Lisa Kudrow is widely known for her offbeat and sometimes ditzy character as Phoebe Buffay on the NBC sitcom Friends. She is also popular for voice-over roles notably in Dr. Dolittle 2, El Americano: The Movie, and The Boss Baby.
Early life details
Lisa Kudrow was born in Los Angeles, California, on July 30, 1963, to the pronounced physician, Dr. Lee Kudrow and, a travel agent, Nendra S. She is the youngest of four children.
Kudrow attended Taft High School and later graduated from Vassar College in Biology. She worked under the guidance of her father, a physician, specialized in the treatment of headaches, for 8 years.
As an assistant to her father, she even received a research credit on the tendency of left-handed individuals developing a migraine headache compared to the right-handed counterparts.
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She always thought of pursuing a career in research before she was encouraged by her brother’s friend, a comedian, Jon Lovitz to get into acting.
Her acting career, before and after Friends
Kudrow started her acting career as a member of an improvisational theater called The Groundling based in Los Angeles. Her teacher at the theater, Cynthia Szigeti’s influence on her was so instrumental that she outlines Cynthia, as “the best thing that happened” to her.
Further, she polished her comedic skills with other improv groups which include Unexpected Company, alongside Conan O’Brien and the Transformers Comedy Group. However, her early television career was not as rhythmic as she might have hoped.
She even tried Saturday Night Live in 1990, but that didn’t work out. After years of dedication, hard work and recurring appearances in several TV shows and movies, she got her big break as Phoebe Buffay on NBC’s Friends alongside David Schwimmer, Matthew Perry, Matt LeBlanc, Jennifer Aniston, and Courteney Cox.
Kudrow appeared in the series for its ten season-run from 1994 to 2004. Along with ample recognition for her remarkable performance in the series, she did receive an impressive paycheck. She and her Friends’ co-actresses, Courtney Cox and Jennifer Anniston were even listed as highly paid TV actresses, earning $1 million for an episode for the sitcom’s ninth and tenth seasons. Also, she earned her six Emmy Award nominations and a win in 1998.
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While she was working in Friends, she appeared in several movies including, Hanging Up, Wonderland, The Opposite of Sex and much more. Besides, she also appeared on TV series like The Simpsons, Hope, and Gloria. She even hosted Saturday Night Live in 1996.
Her post-Friends career also saw a fair bit of success. She starred, co-created, wrote, and also worked as executive producer on the HBO’s The Comeback. Furthermore, she has guest starred in the TV series such as Cougar Town, Angie Tribeca, Scandal, BoJack Horseman and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.
Along with a successful career as an actor, producer, and comedian, Kudrow is renowned for her voice-overs. She has lent her voice in movies Dr. Dolittle 2, El Americano: The Movie, & The Boss Baby, and also in multiple TV series such as Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist, Hopeless Pictures, and so on. As of early 2018, she has a net worth of $70 million.
Married to Michel Stern for more than two decades
In strange turn of events, Kudrow and Michel Stern, a French advertising executive, met while Stern was dating her French roommate. The two were introduced back in the late 1980s. For Lisa, it was a love at first sight. While trying to hide her feeling, the two didn’t meet for years.
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However, they happened to meet six years later at Lisa’s old roommate’s birthday party. Since then, the duo has always been together. They tied the knot on May 27, 1995.
Unlike the majority of Hollywood celebrities, Lisa is known for her undisclosed personality backed by her stable marriage to Michael Stern. They have a son together, Julian, born on May 7, 1998. Kudrow’s pregnancy was drafted into the show, Friends on its 4th and 5th season with her character, Phoebe helping out her brother and sister-in-law as a surrogate mother.