Biography
Kudos for Kudrow! Not the dumb blonde of "Romy and Michele's High
School Reunion." Lisa Kudrow was born in Encino on July 30, 1963.
Her father Lee Kudrow was a physician, and her mother Nedra a
travel agent. Lisa was raised in Tarzana. Lisa 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). Lisa
graduated from Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York, with a
Bachelor of Science degree in Biology. 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 (5'9") 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, Lisa got
a recurring role as Ursula, the ditzy waitress on "Mad About You."
This led to Lisa's starring role on "Friends." In the debut season
(1994-95) of "Friends, " 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 ditzy 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 silver screen with a lot of success. In
1997 Lisa starred opposite Oscar winner Mira Sorvino in the hit
comedy "Romy and Michele's High School Reunion." Lisa garnered more
praise for her work in movies when she got the New York Film
Critics Award for her starring role in "The Opposite of Sex." Lisa
married Michael 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.
Biography courtesy of the Internet Movie Database (www.imdb.com).
|