Early life
Lisa Kudrow was born in Encino, California to Jewish parents, Lee Kudrow and Nedra Stern, and has one sister and two brothers: older sister Helene Marla Kudrow, and older brothers, neurologists David Kudrow and Derrick Kudrow. After having attended Portola Middle School in Tarzana, California, she went on to graduate from Taft High School in Woodland Hills, California, and then later received her B.A. from Vassar College in Biology. She is also fluent in French.
Career
Kudrow originally intended to follow in her father's footsteps - researching headaches. However, she was 'discovered' and began her career as an actress. Kudrow began her comedic career as a member of The Groundlings, joining the ranks of those such as Will Ferrell and Janeane Garofalo. Briefly, Lisa joined with Conan O'Brien 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, a group directed by Stan Wells that currently plays at the Empty Stage Comedy Theatre. She tried out for Saturday Night Live in 1990, but the show chose Julia Sweeney instead. She was hired to play the role of Roz in the TV show Frasier, but was fired during the filming of the pilot episode because producers didn't think she was right for the part. However, one of the people working on Frasier also worked on Friends and suggested Lisa audition for the show. Her first major television role was Ursula Buffay, the eccentrically silly waitress on Mad About You.
Despite the previous lack of success, this role led to her starring role on Friends as Ursula's identical twin sister, Phoebe Buffay, a role for which she won the 1998 Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. Ursula Buffay also appeared in a couple of episodes of Friends to explain why Kudrow was appearing on two different shows at the same time, since Ursula appeared on Mad About You in the later seasons of the show at the same time Friends had just started in which Kudrow played Phoebe. She was the most Emmy-nominated cast member of the show, totalling six nominations. She and Jennifer Aniston were the only two to win.
Her film credits include Romy and Michele's High School Reunion, Hanging Up, Marci X, Analyze This and its sequel Analyze That, which did not match the critical or financial success of the original. She has also starred in the biopic Wonderland about the late porn star John Holmes. She has garnered critical acclaim in mostly dramatic roles for writer-director Don Roos in the films The Opposite of Sex and Happy Endings, the latter of which was written specifically for Kudrow.[citation needed]
Kudrow portrayed Valerie Cherish, the main character on the HBO original series The Comeback. The series premiered on HBO on June 5, 2005. She also served as co-creator, writer, and executive producer. The show was not renewed for a second season. The show was about a has-been sitcom star trying to make a comeback in television. Ironically, Kudrow received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for her work on The Comeback, making her the first Friends cast member to receive a major award nomination since Friends ended.
Kudrow also guest starred in The Simpsons episode "Lard of the Dance" as Alex Whitney. In the episode, she tells Lisa Simpson "not to be a Phoebe," referring to her role in Friends, and that she loved the name Lisa, in reference to Kudrow's own name. She also voiced the ghost of Christmas past in the American Dad episode "The Best Christmas Story Never".
Personal life
Kudrow used to date Conan O'Brien until he moved to New York to host his TV show beginning in 1993. Since May 27, 1995, Kudrow has been married to Michel Stern, a French advertising executive. They have one son, Julian Murray (born May 7, 1998). While Kudrow was pregnant Phoebe was also written as pregnant, which is why the storyline of Phoebe being a surrogate for her brother's triplets was introduced.
Awards & Nominations
Emmy Awards
1995 - Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, "Friends" - (Nominated)
1997 - Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, "Friends" - (Nominated)
1998 - Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, "Friends" - (Won)
1999 - Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, "Friends" - (Nominated)
2000 - Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, "Friends" - (Nominated)
2001 - Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, "Friends" - (Nominated)
2006 - Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, "The Comeback" - (Nominated)
Golden Globe Awards
1996 - Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV, "Friends" (Nominated)
Screen Actors Guild Awards
1996 - Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series, "Friends" - (Nominated)
1999 - Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series, "Friends" - (Nominated)
2000 - Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series, "Friends" - (Won)
2004 - Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series, "Friends" - (Nominated)
American Comedy Awards
1996 - Funniest Supporting Female Performer in a TV Series, "Friends" - (Nominated)
1999 - Funniest Supporting Female Performer in a TV Series, "Friends" - (Nominated)
1999 - Funniest Female Guest Appearance in a TV Series, "Mad About You" - (Nominated)
1999 - Funniest Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture, "The Opposite of Sex" - (Nominated)
2000 - Funniest Supporting Female Performer in a TV Series, "Friends" - (Won)
2000 - Funniest Female Performer in a TV Special (Leading or Supporting) Network, Cable or Syndication, "1999 MTV Movie Awards" - (Nominated)
2000 - Funniest Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture, "Analyze This" - (Nominated)
2001 - Funniest Supporting Female Performer in a TV Series, "Friends" - (Nominated)
