically rectangular as viewed from above and trapezoidal as viewed from the side. Ice cubes are products of mechanical refrigeration and are usually produced to cool beverages. They may be produc ...
and
Eazy-E
Eric Lynn Wright (September 7, 1964 – March 26, 1995), known professionally as Eazy-E, was an American rapper who propelled West Coast rap and gangsta rap by leading the group N.W.A and its label, Ruthless Records. He is often referred t ...
and actress
Robin Wright
Robin Gayle Wright (born April 8, 1966) is an American actress. She has won a Golden Globe Award and a Satellite Award, and has received eleven Emmy Award nominations for her work in television.
Wright first gained attention for her role in t ...
. She received her
BA in biology from
Vassar College
Vassar College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Poughkeepsie, New York, United States. Founded in 1861 by Matthew Vassar, it was the second degree-granting institution of higher education for women in the United States, closely follo ...
in
Poughkeepsie, New York
Poughkeepsie ( ), officially the City of Poughkeepsie, separate from the Town of Poughkeepsie around it) is a city in the U.S. state of New York. It is the county seat of Dutchess County, with a 2020 census population of 31,577. Poughkeepsi ...
, intending to become an expert on headaches like her father. While breaking into acting, she worked for her father for eight years and earned a research credit on his study on the comparative likelihood of left-handed individuals developing
cluster headache
Cluster headache (CH) is a neurological disorder characterized by recurrent severe headaches on one side of the head, typically around the eye(s). There is often accompanying eye watering, nasal congestion, or swelling around the eye on the a ...
s.
Career
![Lisa Kudrow at TIFF 2009](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b0/Lisa_Kudrow_at_TIFF_2009.jpg)
At the urging of comedian
Jon Lovitz
Jonathan Michael Lovitz (; born July 21, 1957) is an American actor and comedian. He was a cast member of ''Saturday Night Live'' from 1985 to 1990. Lovitz starred as Jay Sherman in ''The Critic'' and played a baseball scout in ''A League of The ...
, who was a childhood friend of her brother,
Kudrow began her comedic career as a member of
The Groundlings
The Groundlings is an American improvisational and sketch comedy troupe and school based in Los Angeles. The troupe was formed by Gary Austin in 1974 and uses an improv format influenced by Viola Spolin, whose improvisational theater techniques ...
, an improv and sketch comedy school in Los Angeles. She has credited
Cynthia Szigeti, her improv teacher at The Groundlings, for changing her perspective on acting, calling her "the best thing that happened, on so many levels".
Briefly, Kudrow joined with
Conan O'Brien
Conan Christopher O'Brien (born April 18, 1963) is an American television host, comedian, writer, and producer. He is best known for having hosted late-night talk shows for almost 28 years, beginning with ''Late Night with Conan O'Brien'' (19 ...
and director Tim Hillman in the short-lived
improv troupe
Unexpected Company. She was also the only regular female member of the Transformers Comedy Troupe. She played a role in an episode of the
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...
sitcom ''
Cheers
''Cheers'' is an American sitcom television series that ran on NBC from September 30, 1982, to May 20, 1993, with a total of 275 half-hour episodes across 11 seasons. The show was produced by Charles/Burrows/Charles Productions in association w ...
''. She tried out for ''
Saturday Night Live
''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves a ...
'' in 1990, but the show chose
Julia Sweeney
Julia Anne Sweeney (born October 10, 1959) is an American actress, comedian, and author, who gained fame as a cast member on ''Saturday Night Live'' from 1990 to 1994. She played Mrs. Keeper in the film ''Stuart Little'' and voiced Brittany in ' ...
instead.
She had a recurring role as Kathy Fleisher in three episodes of season one of the
Bob Newhart
George Robert Newhart (born September 5, 1929) is an American actor and comedian. He is known for his deadpan and slightly stammering delivery style. Newhart came to prominence in 1960 when his album of comedic monologues, ''The Button-Down Mi ...
sitcom ''
Bob
Bob, BOB, or B.O.B. may refer to:
Places
* Mount Bob, New York, United States
*Bob Island, Palmer Archipelago, Antarctica
People, fictional characters, and named animals
*Bob (given name), a list of people and fictional characters
*Bob (surname ...
'' (
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...
, 1992–1993), a role she played after taking part in the series finale of Newhart's previous series ''
Newhart
''Newhart'' is an American sitcom television series that aired on CBS from October 25, 1982, to May 21, 1990, with a total of 184 half-hour episodes spanning eight seasons. The series stars Bob Newhart and Mary Frann as an author and his wife, ...
