Lisa Valerie Kudrow ( KOO-droh; born July 30, 1963) is an American actress and writer. She is best known for her roles as Phoebe Buffay in the television sitcom Friends (1994–2004) and Valerie Cherish in the HBO mockumentary series The Comeback (2005–2026). Her accolades include two Actor Awards and a Primetime Emmy Award. In late 1980s, Kudrow began her career in improv comedy and performed with The Groundlings in Los Angeles. Her early television credits include portraying Ursula Buffay in the NBC sitcom Mad About You, a role she later reprised on Friends after it was written in her character Phoebe's storyline. After Friends, Kudrow's television career progressed with roles in the comedy series The Comeback, Web Therapy (2011–2015), Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (2016–2019), Feel Good (2020–2021), Space Force (2020–2022), HouseBroken (2021–2023), Time Bandits (2024), and No Good Deed (2024). She also produced the reality program Who Do You Think You Are? (2010–2022) and the game show 25 Words or Less (2018–present). In film, Kudrow earned praise for her performances in Romy and Michele's High School Reunion (1997), The Opposite of Sex (1998), and Kabluey (2007). She has also appeared in several success comedies, including Analyze This (1999), P.S. I Love You (2009), Easy A (2010), Neighbors (2014), The Boss Baby (2017), and Booksmart (2019).