Last Updated on March 2, 2024
Lisa Valerie Kudrow is an American actress, comedienne, film & television producer, and screenwriter.
Kudrow is best known for her portrayal of Phoebe Buffay in the sitcom ‘Friends’ (1994 – 2004). She also portrayed Phoebe’s twin sister Ursula in both ‘Friends’ and ‘Mad About You’ (1993 – 1999).
In addition to her numerous television appearances, Lisa Kudrow has also starred in several Hollywood blockbusters. Examples include Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion (1997), The Opposite of Sex (1998), Kabluey (2007), P.S. I love You (2007), Bandslam (2008), Easy A (2010), The Girl on the Train (2016), and Booksmart (2019). Kudrow’s other notable film credits include Analyze This (1999), Dr. Dolittle 2 (2001), Hotel for Dogs (2009), Neighbors (2014) and its 2016 sequel Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising, The Boss Baby (2017), and Long Shot (2019).
Besides acting, Lisa Kudrow dabbles in film and television production. Plus, she has written the screenplay for several movies and television shows.
Lisa Kudrow Quick Facts
Full Name: | Lisa Valerie Kudrow |
Popular Name: | Lisa Kudrow |
Nicknames: | N/A |
Gender: | Female |
Birth Date: | July 30, 1963 |
Age: | 59 years |
Parents: | Lee Kudrow and Nedra Kudrow |
Siblings: | David Kudrow, Derrick Kudrow, and Helene Kudrow |
Birth Place: | Los Angeles, California, United States |
Nationality: | American |
Ethnicity: | Mixed (Belarusian, German, Hungarian, and Polish) |
Religion: | Judaism |
Education: | Portola Middle School, Taft High School, and Vassar College |
Marital Status: | Married to Michel Stern (since 1995) |
Sexual Orientation: | Straight |
Children: | Julian Murray Stern |
Net Worth: | USD 150 million |
Source of Wealth: | Acting, Comedy, Film & Television Producing, Screenwriting, and Other Ventures |
Height: | 5′ 8″ (1.73 m) |
Weight: | In kilograms: 59 kg; In pounds: 130 lbs. |
Early Life and Career Information
Early Life
Lisa Kudrow was born on July 30, 1963, in Los Angeles, California, United States, to Lee Kudrow and Nedra Kudrow. Her father was a physician specializing in treating headaches, whereas her mother was a travel agent.
Kudrow attended Portola Middle School in Tarzana, Los Angeles, and later graduated from Taft High School in Los Angeles’ Woodland Hills. She then attended Vassar College, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Biology.
Acting Career
After graduating from college, Lisa Kudrow spent her first eight years in her father’s practice. Kudrow accepted several minor acting roles during this period, most of which were centered on comedy. Some of her earlier film credits include America 3000 (1986), The Unborn (1991), Dance with Death (1992), and In the Heat of Passion (1992). She also featured on several television shows, including Cheers (1989), Newhart (1990), Life Goes On (1990), Murder in High Places (1991), Room for Two (1992), Flying Blind (1993), and Bob (1993).
Lisa Kudrow landed her breakout acting role in the television series ‘Mad About You,’ appearing in 24 episodes of the show from 1993 to 1999. The following year, Kudrow achieved international fame when she began starring in ‘Friends.’ She appeared in a total of 236 episodes throughout all the show’s ten seasons.