''. Prior to ''Friends'', she appeared in at least two network-produced
pilots
An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its directional flight controls. Some other aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are also considered aviators, because they a ...
: NBC's ''Just Temporary'' (also known as ''
Temporarily Yours
''Temporarily Yours'' is an American sitcom that aired on CBS for six episodes in 1997.
Plot
Deb DeAngelo (Debi Mazar), a young woman is desperate for a luxurious, cheaply priced New York City apartment. She lies to the landlady about having a j ...
'') in 1989, playing Nicole; and CBS' ''Close Encounters'' (also known as ''Matchmaker'') in 1990, playing a
Valley girl
A valley girl is a socioeconomic, linguistic, and youth subcultural stereotype and stock character originating during the 1980s: any materialistic upper-middle-class young woman, associated with unique vocal and California dialect features, fr ...
.
Kudrow was cast as
Roz Doyle
Rosalinda Doyle (born May 5 1963 or 1964) is a fictional character on the American television sitcom ''Frasier''. Roz is the producer of Frasier Crane's ''Dr. Frasier Crane Show'' on KACL 780 AM.
The role initially went to Lisa Kudrow, but Kudr ...
in ''
Frasier
''Frasier'' () is an American television sitcom that was broadcast on NBC for 11 seasons. It premiered on September 16, 1993, and ended on May 13, 2004. The program was created and produced by David Angell, Peter Casey (screenwriter), Peter Case ...
'', but the role was re-cast with
Peri Gilpin
Peri Gilpin (born Peri Kay Oldham; May 27, 1961) is an American actress. She portrayed Roz Doyle in the television series ''Frasier'' and Kim Keeler in the ABC Family television drama ''Make It or Break It''. She is due to reprise the role of Roz ...
during the taping of the pilot episode. In 2000, Kudrow explained that when rehearsals started, "I knew it wasn't working. I could feel it all slipping away, and I was panicking, which only made things worse."
Her first recurring television role was
Ursula Buffay
Various characters appeared in the sitcom ''Friends'' and its spin-off series ''Joey'', which respectively aired for ten seasons and two seasons on NBC from 1994 to 2006. ''Friends'' featured six main cast members: Rachel Green-Geller (Jennifer A ...
, the eccentric waitress on the NBC sitcom ''
Mad About You
''Mad About You'' is an American television sitcom starring Paul Reiser and Helen Hunt as a married couple in New York City. It initially aired on NBC from September 23, 1992, to May 24, 1999, winning numerous awards including four Golden Glob ...
''.
Kudrow reprised the character on the NBC sitcom ''
Friends
''Friends'' is an American television sitcom created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC from September 22, 1994, to May 6, 2004, lasting ten seasons. With an ensemble cast starring Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa ...
'', in which Kudrow co-starred as
massage therapist
Massage is the manipulation of the body's soft tissues. Massage techniques are commonly applied with hands, fingers, elbows, knees, forearms, feet or a device. The purpose of massage is generally for the treatment of body stress or pain. In Eu ...
Phoebe Buffay
Phoebe Buffay is one of the six main characters from the American sitcom, '' Friends''. She is created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman and portrayed by actress Lisa Kudrow.
In the series' universe, Phoebe was born on February 16 and is the ...
, Ursula's twin sister. Kudrow was the first ''Friends'' cast member to win an
Emmy Award
The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...
with her 1998 honor as
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her starring role as Phoebe on ''Friends'' (NBC, 1994–2004). According to the ''
Guinness Book of World Records
''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...
'' (2005), Kudrow and co-stars
Jennifer Aniston
Jennifer Joanna Aniston (born February 11, 1969) is an American actress and film producer. She is the recipient of various accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award and two Screen Actors Guild Awards. Since her career ...
and
Courteney Cox
Courteney Bass Cox (previously Courteney Cox Arquette; born June 15, 1964) is an American actress and filmmaker. She gained international recognition for her starring role as Monica Geller on the NBC sitcom '' Friends'', which aired from 1994 ...
became the highest paid TV actresses of all time, earning $1 million per episode for the ninth and tenth seasons of ''Friends''. Phoebe has since been named one of the greatest television characters of all time. Phoebe is considered to be Kudrow's breakout role, credited with making her the show's second most famous cast member, after
Jennifer Aniston
Jennifer Joanna Aniston (born February 11, 1969) is an American actress and film producer. She is the recipient of various accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award and two Screen Actors Guild Awards. Since her career ...
, and for spawning her successful film career.
