← Back to explore

Lisa Kudrow

Acting

Born July 30, 1963 · Encino, California, USA

Also known as Lisa V. Kudrow · Lisa Valerie Kudrow

Biography

Lisa Valerie Kudrow (KOO-droh; born July 30, 1963) is an American actress. She rose to international fame for her role as Phoebe Buffay in the American television sitcom Friends, which aired from 1994 to 2004. The series earned her Primetime Emmy, Screen Actors Guild, Satellite, American Comedy and TV Guide awards. Phoebe has since been named one of the most significant television characters of all time and is considered Kudrow's breakout role, spawning her successful film career. She initially appeared in a 1989 episode of the hit sitcom Cheers, playing a character named Emily. She also starred in several episodes of the show Mad About You(1993) as Ursula before auditioning and earning the role of Phoebe on Friends; her character on Mad About You was written into the Friends storyline as Phoebe's twin. In the late 1990s, she starred in the cult comedy film Romy and Michele's High School Reunion (1997) and followed it with an acclaimed performance in the comedy/drama The Opposite of Sex (1998), which won her the New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actress and a nomination for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female. She created, produced, wrote, and starred in the HBO mockumentary series The Comeback, which initially lasted for one season in 2005 but was revived for a critically acclaimed second and final season in 2014. She was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for both seasons. In 2007, she received praise for her starring role in the film Kabluey and appeared in P.S. I Love You. She produced and starred in the Showtime program Web Therapy (2011–2015), which was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award. She is a producer on the TLC/NBC reality program Who Do You Think You Are, which has been nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award five times. She played Honey the Dog on the FOX animated series HouseBroken. She has also had roles in Analyze This (1999) and its sequel, Analyze That (2002), Dr. Dolittle 2 (2001), Bandslam (2008), Hotel for Dogs (2009), Easy A (2010), Neighbors (2014) and its sequel Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising (2016), The Girl on the Train (2016), The Boss Baby (2017), Long Shot (2019), and Booksmart (2019). Description above from the Wikipedia article Lisa Kudrow, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Awards & recognition

  • Dorian Awards · 2014
  • People Magazine Awards · 2014
  • Webby Award · 2011
  • Webby Award · 2009
  • Gracie Awards · 2006
Show all 29 awards →
  • Satellite AwardBest Actor – Television Series Musical or Comedy · 2001
  • Actor Awards · 2000
  • American Comedy Awards · 2000
  • Blockbuster Entertainment Awards · 2000
  • Screen Actors Guild AwardOutstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series · 2000
  • Teen Choice AwardChoice Hissy Fit · 2000
  • TV Guide Award · 2000
  • New York Film Critics Circle · 1998
  • New York Film Critics Circle AwardBest Supporting Actress · 1998
  • Primetime Emmy AwardOutstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series · 1998
  • Screen Actors Guild AwardOutstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series · 1995
  • Children's and Family Emmy AwardOutstanding Supporting Performance · 2022 · nominated
  • Screen Actors Guild AwardOutstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series · 2003 · nominated
  • Screen Actors Guild AwardOutstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series · 2002 · nominated
  • Primetime Emmy AwardOutstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series · 2001 · nominated
  • Screen Actors Guild AwardOutstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series · 2001 · nominated
  • Primetime Emmy AwardOutstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series · 2000 · nominated
  • Screen Actors Guild AwardOutstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series · 2000 · nominated
  • Primetime Emmy AwardOutstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series · 1999 · nominated
  • Screen Actors Guild AwardOutstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series · 1999 · nominated
  • Screen Actors Guild AwardOutstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series · 1998 · nominated
  • Primetime Emmy AwardOutstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series · 1997 · nominated
  • Golden Globe AwardBest Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film · 1996 · nominated
  • Primetime Emmy AwardOutstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series · 1995 · nominated

Filmography50+ titles

Rick and Morty

2013as Tyrannosaurus Rex (voice)

Taylor Swift: The 1989 World Tour - Live

2015as Self - Musical Guest

BoJack Horseman

2014as Wanda Pierce (voice)

Friends

1994as Phoebe Buffay

The Good Place

2016as Hypatia

The Simpsons

1989as Alex Whitney (voice)

Friends: The Reunion

2021as Self

Matthew Perry: A Hollywood Tragedy

2025as Self (archive footage)

Grace and Frankie

2015as Sheree

Blue's Clues

1996

Cheers

1982as Emily

RuPaul's Drag Race

2009as Self - Special Guest

The Comeback

2005as Valerie Cherish

King of the Hill

1997as Amy Pittman (voice)

The Boss Baby: Family Business

2021as Janice Templeton (voice)

Feel Good

2020as Linda

Scandal

2012as Congresswoman Josephine Marcus

Conan

2010as Self

P.S. I Love You

2007as Denise

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt

2015as Lori-Anne Schmidt

Booksmart

2019as Charmaine

American Dad!

2005as The Ghost of Christmas Past (voice)

Hercules

1998as Aphrodite (voice)

Saturday Night Live

1975as Self (uncredited)

Join or Die with Craig Ferguson

Easy A

2010as Mrs. Griffith

Who Do You Think You Are?

2010as Self

Mother

1996as Linda

Long Shot

2019as Katherine

Web Therapy

2011as Fiona Wallice

Mad About You

1992as Ursula Buffay

Coach

1989as Lauren

Celebrity IOU

2020as Self

Death to 2020

2020as Jeanetta Grace Susan

The Boss Baby

2017as Janice Templeton (voice)

Cougar Town

2009as Dr. Amy Evans

Analyze This

1999as Laura MacNamara Sobel

Better Nate Than Ever

2022as Aunt Heidi

The Kelly Clarkson Show

2019as Self

Angie Tribeca

2016as Monica Vivarquor

The Girl on the Train

2016as Martha

No Good Deed

2024as Lydia Morgan

Paper Man

2009as Claire Dunn

Time Bandits

2024as Penelope

Like a Boss

2020as Shay Whitmore

Neighbors

2014as Carol Gladstone

The Other Woman

2009as Carolyne Soule

The Opposite of Sex

1998as Lucia DeLury

Romy and Michele's High School Reunion

1997as Michele Weinberger

Clockwatchers

1997as Paula