[[quoteright:290:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lisa_kudrow_photo.jpeg]]

->''"I knew an actor's career goes up and down and back up again. Your standing in this business can't be your whole identity; otherwise, you're doomed."''

Lisa Valerie Kudrow (born July 30, 1963 in Los Angeles, California) is an American actress, writer, comedian and producer.

She [[StarMakingRole gained worldwide recognition]] for her ten-season run as Phoebe Buffay in the sitcom ''Series/{{Friends}}'', for which she received many accolades, including an UsefulNotes/EmmyAward and two Screen Actors Guild Awards. Throughout her career she has received nine Emmy Award nominations, twelve Screen Actors Guild Award nominations, and a UsefulNotes/GoldenGlobeAward nomination.

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!!Selected filmography:
[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:Film roles]]
* ''Film/{{Mother|1996}}'' (1996) as Linda
* ''Film/RomyAndMichelesHighSchoolReunion'' (1997) as Michele
* ''Film/TheOppositeOfSex'' (1998) as Lucia [=DeLury=]
* ''Film/AnalyzeThis'' (1999) as Laura [=MacNamara=] Sobel
* ''[[Film/DrDolittle Dr. Dolittle 2]]'' (2001) as Ava (voice)
* ''Film/MarciX'' (2003) as Marci Feld
* ''Film/{{Wonderland}}'' (2003) as Sharon Holmes
* ''Literature/PSILoveYou'' (2007) as Denise
* ''Film/HotelForDogs'' (2009) as Lois Scudder
* ''Film/PaperMan'' (2009) as Claire Dunn
* ''Film/{{Bandslam}}'' (2009) as Karen
* ''Film/{{The Other Woman|2009}}'' (2009) as Carolyn
* ''Film/EasyA'' (2010) as Mrs. Griffith
* ''Film/{{Neighbors|2014}}'' (2014) as Dean Carol Gladstone
* ''Film/TheGirlOnTheTrain'' (2016) as Martha
* ''Film/Table19'' (2017) as Bina Kepp
* ''WesternAnimation/TheBossBaby'' (2017) as Janice Templeton (voice)
** ''WesternAnimation/TheBossBabyFamilyBusiness'' (2021) as Janice Templeton (voice)
* ''Film/LongShot'' (2019) as Katherine
* ''Film/{{Booksmart}}'' (2019) as Charmaine
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Television roles]]
* ''Series/{{Cheers}}'' (1 episode, 1989) as Emily
* ''Series/{{Newhart}}'' (1 episode, 1990) as Sada
* ''Series/LifeGoesOn'' (1 episode, 1990) as Stella
* ''Series/MadAboutYou'' (23 episodes, 1992–99) as Karen[=/=]Ursula Buffay
* ''Series/{{Bob|1992}}'' (3 episodes, 1993) as Kathy Fleisher
* ''Series/{{Coach}}'' (2 episodes, 1993–94) as Nurse Alice[=/=]Lauren
* ''Series/{{Friends}}'' (234 episodes, 1994–2004) as Phoebe Buffay[=/=]Ursula Buffay
** Series/HopeAndGloria'' (1 episode, 1996) as Phoebe Buffay
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Duckman}}'' (1 episode, 1996) as Female Beta Maxians (voice)
* ''WesternAnimation/DrKatzProfessionalTherapist'' (1 episode, 1997) as Lisa (voice)
* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' (1 episode, 1998) as Alex Whitney (voice)
* ''WesternAnimation/HerculesTheAnimatedSeries'' (4 episodes, 1998–99) as Aphrodite (voice)
* ''WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill'' (1 episode, 2001) as Amy Pittman (voice)
* ''WesternAnimation/BluesClues'' (1 episode, 2001) as the Baby Doctor (voice)
* ''WesternAnimation/FatherOfThePride'' (2 episodes, 2004–05) as Foo-Lin (voice)
* ''Series/TheComeback'' (21 episodes, 2005, 2014) as Valerie Cherish
* ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDad'' (1 episode, 2006) as the Ghost of Christmas Past (voice)
* ''Series/CougarTown'' (1 episode, 2010) as Dr. Amy Evans
* ''WesternAnimation/AllenGregory'' (1 episode, 2011) as Sheila (voice)
* ''Series/WendellAndVinnie'' (1 episode, 2013) as Natasha Kraf
* ''Series/{{Scandal}}'' (4 episodes, 2013) as Congresswoman Josephine Marcus
* ''WesternAnimation/BoJackHorseman'' (7 episodes, 2015) as Wanda Pierce (voice)
* ''Series/AngieTribeca'' (1 episode, 2016) as Monica Vivarquor
* ''Series/UnbreakableKimmySchmidt'' (2016–19) as Fairy Godmother[=/=]Lori-Ann Schmidt
* ''Series/GraceAndFrankie'' (3 episodes, 2018) as Sheree
* ''Series/TheGoodPlace'' (1 episode, 2020) as Hypatia
* ''Series/FeelGood'' (7 episodes, 2020–21) as Linda
* ''Series/{{Space Force|2020}}'' (8 episodes, 2020–22) as Maggie Naird
* ''WesternAnimation/HouseBroken'' (30 episodes, 2021–23) as Honey[=/=]Lady Capulet (voice)
* ''WesternAnimation/RickAndMorty'' (1 episode, 2022) as Tyrannosaurus Rex God (voice)
[[/folder]]

