Award-winning actress Lisa Kudrow was born in Encino, California on July 30, 1963. A biology graduate of the Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York in 1985, she wanted to follow the footsteps of her father, a physician who specialized in headaches. Fate, however, planned otherwise; she was discovered and subsequently included in the comedy group The Groundlings. She was also a member of the short-lived improvisational comedy group Unexpected Company, and at one point the only regular female member of the Transformers Comedy troupe.
Kudrow made guest appearances on several sitcoms, such as Cheers and Life Goes On, but her initial attempts at getting regular roles failed. She auditioned unsuccessfully for a slot on Saturday Night Live in 1990; had a short-lived recurring role on Bob, and was cast as Roz on Frasier, but was recast to Peri Gilpin after the pilot episode’s filming because producers thought she didn’t fit the part. She got her first major television role on Mad About You, where she played eccentric waitress Ursula Buffay. This character would eventually be developed into the twin of Phoebe Buffay, Kudrow’s most popular character in her breakthrough program, Friends.
Phoebe Buffay is the eccentric among the six friends; the masseuse is known for her family’s complicated background (and her enthusiasm in telling those stories), her wacky approach to animal rights and vegetarianism, and her somewhat dubious musical skills. The success of the program, which ran from 1994 to 2004, catapulted Kudrow and her co-stars to international popularity. Kudrow was the most Emmy-nominated cast member of the show, receiving six, and winning one in 1998, for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.
Kudrow’s successful film career was also a result of her popularity on Friends. Her films, which also demonstrate her dramatic talent, include Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion, Analyze This and its sequel Analyze That, Wonderland, The Opposite of Sex and Happy Endings. She also co-wrote, produced and starred in her own television series, The Comeback, where she played a has-been sitcom star staging a comeback. Despite the show being cancelled after one season, she was nominated for another Emmy in 2006.