During her tenure on ''Friends'', Kudrow appeared in several comedy films such as ''
Romy and Michele's High School Reunion
''Romy and Michele's High School Reunion'' is a 1997 American comedy film directed by David Mirkin and starring Mira Sorvino, Lisa Kudrow, and Janeane Garofalo. The plot revolves around two 28-year-old girls who appear to have not achieved much s ...
'', ''
Hanging Up
''Hanging Up'' is a 2000 American comedy-drama film about a trio of sisters bonding over their curmudgeonly father with whom none of them were close. It was directed by Diane Keaton, and stars Keaton, Meg Ryan, Lisa Kudrow and Walter Matthau in ...
'', ''
Marci X
''Marci X'' is a 2003 American romantic comedy film directed by Richard Benjamin, written by Paul Rudnick, and starring Lisa Kudrow as Jewish-American Princess Marci Feld, who has to take control of a hip-hop record label, as well as the controve ...
'', ''
Dr. Dolittle 2
''Dr. Dolittle 2'' (also known as ''Doctor Dolittle 2'') is a 2001 American fantasy comedy film and a sequel to the 1998 film ''Dr. Dolittle''. It was written by Larry Levin, one of the co-writers of ''Dr. Dolittle'', and directed by Steve Carr. ...
'', ''
Analyze This
''Analyze This'' is a 1999 American mafia comedy film directed by Harold Ramis, who co-wrote the screenplay with playwright Kenneth Lonergan, and Peter Tolan. The plot follows a crisis-stricken mafioso (Robert De Niro) who solicits the assi ...
'' and its sequel ''
Analyze That
''Analyze That'' is a 2002 American mafia comedy film directed by Harold Ramis and produced by Paula Weinstein and Jane Rosenthal. The film is a sequel to the 1999 film ''Analyze This''. The film starred Robert De Niro and Billy Crystal who res ...
'', and dramatic films, such as ''
Wonderland'' and ''
The Opposite of Sex
''The Opposite of Sex'' is a 1998 American romantic black comedy film written and directed by Don Roos, and starring Christina Ricci, Martin Donovan and Lisa Kudrow. A directorial debut for Roos, it marked the final film produced by Rysher En ...
''. She also guest-starred on numerous television series during ''Friends'', including ''
The Simpsons
''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, ...
'', ''
Hope and Gloria
''Hope & Gloria'' is an American sitcom television series created by Bill and Cheri Steinkellner, that aired on NBC from March 9, 1995, through June 22, 1996. The show was canceled after 35 episodes. It starred Cynthia Stevenson as Hope, a high- ...
'' and ''
King of the Hill
''King of the Hill'' is an American animated sitcom created by Mike Judge and Greg Daniels for the Fox Broadcasting Company. It aired its original non-syndicated run from January 12, 1997, to September 13, 2009, and centers on the Hills, an Am ...
'', and hosted ''
Saturday Night Live
''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves a ...
''.
Kudrow starred as protagonist Valerie Cherish on the single-season
HBO
Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...
series ''
The Comeback'' (premiered June 5, 2005), about a has-been sitcom star trying for a comeback. She also served as co-creator, writer, and executive producer. Nine years after the original season,
HBO
Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...
revived the series in 2014 for an abbreviated second season. Kudrow received two Emmy nominations for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for her work on ''The Comeback''.
Her production company is ‘Is or Isn't Entertainment’. Kudrow serves as the executive producer for the
U.S. version of the British television series ''
Who Do You Think You Are?'', in which celebrities trace their
family tree
A family tree, also called a genealogy or a pedigree chart, is a chart representing family relationships in a conventional tree structure. More detailed family trees, used in medicine and social work, are known as genograms.
Representations of ...
s. The subjects of the first series included Kudrow herself, in which it was discovered her great-grandmother was murdered in the
Holocaust
The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; a ...
.
Kudrow co-created an improvised comedy webseries, ''
Web Therapy
''Web Therapy'' is an improvised online series starring Lisa Kudrow as Fiona Wallice, a therapist who has conceived of a new form of therapy, the titular "web therapy". The series debuted on LStudio.com on September 22, 2008.
Synopsis
Fiona Wal ...
'' on Lstudio.com. The improv series, which launched online in 2008, has earned several Webby nominations and one Outstanding Comedic Performance Webby for Kudrow, who plays therapist Fiona Wallice. She offers her patients three-minute sessions over iChat.
In July 2011, a reformatted, half-hour version of the show premiered on Showtime, before being cancelled in 2015 after four seasons. Kudrow has guest starred on multiple television series such as ''
Cougar Town
''Cougar Town'' is an American television sitcom that ran for 102 episodes over six seasons, from September 23, 2009, until March 31, 2015. The first three seasons aired on ABC, with the series moving to TBS for the remaining three seasons. ABC ...