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!!Tropes associated with her work include:
* ActorAllusion: When she guest stars on ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'', she tells Lisa "you're such a Phoebe".
* ActorSharedBackground: She's a vegetarian like Phoebe.
* TheCastShowoff:
** Zig-zagged. She actually hates singing and only does it for comedy.
** She does however speak fluent French, which she demonstrates in ''Friends''.
* CelebrityVoiceActor:
** As Aphrodite in ''WesternAnimation/HerculesTheAnimatedSeries''.
** And as Mrs Templeton in ''WesternAnimation/TheBossBaby''.
** And Honey in ''WesternAnimation/HouseBroken''.
** Tyrannosaurus Rex God in ''WesternAnimation/RickAndMorty''.
* TheDanza: She plays Valerie Cherish on ''Series/TheComeback''. Valerie is her middle name.
* DawsonCasting:
** She was already in her thirties playing Phoebe in her twenties.
** Parodied in ''Film/{{Bandslam}}'' where she has to pretend to be her son's older sister to impress a drummer. Her son says she's ''23''. The movie was filmed when she was 45.
* DyeHard: She's naturally brunette but is best known as a blonde. She's gone brown for ''Wonderland'' and ''Film/TheOppositeOfSex''.
* DyeingForYourArt: She became a redhead for ''Series/TheComeback''.
* PlayingAgainstType:
** She plays a neurotic, repressed spinster in ''Film/TheOppositeOfSex''.
** ''Wonderland'' is also probably the darkest film she has ever appeared in, though she only has a small role.
** Played the reserved and rather chilly intellectual mother of the protagonist on ''Series/FeelGood''.
* PlayingTheirOwnTwin: As both Phoebe and Ursula Buffay on ''{{Series/Friends}}''.
* RealLifeWritesThePlot: Phoebe's triplets were written in to accommodate Lisa's real-life pregnancy.
* SeparatedAtBirthCasting: Creator/TeriGarr resembles her so much that she played her mother in both ''Friends'' and ''Kabluey''.
* SheAlsoDid: That's her in the Music/IceCube video for "True to the Game".
* SoMyKidsCanWatch: ''Film/HotelForDogs'' was because she wanted her son to be able to see some of her stuff. It was a similar reason for voicing Aphrodite in ''Hercules''.
* StatuesqueStunner: At 5 feet 8 inches tall, she towers slightly over her ''Friends'' co-stars Creator/CourteneyCox and Creator/JenniferAniston.
* ThrowItIn:
** She was initially cast as Ursula on ''Series/MadAboutYou''. But when she got the role of Phoebe in ''Friends'', the network wanted to 'explain' why Lisa was seen on two of their shows. So they made the characters twin sisters, and had a crossover episode.
** For the writing process of ''Series/TheComeback'', Lisa essentially improvised and what she said was transcribed and later filmed.
* TypeCasting: Usually as a GenkiGirl or some kind of ditz.
* WhatCouldHaveBeen:
** She tried out for ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' but Julia Sweeney got cast instead.
** She was initially cast as Roz in ''{{Series/Frasier}}'' but got replaced with Peri Gilpin while rehearsing the pilot episode. This was apparently a mutual decision on both parties.
** Valerie Cherish was meant to have a sexless marriage in ''Series/TheComeback''. That was changed, because they felt that would make the character too tragic. It was decided to be better that the character "had love but was choosing to walk in front of a train instead."