Phoebe Buffay
Phoebe is the most eccentric character on the show, and she definitely marches to the beat of her own drum. She dresses like a hippie, is a vegetarian, and believes in reincarnation. Sometimes she doesn’t really get what’s going on around her, but that’s only because she wasn’t paying attention. She’s a bit of a free spirit, but she’s definitely not dumb, as she’s proven in many instances. Phoebe is actually more in tune with her friends’ moods than even they are, and always thinks about them before herself.
Phoebe’s life story has always been a bit of mystery, and even she is still trying to figure it out. We do know that her mother killed herself, her father left her, and she has a twin sister named Ursula (a role that was originated by Kudrow on Mad About You). Phoebe later learns that the mother who killed herself was not her birth mother, and she meets her real mom in Montauk (played by the charismatic Terri Garr). But you’ll find out more about that later. We also learn through random flashbacks that she has lived on the street at one point in her life, has a prison record, and was offered a job on Wall Street, to name a few. Now she is a singer/massage therapist, and her silly songs, such as “Smelly Cat,” have also provided many jokes on the show.