'', ''
BoJack Horseman
''BoJack Horseman'' is an American adult animation, adult animated Black comedy, black Comedy drama, comedy-drama streaming television series created by Raphael Bob-Waksberg. It stars the voices of Will Arnett, Amy Sedaris, Alison Brie, Paul F ...
'', ''
Angie Tribeca
''Angie Tribeca'' is an American comedy television series created by Steve and Nancy Carell, which aired on TBS. The series, a parody of the police procedural genre, stars Rashida Jones as police detective Angie Tribeca. It also stars Hayes MacAr ...
'', ''
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
''Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt'' is an American streaming television sitcom created by Tina Fey and Robert Carlock, starring Ellie Kemper in the title role. It premiered on March 6, 2015, on Netflix and ran for four seasons, ending on January 25, 20 ...
'', and ''
Scandal
A scandal can be broadly defined as the strong social reactions of outrage, anger, or surprise, when accusations or rumours circulate or appear for some reason, regarding a person or persons who are perceived to have transgressed in some way. Th ...
''.
Following ''Friends'', Kudrow has appeared in multiple comedic films such as ''
Happy Endings'', ''
Hotel for Dogs
''Hotel for Dogs'' (1971) is a children's novel by Lois Duncan. It was adapted into a film of the same name by Nickelodeon Movies for DreamWorks Pictures, released on January 16, 2009. When the book was originally released in 1971, Andi's name ...
'', ''
Easy A
''Easy A'' (stylized as ''easy A'') is a 2010 American teen romantic
comedy film directed by Will Gluck, written by Bert V. Royal, starring Emma Stone, Stanley Tucci, Patricia Clarkson, Thomas Haden Church, Dan Byrd, Amanda Bynes, Penn Bad ...
'', ''
Neighbors'' and its sequel ''
Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising'', ''
Long Shot
In photography, filmmaking and video production, a wide shot (sometimes referred to as a full shot or long shot) is a shot that typically shows the entire object or human figure and is usually intended to place it in some relation to its surrou ...
'', and ''
Booksmart
''Booksmart'' is a 2019 American comedy film directed by Olivia Wilde (in her feature directorial debut) and written by Emily Halpern, Sarah Haskins, Susanna Fogel, and Katie Silberman. It stars Beanie Feldstein and Kaitlyn Dever as two grad ...
''. She also appeared in the
romantic drama film
Romance films or movies involve romantic love stories recorded in visual media for broadcast in theatres or on television that focus on passion (emotion), passion, emotion, and the affectionate romantic involvement of the main characters. Typica ...
''
P.S. I Love You'' and co-starred in the
thriller film
Thriller film, also known as suspense film or suspense thriller, is a broad film genre that evokes excitement and suspense in the audience. The suspense element found in most films' plots is particularly exploited by the filmmaker in this genre ...
''
The Girl on the Train''. In 2020, Kudrow played
Hypatia of Alexandria
Hypatia, Koine pronunciation (born 350–370; died 415 AD) was a neoplatonist philosopher, astronomer, and mathematician, who lived in Alexandria, Egypt, then part of the Eastern Roman Empire. She was a prominent thinker in Alexandria where ...
in season 4 episode 12 of ''
The Good Place
''The Good Place'' is an American fantasy comedy television series created by Michael Schur. It premiered on NBC on September 19, 2016, and concluded on January 30, 2020, after four seasons and 53 episodes.
Although the plot evolves significa ...
'' "Patty", and starred as Maggie Naird in the
Netflix
Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...
comedy series, ''
Space Force
A space force is a military branch of a nation's armed forces that conducts military operations in outer space and space warfare. The world's first space force was the Russian Space Forces, established in 1992 as an independent military service. ...
''. She is currently, along with
Mary McCormack
Mary Catherine McCormack (born February 8, 1969) is an American actress. She has had leading roles as Justine Appleton in the series '' Murder One'' (1995–97), as Deputy National Security Adviser Kate Harper in ''The West Wing'' (2004–06), a ...
, an executive producer of the syndicated game show, ''
25 Words or Less''; sometimes, Kudrow herself is one of the two celebrity guests playing with a contestant on the show.
Personal life
Kudrow married French advertising executive Michel Stern on May 27, 1995. They reside in
Beverly Hills, California
Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California. A notable and historic suburb of Greater Los Angeles, it is in a wealthy area immediately southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. B ...
