Highlights
- Anne Ramsay played Lisa Stemple in the popular sitcom Mad About You.
- Ramsay loved playing the off-the-wall character.
- She returned to play Lisa in the Mad About You revival.
Mad About You was on the air at the same time as Friends, and Lisa Kudrow even appeared in both series as Phoebe Buffay's cruel waitress twin sister Ursula. But even though both sitcoms featured young actors who were absolutely hilarious, Mad About You was sometimes overshadowed by the sitcom about six friends.
Fans have been following Helen Hunt's career since Mad About You and Paul Reiser even joined the wealthy Stranger Things cast in seasons 3 and 4. Anne Ramsay, who played a more minor character than Hunt and Reiser did, has remained in Hollywood as well. However, Mad About You fans might not be as familiar with the trajectory of her career after the sitcom.
Who Did Anne Ramsay Play On Mad About You?
Mad About You aired for seven seasons from 1992 to 1999 before returning for a brief revival in 2019. Anne Ramsay may not be as famous as Helen Hunt or Paul Reiser, but her character was a meaningful part of the popular sitcom.
Mad About You starred Hunt and Reiser as Jamie and Paul Buchman, an absolutely adorable married couple. Ramsay played Lisa Stemple, Jamie's sister, in most episodes of Mad About You.
Lisa is often depicted as a silly person who doesn't take life as seriously as her public relations specialist sibling. Jamie worries about Lisa all the time, despite knowing that Lisa is a grown adult who should be able to take care of herself.
In several Mad About You episodes, Lisa mentions that she is in therapy so she can talk about the dynamics within her and Jamie's family. Most of all, Lisa has trouble with their mother, who often pits Jamie against her and thinks that Jamie is much smarter and more interesting.
Ramsay loved playing Lisa on the sitcom. In 2005, Ramsay talked about Mad About You when she was interviewed by The Windy City Times. She said, "Oh my gosh. I just feel so fortunate. I have such gratitude. I've been so lucky in my career. I mean that role I still miss performing."
Ramsay continued to The Windy City Times, "She was just a juicy character to play. It was such an off-the-wall character that every time I would come on, you'd have to give me the punch line. You had to give that character the punch line. People expected it. I feel spoiled because of the writing on that show ... I never wanted that show—first of all, I never wanted League of Their Own to end and I didn't want Mad About You to ever end, but of course it did."
What Happened To Anne Ramsay?
After playing Lisa Stemple in almost every season of Mad About You, Anne Ramsay kept working in TV. However, some of her TV shows did better than others.
From 1997 to 1998, she played Geri Zarias in the crime series Dellaventura. This wasn't a very well-known series and it had one 13-episode season.
Next, Ramsay played Robin in four episodes of The L Word from 2004 to 2005. Over the next few years, she played Trish Houghton in the TV series Related about the relationship between sisters.
It was Anne Ramsay's time as Jackie Feldman in Six Feet Under that brought her a bit more recognition, though. She played Nate Fisher's partner Brenda Chenowith's pal Jackie Feldman.
While the actress has had small parts in many TV shows ranging from Hart of Dixie to House and the Finder, she took on the meatier role of Ricky's mom Nora Underwood in The Secret Life of the American Teenager. This role showed Ramsay's range as the character has addiction issues and was also in a scary and dangerous relationship.
Even though Anne Ramsay is famous because of Mad About You, she has starred in some interesting movies in the last decade or so. After playing the daughter of a woman who has Alzheimer's in the 2014 horror movie The Taking of Deborah Logan, she starred in the memorable 2019 movie Bombshell as reporter Greta Van Susteren. She also played Marla Sheridan, a woman who was once in the military and becomes interested in the paranormal, in the 2023 horror movie Brooklyn 45.
These characters are so different from Lisa Stemple on Mad About You. It's fun to see Ramsay take on more dramatic parts.
Anne Ramsay Played Lisa Stemple Once Again In The Mad About You Revival
Anne Ramsay made Mad About You fans very happy when she played Lisa Stemple in the Mad About You revival. The 12 new episodes aired in November and December 2019.
This time, Paul and Jamie are empty nesters who are getting used to the fact that their daughter Mabel, played by Abby Quinn, is now a college student.
Lisa doesn't have a huge role in the Mad About You revival. She is just as goofy as ever, though. In episode 8 called "Anderson Cooper and Other Fantasies," she has a job taking care of Anderson Cooper's dog. When she isn't able to follow through, which is one of her main personality traits, Jamie has to help her out.
In November 2019, Anne Ramsay talked about the Mad About You revival in an interview with Palm Springs Life.
Ramsay said that it was amazing to come back to the character that she had played for so long. She also loved the chance to act alongside her co-stars again.
She told Palm Springs Life, “I wasn’t sitting in my trailer. I was watching Paul and Helen again because they’re magic together. They’re still magic together. I still learn from them. I still enjoy watching them. I remember watching them do a scene in rehearsal the first day back. I looked at them, and they looked at me. We were all just verklempt in that moment.”
She also explained, “It’s funny. Some of my favorite projects and characters were at the beginning of my career. You think, ‘I’ll never get to go there again.’ Then, this comes up. It’s a rare joy for all of us.”
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