Phoebe Buffay (Lisa Kudrow)

Lisa Kudrow was born on July 30, 1963 in Encino, California, (Yes, she too is a Valley girl! Oh-My-God) and was raised Tarzana, CA. She attended Vassar College in New York and graduated with a B.S. in Biology. She planned to follow in her father's footsteps (a famous headache expert) and moved back to L.A. to do medical research. She would most likely be doing research now, if not for the encouragement/inspiration of her brother's friend, Jon Lovitz (of Saturday Night Live fame).

Lisa tried out for The Groundlings, a famous improvisational theater group in L.A., but was initially rejected due to her lack of experience. She was referred to a well-known comedy instructor, Cynthia Szigeti, to learn the improvisational trade. While attending this training, she met and became friends with Conan O'Brien, an unknown at the time. In 1989 she went back to The Groundlings and was accepted as a member of the troop, thus fulfilling her dream of being a writer/performer.

In addition to Phoebe on "Friends", Lisa has played other roles on TV including Ursula, the ditzy waitress, on "Mad About You"; a recurring role on "Bob"; and guest appearences on "Cheers", "Coach", "Newhart", and "Flying Blind".

Lisa spends her free time performing with the improv group Transformers and with The Groundlings, where she also teaches. She also played tennis in high school and college, and is known as a pool shark. She apparently grew up with a pool table and has mastered many different trick shots.

her role:

Phoebe is way out in left field most of the time. Often the cause of strange looks and shrugs from the others, Phoebe left home early in life after her mother committed suicide; she moved to the city where her albino male roommate committed suicide; she got her act together when she discovered aroma-therapy.She is a masseuse and also sings at Central Perk, often about death. She is very spiritual (not necessarily in a religious sense). She cleanses auras and believes she can sometimes read thoughts of people or sense the presence of departed friends or family. She once was inhabited by the spirit of an old lady who died on her massage table. She had a friend whom she believes was reincarnated as a pencil. She lived with her grandmother for most of the show, but recently her Grandmother died. Presumably Phoebe still lives in the apartment or home she had shared with her.

Her sister, Ursula, is a waitress at Riff's, a restaurant featured in 'Mad About You', but they do not get along.

Many plots that focus on Phoebe involve her complicated family relationships. In addition to Ursula, we have had episodes that centered around her husband, her search for her father, her brother (Frank, Jr.), Frank Jr.'s wife and home-ec teacher (Alice), her discovery of her birth mother, and the surrogate pregnancy she went through for Frank, Jr. and Alice, and finally meeting her father at her grandmother's memorial service.

Her birthday is celebrated in "TOW Two Parts, part 2". Andy J. Williams asked Jeff Greenstein if this meant that her birthday was the same as his (2/23) and Jeff responded that yes, her birthday is indeed February 23rd. So it appears that at least in this case, air-date matched the "takes place" date.