, and have a son named Julian. Kudrow's pregnancy was written into the fourth season of ''
Friends
''Friends'' is an American television sitcom created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC from September 22, 1994, to May 6, 2004, lasting ten seasons. With an ensemble cast starring Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa ...
'', with
her character having triplets as a
surrogate mother
Surrogacy is an arrangement, often supported by a legal agreement, whereby a woman agrees to delivery/labour for another person or people, who will become the child's parent(s) after birth. People may seek a surrogacy arrangement when pregnan ...
for her half-brother and his wife.
In addition to her Beverly Hills home, Kudrow maintained a penthouse in
Park City, Utah
Park City is a city in Utah, United States. The vast majority is in Summit County, and it extends into Wasatch County. It is considered to be part of the Wasatch Back. The city is southeast of downtown Salt Lake City and from Salt Lake City' ...
, which she sold in April 2017. She revealed in 2019 that she had experienced
body dysmorphic disorder
Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), occasionally still called dysmorphophobia, is a mental disorder characterized by the obsessive idea that some aspect of one's own body part or appearance is severely flawed and therefore warrants exceptional meas ...
while working on ''Friends''.
Filmography
Film
Television
Awards and nominations
Kudrow has been honored with numerous accolades over her career. For her role in the sitcom ''
Friends
''Friends'' is an American television sitcom created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC from September 22, 1994, to May 6, 2004, lasting ten seasons. With an ensemble cast starring Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa ...
'', she received six nominations at the
Primetime Emmy Award
The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the Primetime ...
s, winning in 1998 for
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, she won two
Screen Actors Guild Award
Screen Actors Guild Awards (also known as SAG Awards) are accolades given by the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA). The award was founded in 1952 to recognize outstanding performances in movie an ...
s, one
Satellite Award
The Satellite Awards are annual awards given by the International Press Academy that are commonly noted in entertainment industry journals and blogs. The awards were originally known as the Golden Satellite Awards. The award ceremonies take place ...
and one
American Comedy
American humor refers collectively to the conventions and common threads that tie together humor in the United States. It is often defined in comparison to the humor of another country – for example, how it is different from British humor and ...
award. In total, she has received fifteen Emmy nominations, with her most recent nomination in the 2021
Primetime Emmy Awards
The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the Primetime ...
, twelve nominations and two wins at the
Screen Actors Guild Award
Screen Actors Guild Awards (also known as SAG Awards) are accolades given by the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA). The award was founded in 1952 to recognize outstanding performances in movie an ...
s, one win and eight nominations at the American Comedy Awards, one Golden Globe Award, Golden Globe nomination, one Banff World Media Festival, Banff Rockie award, one Blockbuster Entertainment Awards, Blockbuster Entertainment award, one Chicago Film Critics Association nomination, one Chlotrudis Awards, Chlotrudis award, two Critics' Choice Television Awards, Critics' Choice Television nominations, one Dorian Awards, Dorian award, one Gracie Awards, Gracie award, one Independent Spirit Awards, Independent Spirit nomination, one MTV Movie & TV Awards, MTV Movie & TV nomination, one National Society of Film Crtiics nomination, one New York Film Critics Circle award, one Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards, Nickelodeon Kids' Choice nomination, one Online Film Critics Society nomination, one People Magazine Awards, People Magazine award, five nominations and one win at the Satellite Awards, three nominations and one win at the Teen Choice Awards, two Streamy Awards, Streamy nominations, two nominations and one win at the TV Guide Awards, one Viewers for Quality Television nomination and seven nominations and four wins at the Webby Award, Webby Awards
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Kudrow, Lisa
1963 births
Living people
20th-century American actresses
21st-century American actresses
20th-century American Jews
21st-century American Jews
20th-century American comedians
21st-century American comedians
Actresses from California
Actresses from Los Angeles
American film actresses
Screenwriters from California
American biologists
American television actresses
American women television producers
American voice actresses
American women comedians
American women screenwriters
Jewish American actresses
Jewish American writers
Jewish American female comedians
Jewish women writers
Outstanding Performance by a Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series Primetime Emmy Award winners
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series Screen Actors Guild Award winners
People from the San Fernando Valley
People from the San Gabriel Valley
Showrunners
Television producers from California
Vassar College alumni
William Howard Taft Charter High School alumni
Writers from Los Angeles
American people of Belarusian-Jewish descent
American people of Russian-Jewish descent
American people of Hungarian-Jewish descent
American people of Polish-Jewish descent
American people of German-Jewish descent
Comedians from California
American women television writers
American television writers