Phoebe's backstory

Quirky singer Phoebe Buffay has one of the most embellished - and tragic - backstories of the whole cast, often played for comedy. Throughout the series, it is revealed that the woman who Phoebe believed to be her mother took her own life and she was the result of an extramarital fling between her father and her real mother, also named Phoebe.

Actress Lisa Kudrow later admitted that she had a tough time bringing the character to life for comedy.

She said: "[I felt like], I tricked them at the audition. I was the only one who could cope with the audition process and that’s how I got it’. So I had to work hard at being Phoebe. And then, like, third season in, I was struggling so much!"