The following are other noteworthy movies and television shows that Kudrow has featured in over the years;
Films
• Mother (1996)
• Michele’s High School Reunion (1997)
• The Opposite of Sex (1998)
• Analyze This (1999)
• Dr. Dolittle 2 (2001, as a voice actress)
• Kabluey (2007)
• P.S. I love You (2007)
• Bandslam (2008)
• Hotel for Dogs (2009)
• Easy A (2010)
• Neighbors (2014)
• Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising (2016)
• The Girl on the Train (2016)
• The Boss Baby (2017)
• Long Shot (2019)
• Like a Boss (2020)
Television Shows
• The Simpsons (1998)
• King of the Hill (2001, as a voice actress)
• The Comeback (2005 and 2014)
• American Dad! (2006)
• Web Therapy (2008 – 2014)
• What Do You Think You Are (2010 – present)
• Scandal (2013)
• 25 Words or Less (2018 – present)
• Space Force (2020)
• Feel Good (2020 – 2021)
• History of the Sitcom (2021)
Besides starring in the above projects, Kudrow has also produced and wrote the screenplay for some of them. Examples include ‘The Comeback,’ ‘Web Therapy,’ and ‘Who Do You Think You Are?’
Lisa Kudrow’s Net Worth
As of July 1, 2022, Lisa Kudrow had a net worth of $150 million. Kudrow has earned much of her wealth from her various exploits in the entertainment industry, which include acting, comedy, film & television producing, and screenwriting.
Lisa Kudrow has starred in many award-winning movies and television shows. But ‘Friends’ is arguably her most commercially successful project to date. Kudrow earned $22,500 per episode for her first season in the series, which works out to $540,000 for the entire season. She subsequently earned $40,000 per episode in the series’ second season, which comes to $960,000 for that season.
For the third season of ‘Friends,’ Kudrow and her fellow cast members successfully negotiated a salary increase to $75,000 per episode. Lisa’s total earnings for the season was $1.875 million.
Kudrow’s ‘Friends’ salary rose consistently with each season. She earned $85,000 per episode of the fourth season (totaling to $2.04 million), $100,000 per episode of the fifth season (totaling to $2.5 million), and $125,000 per episode of the sixth season (totaling to $3.125 million). She then earned $750,000 per episode of the seventh and eighth seasons ($36 million for the two seasons) and $1 million per episode of seasons nine and ten ($24 million for the ninth season and $18 million for the tenth season).
Collectively, Kudrow earned $90 million in base salary alone from ‘Friends.’ That excludes any backend bonuses and active syndication royalties. ‘Friends’ generates over $1 billion annually in royalties and streaming deals. According to estimates, each cast member takes home between $10 and 20 million in annual royalties.
Besides ‘Friends,’ Lisa also makes money from the many other films and televisions she has featured in. As of the time of writing (July 1, 2022), Kudrow’s films have grossed upwards of $ billion worldwide.
Kudrow has also invested in several real estate properties over the years. Most of her real estate investments are concentrated in the Los Angeles area. They include a 6,400 square-foot home in Beverly Hills which she purchased in 1996 for $1.9 million and another Beverly Hills home that she purchased in 2001 for $2.4 million.
Lessons from Lisa Kudrow
1. Exercise patience in the pursuit of your dreams
Lisa Kudrow accepted minor acting roles for close to ten years before catching a break. Still, he never lost patience.
2. Make the best of every opportunity you get
Kudrow is known to give a good account of herself in every movie or television show she features in. That explains why she has reprised her role on numerous occasions.
3. Know your worth and negotiate based on it
Lisa Kudrow and her fellow ‘Friends’ cast members started out with $22,500 per episode of the show. But along the way, the actress understood her immense contribution to the series and was able to negotiate a huge pay rise.
Famous Quotes by Lisa Kudrow
• An actress, around 40, on television, that’s where you get the most torture, I think.
• I actually made an effort to reject acting, to shove it out of my body, because I didn’t want my kids to have an actress as a mother-to have, like, a silly person.
• 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. I’m worth more than that.
• Watching a person lose their dignity used to be uncomfortable, and now it’s an expected part of the program that we’re becoming comfortable with.
• 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.
Wrap Up
Lisa Kudrow is a famous actress, comedienne, producer, and screenwriter with a net worth of $150 million. Kudrow has treated the entertainment industry to some of the most spellbinding movies and television shows ever released. She was considered the best female television actress at some point.