The role of the endearingly eccentric Phoebe Buffay on the popular sitcom Friends is what Lisa Kudrow is best known for, but the actress actually got her start as a member of the comedy troupe The Groundlings. Where is she now? She made people all across the world sing about “smelly cats.”
Background Information
On July 30, 1963, Lisa Valerie Kudrow was born in Los Angeles, California, to doctors Lee and Nedra. The actor attended Portola Middle School in Los Angeles and graduated from Taft High School. She grew up with her older sister Helene and brothers David and Derrick.
After earning a BA in Biology from Vassar College in New York, the actress worked for her father while attempting to break into the acting industry. Initially studying sketch and improv comedy at the Groundlings in Los Angeles, Kudrow then joined Conan O’Brien in the short-lived comedic troupe Unexpected Company.
Kudrow is of Polish, German, Hungarian, and Belarusian ancestry. The actress learned her great-grandmother was killed in the Holocaust while filming an episode of the NBC series Who Do You Think You Are?
On Bob, Bob Newhart’s sitcom, Kudrow played one of her first recurring parts. In three episodes of the show, the actress played Kathy Fleisher, a character who worked with Bob McKay, played by actor Bob Newhart, to create the comic book superhero Mad-Dog. Two seasons of the show were produced, and three previously unaired episodes eventually shown on the TV Land network.
Mad About You
Kudrow co-starred with Helen Hunt and Paul Reiser in the sitcom Mad About You from 1993 to 1999 as the clueless waitress Ursula Buffay. In the end, Kudrow’s character would take on the role of Phoebe Buffay’s twin sister in the Friends television series. Over the course of the show’s ten-year run, the character of Ursula also frequently appeared.
Friends
As the oddball Phoebe Buffay on the popular sitcom Friends, Kudrow played one of her most memorable acting roles. Friends was a ten-year television series that featured six people in their 20s and 30s living in New York City. Kudrow appeared in all 236 episodes, earning the actress $1 million every episode.
Phoebe was a peculiar, eccentric character who sang “Smelly Cat” and worked as a masseuse in her spare time.
For her portrayal of Phoebe, Kudrow earned six Primetime Emmy Awards, including Best Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series in 1998.
What did she do after Friends?
Nevertheless, she was never able to totally duplicate Friends’ popularity. Since the end of the show, Lisa has had a successful career. Since Friends’ last season in 2004, she has steadily worked and appeared in a number of films and television programs.
Her appearances as Valerie Cherish in the HBO series The Comeback, which debuted in 2005 and then again in 2014, are among her memorable roles. The Comeback, a fake reality program, was featured in the series, which took a lighthearted look at the entertainment business.
The comedic series Web Therapy, which aired from 2011 to 2015, was co-created by the actress, who also acted as executive producer, star, and writer.
The actress was an executive producer, co-creator, and star of the comedic series Web Therapy from 2008 to 2014. The focus of the TV show was on Fiona, played by Lisa Kudrow, who conducted brief online therapy sessions.
Kudrow would play the following roles in films: Easy A, P.S. I Love You, Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising, and The Girl on the Train are among examples.
What is Lisa Kudrow doing now?
As an actress, Kudrow is still quite busy and hasn’t indicated any indications of slowing down. She most recently portrayed Heidi in the 2022 movie Better Nate Than Ever and made an appearance with the original Friends actors in the 2021 Friends reunion.
On Meredith Vieira’s television game program 25 Words or Less, the actress has been an executive producer since 2018. On the FOX game show sometimes, Kudrow will make a guest appearance.
In the animated movie The Boss Baby: Family Business, Kudrow provided the voice for Janice Templeton in 2021. In addition to Alec Baldwin, James Marsden, and Amy Sedaris, the movie had a $82 million budget but made $146.8 million at the box office.
When reality star Spencer Pratt called Kudrow “one of the worst persons I’ve been in contact with” and stated that she made him and his wife, Heidi, uncomfortable in September 2022, the actress made headlines.
“She tells Heidi that she needs to get away from me as quickly as possible, since I’m going to murder Heidi and that I have the eyes of a serial murderer,” Pratt said of his meeting with Kudrow (referred to her as Phoebe Buffay).
One Redditor made a joke about Pratt perhaps having met Kudrow’s awkward twin Phoebe, played by Ursula Buffay. Fans must make their own assumptions about the veracity of the encounter because Kudrow’s team never reacted to the charges.
Fans of the actress can follow her on Instagram or listen to one of the many podcasts she has been a guest on, such as Conan O’Brien or Bill Maher, to remain up to date on her events.
Personal Life
Julian is the couple’s only child, and Kudrow and Michael Stern have been married since May 1995. Friends included the actress’s pregnancy when her character served as her half-brother’s surrogate.
On Mother’s Day, her son shared a vintage photo of his famous mother on Instagram, where he frequently updates.
