Lisa Kudrow

Birthday: 30 July 1963, Encino, California, USA

Birth Name: Lisa Valerie Kudrow

Height: 173 cm

Hardly the dumb blonde of Romy and Michele's High School Reunion (1997), Lisa was born in Encino, California on July 30, 1963. Her mother, Nedra S. (Stern), was a travel agent, and her father, Lee N. Kudrow, was a physician. Her parents are both from Jewish immigrant families (from Belarus, Russia, and Hungary). Lisa was raised in Tarzana and played varsity-level tennis in high school and college, and is a pool shark who has mastered some of the more difficult trick shots (so beware). She graduated from Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychobiology. At first, she wanted to pursue a career in research, so she returned to Los Angeles to begin working with her father. However, Lisa got inspired to perform by one of her brother's friends, comedian Jon Lovitz, and so the tall (5' 8") blond-haired, green-eyed beauty entered show biz. Lisa auditioned for the improv theater group, The Groundlings, based in Los Angeles. Cynthia Szigeti, a well-known improv teacher, took Lisa under her wing. In that class, Lisa became a friend of Conan O'Brien. Graduating with honors in 1989, Lisa became a full-fledged member of The Groundlings. Breaking into TV, she got a recurring role as Ursula, the ditsy waitress on Mad About You (1992). This led to her starring role on Friends (1994). In the debut season (1994-95) of Friends (1994), Lisa earned an Emmy nomination as Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series; in 1998, she won that award for her role as Phoebe, the ditsy but lovable folk singer. Lisa has also been nominated for Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild and American Comedy Awards for her performances. Lisa made the transition to the big screen with a lot of success. In 1997, she starred opposite Oscar winner Mira Sorvino in the above-mentioned Romy and Michele's High School Reunion (1997). Lisa garnered more praise for her film work when she got the New York Film Critics Award for her starring role in The Opposite of Sex (1998). Lisa married Michel Stern, an advertising executive, on May 27, 1995. On May 7, 1998, they were blessed with a son, Julian Murray; they live in Los Angeles. Show less «

There are some issues I'm more conservative on. As a parent, I'm concerned that there are so many yo...Show more »

There are some issues I'm more conservative on. As a parent, I'm concerned that there are so many young, young, young kids - like 12 years old - that are starting to have sex. Show less «

To me it was like being on a roller coaster and making that climb. I spend a lot of time bracing mys...Show more »

To me it was like being on a roller coaster and making that climb. I spend a lot of time bracing myself for the drop. [on becoming famous] Show less «

We treat sex so casually and use it for everything but what it is - which is ultimately making anoth...Show more »

We treat sex so casually and use it for everything but what it is - which is ultimately making another human being with thoughts and feelings and rights who will grow up to be an adult. Show less «

Yeah, "Too pretty", right?

I started watching reality shows and being horrified at people signing up to be humiliated in front ...Show more »

I started watching reality shows and being horrified at people signing up to be humiliated in front of the entire country. I saw one show, The Amazing Race (2001), in which people were eating spicy soup and vomiting and crying. Why would you do that? Also, I was fascinated by these actors and actresses who would sign up to be followed around by cameras in their life. You become a celebrity, not because of your work or what you do, but because you have no privacy. I've been careful to keep my life separate because it's important to me to have privacy and for my life not to be a marketing device for a movie or a TV show. It's worth more than that. I'm worth more than that. Show less «

Before you are famous you think, Oh, if you're famous you're loved and adored. Then, when you really...Show more »

Before you are famous you think, Oh, if you're famous you're loved and adored. Then, when you really experience that attention and everyone cares what you're doing and wants pictures of you, it doesn't feel like a warm hug. It really feels like an assault. Show less «

[4/06] I think, on network TV, I'm still Phoebe to people and it would be hard to convince them othe...Show more »

[4/06] I think, on network TV, I'm still Phoebe to people and it would be hard to convince them otherwise in the bright lights of a sitcom. Show less «

[about Friends (1994)] It was the best experience, an unusually good one in TV. We all got along. Th...Show more »

[about Friends (1994)] It was the best experience, an unusually good one in TV. We all got along. The producers were great. It was wonderful being involved. I was extraordinarily lucky. Show less «

[on working with Courteney Cox in 'Friends'] There's a code with actors. Actors don't give each othe...Show more »

[on working with Courteney Cox in 'Friends'] There's a code with actors. Actors don't give each other notes under any circumstances. She was giving us permission to give her notes, and we all agreed that that would be great. Why not? She was the one who set that tone and made it a real group. And I thought that was a real turning point. Show less «

For me, doing Wonderland (2003) wasn't about strategy. The story was compelling, it was written real...Show more »

For me, doing Wonderland (2003) wasn't about strategy. The story was compelling, it was written really well, I thought I understood the characters, and I just wanted to be in it. I've never gone wrong whenever I've done that, and I haven't done that a lot of times" Show less «

Lisa Kudrow's FILMOGRAPHY

as Actor (320)

FIRST
Prev
1
2
3
4
5
Next
LAST

2017

IMDb: 7

109 min

Country: United States

Genre: Thriller, Horror, Mystery

Twelve years after the tragic death of their little girl, a dollmaker and his wife welcome a nun and several girls from a shuttered orphanage into ...

Watch Now