Lisa Kudrow

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Lisa Kudrow
<tr><td style="text-align:left;">Birth name</td><td>Lisa Kudrow</td></tr>
Born	July 30, 1963 Encino, California
Notable roles	Phoebe Buffay in Friends

Lisa Kudrow (born July 30, 1963) is an Emmy Award and SAG-winning American actress best known for her role as Phoebe Buffay in the sitcom Friends.

1 Biography
2 Awards & Nominations
3 External links

[edit] Biography

[edit] Early life

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 A.B. from Vassar College in Biology. She's also fluent in French.

[edit] Career

Kudrow originally intended to follow in her fathers 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. 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 appeared in a couple of episodes of Friends, making that series arguably a spin-off of Mad About You.) 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, The Opposite of Sex, Hanging Up, Marci X, Analyze This and its sequel Analyze That. She has also starred in the biopic Wonderland about the late porn star John Holmes.

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 another 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 castmember 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.

[edit] Personal life

Since May 27th, 1995, Kudrow has been married to Michel Stern, a French advertising executive. They have one son, Julian Murray (born May 7 1998). Whilst pregnant, Phoebe also had to be pregnant which is why the storyline of Phoebe being a surrogate for her brother's triplets was introduced.

She also dated Conan O'Brien for a short while during the late 1980s.

[edit] 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)