The Comeback Star/Co-Creator Lisa Kudrow to Host 2015 Writers Guild Awards West Coast Show
LOS ANGELES -- Coming off the acclaimed second season of her HBO series The Comeback, Emmy-winning Friends actress-writer Lisa Kudrow is set to host the WGAW's 2015 Writers Guild Awards L.A. show on Saturday, February 14, at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza in Los Angeles.
"One of my most proud professional moments was when I qualified to join the Writers Guild. Now, I'm truly honored to be asked to host the WGAW awards show this year," said Kudrow.
2015 WGA L.A. show Executive Producer Hugh Fink added, "I'm beyond excited to have Lisa Kudrow hosting. When we first approached her, she was a little reluctant. But when I told her this awards show gets very little media attention, has no after-party and doesn't pay anything, she said it was a no brainer."
A Writers Guild, West member since 2005, Kudrow is quadruple threat: actress, writer, comedienne, and producer. Whether starring as Valerie Cherish on The Comeback (for which she earned a 2006 Emmy nom for Lead Actress in Comedy Series), Fiona Wallice on Web Therapy (for which she shared an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Special Class Program with executive producers Dan Bucatinsky and Diane Charles), or Phoebe Buffay on long-running hit series Friends, Emmy-winning actress Kudrow has created a gallery of signature characters over the course of her diverse television and film career.
For her acclaimed performance on Friends (1994-2004), she won a 1998 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Role in a Comedy Series. She earned five more Emmy noms for the role, in addition to a 2000 Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series and a 1996 Golden Globe Supporting Actress nomination.
In addition to the memorable characters she has created, like Michele in her co-starring role opposite Mira Sorvino in 1997's comedy hit film Romy & Michele's High School Reunion, Kudrow is co-creator (along with Michael Patrick King) and executive producer of The Comeback, as well as co-creator (along with Don Roos & Dan Bucatinsky) and executive producer of the cult comedy series, Web Therapy, which began life as a web series before making the leap to cable television on Showtime.
Kudrow has also excelled in dramatic roles, such as her recent buzzed-about turn as Congresswoman Josephine Marcus on hit TV drama Scandal to edgy indie fare such as Wonderland, The Opposite of Sex (for which she earned New York Film Critics Circle Award, as well as an Indie Spirit nom), Happy Endings, and Clockwatchers. Kudrow also earned a Blockbuster Favorite Supporting Actress (Comedy) Award for her turn in 1999's Analyze That opposite Robert DeNiro and Billy Crystal. Her numerous other feature film appearances include roles in Easy A, The Other Woman, P.S. I Love You, Hotel for Dogs, Marci X, and All Over the Guy. Behind the camera, Kudrow shared a 2012 Emmy nomination for Outstanding Reality Program as an executive producer of ABC's Who Do You Think You Are?
Born in Encino, California, and raised in nearby Tarzana, Kudrow graduated from Vassar College, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychobiology. Inspired by her brother's friend, comedian Jon Lovitz, she auditioned for L.A.'s The Groundlings, and made the cut, soon becoming a full-fledged member for the legendary comedy improv troupe. Graduating in 1989 with honors, she soon landed a recurring role on TV's Mad About You, portraying waitress Ursula, which later led to her co-starring role on Friends. In addition to multiple awards nominations during the series run of Friends, Kudrow shared a 1996 Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series with her fellow cast members.
For a press photo of 2015 WGA L.A. show host Lisa Kudrow, click here.
Photo credit: Randy Holmes/ABC via Getty Images
The Writers Guild Awards honor outstanding writing in film, television, new media, videogames, news, radio, promotional, and graphic animation categories. The awards will be presented jointly at simultaneous ceremonies on Saturday, February 14, 2015, in Los Angeles at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza and in New York City at the Edison Ballroom.
For more information about the 2015 Writers Guild Awards, please visit www.wga.org or www.wgaeast.org.
For media inquiries about the 2013 Writers Guild Awards Los Angeles show, please contact Gregg Mitchell in the WGAW Communications Department at: (323) 782-4651 or email: Gregg Mitchell.
For media inquiries about the 2015 Writers Guild Awards New York City show, please contact Jason Gordon in the WGAE Communications Department at (212) 767-7809 or email: Jason Gordon.
The Writers Guild of America West (WGAW) is a labor union representing writers of motion pictures, television, radio, and Internet programming, including news and documentaries. Founded in 1933, the Guild negotiates and administers contracts that protect the creative and economic rights of its members. It is involved in a wide range of programs that advance the interests of writers, and is active in public policy and legislative matters on the local, national, and international levels. For more information on the WGAW, please visit: www.wga.org.
The Writers Guild of America West (WGAW) and the Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) are labor unions representing writers in motion pictures, television, cable, digital media, and broadcast news. The Guilds negotiate and administer contracts that protect the creative and economic rights of their members; conduct programs, seminars, and events on issues of interest to writers; and present writers' views to various bodies of government. For more information on the Writers Guild of America West, visit www.wga.org. For more information on the Writers Guild of America, East, visit www.wgaeast.org.