Lisa Edelstein

Lisa Edelstein was born on May 21, 1966, in Boston, Massachusetts, and raised in Wayne, New Jersey. She attended Wayne Valley High School, graduating in 1984. While studying at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, Edelstein wrote, composed, and performed her AIDS-related musical “Positive Me” at La Mama in Manhattan, earning a Humanitarian Award from New York’s Common Ground. Her career began with early television appearances in popular comedies such as “Mad About You,” “Wings,” and “Seinfeld,” where she played George Costanza’s girlfriend. She also took on significant roles in dramas, including the lesbian sister on ABC’s “Relativity” (1996) and a call-girl on “The West Wing” (1999).

From 2004 to 2011, Edelstein gained significant recognition for her role as Dr. Lisa Cuddy, the Dean of Medicine, in the critically acclaimed Fox series “House.” This role earned her the People’s Choice Award for Favorite TV Actress. Following her departure from “House,” she continued her career with a recurring role in “The Good Wife” (2011) and guest appearances in “Scandal” (2013) and “Castle” (2013). In 2014, she secured the lead role as Abby McCarthy in Bravo’s first scripted series, “Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce,” where she not only starred for five seasons but also expanded her creative contributions as a writer, producer, and director. Her work on this series earned her two Women’s Image Network Awards for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series (2015, 2016).

More recently, Edelstein has taken on roles such as Phoebe in Netflix’s “The Kominsky Method” (2018–2021) and Gwyneth Morgan in “9-1-1: Lone Star” (2021–2022). She also appeared in “The Good Doctor” (2018–2019), reuniting with “House” creator David Shore. Beyond her acting, Edelstein is an active voice actress, contributing to animated series like “American Dad,” “King of the Hill,” “Airbender: Legend of Korra,” and as Mercy Graves in the “Superman” and “Justice League” series. She balances her professional life with philanthropic efforts, being an ambassador for Best Friends Animal Society and supporting human rights organizations.