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I have here collected the bios for the cast and some facts about the different characters. The bios are originally
from NBC's Mad About You pages, but I have updated them some, while the facts are from Sony Online. There is also a page
with the cast's filmography originally
taken from Internet Movie Data Base. Due to the lack of time I have in researching and updating these pages, they might be
a bit out of date. I hope though, that you'll find something interesting here. If there is something missing in any of these
bios, please contact me and I'll add it as soon as possible. 
Helen Hunt
John Pankow
Anne Ramsay
Lelia Kenzle
Maui
Filmography (Paul Buchman) Paul Reiser, an Emmy Award nominee every year since 1994 for his work as a producer and star on "Mad About You," frequently found himself addressing the vagaries of modern marriage while touring as a stand-up comedian—a cathartic subject that took on new meaning for him seven years ago when he married Paula, a psychotherapist. Reiser co-created (with Danny Jacobson) and also serves as executive producer on Mad About You. The comedy series allows him to express himself on the riddles of newlywed bliss, especially in the episodes he occasionally writes. "Marriage is like the final frontier of intimacy," he says. "It’s a dance with constantly changing ground rules, full of never-ending stories and issues. We want it to be honest, so that people will say, ‘God, that’s just like my life!’" A native of New York City, Reiser grew up watching Greenwich Village comedians and developed his own act, which he took on the road after earning a B.A. in music at the State University of New York at Binghamton. (His passion for music inspired him to co-write the theme song to "Mad About You" with veteran producer Don Was.) Reiser’s first film role was in the classic Barry Levinson film "Diner." Immediately following was a role in "Beverly Hills Cop." Reiser is also known for his role as the double-crossing company man in "Aliens." Among his other feature credits are "Beverly Hills Cop II," "The Marrying Man," "Crazy People," "Family Prayers" and "Bye Bye Love."
Reiser, who appropriately plays a documentary filmmaker named Paul, emphasizes the reality of the show: "On TV, characters often get oversimplified—he’s wacky, she’s neurotic—but in real life, and hopefully on this show, people are allowed to be all things at different times. You dance around each other." In 1994, Reiser released his book "Couplehood," which reached the number one spot on the weekly "New York Times" bestseller list (with over two million copies sold). As a follow-up to the successful "Couplehood," Reiser’s "Babyhood" will be released in August of this year, chronicling Reiser’s thoughts on parenthood. Reiser lives in Los Angeles with his wife and son. He continues to perform on stage and works closely with the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Reiser’s birthday is March 30.
Filmography (Jamie Buchman) Helen Hunt enters her sixth season on "Mad About You" as an Emmy winner (Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for her role as Jamie Buchman), as well as a producer, for the multi-award-winning comedy series. She recently enjoyed big screen success in her role as a steely storm chaser who still carries a torch for her soon to be ex-husband (co-star Bill Paxton) in the blockbuster "Twister." Next, she stars in the feature film "As Good As it Gets," co-starring with Jack Nicholson and Greg Kinnear (NBC’s "Later with Greg Kinnear"), scheduled for a Christmas release.
A Los Angeles native, Hunt is the daughter of Gordon Hunt, a prominent acting coach and director. She made her acting debut as a child in the 1973 television movie "Pioneer Woman." Some of her other TV films include "Bill: On His Own," "Choices of the Heart," "Land of Little Rain" (for PBS) and "The Miracle of Kathy Miller." Hunt’s other television movies include "Into the Badlands," "Murder in New Hampshire: The Pamela Smart Story," "In the Company of Darkness" and Showtime’s "Sexual Healing." She had a recurring role on "St. Elsewhere" and starred on the series "My Life and Times." Her series guest roles include HBO’s "The Hitchhiker," which earned her a CableACE nomination. After completing the feature film "Project X," Hunt headed for New York to gain more stage experience. In 1989 she achieved her dream of performing on Broadway when she was cast in "Our Town." Her other stage work includes the role of Bianca in "The Taming of the Shrew" (with Tracey Ullman and Morgan Freeman), as produced by Shakespeare in the Park in 1990. Between her TV and stage appearances she continued to work in features, including "Mr. Saturday Night," "Peggy Sue Got Married" and "Miles from Hom"e (with Richard Gere). She won critical raves for her performance in "The Waterdance" (which she freely admits she "pursued like a bloodhound"). Hunt also portrayed an alcoholic wife in the feature "Kiss of Death" (opposite David Caruso). Hunt received two Golden Globes (in 1994 and 1995) when she was named Best Actress, Series, Musical or Comedy. She is also the recipient of two American Comedy Awards and a Screen Actors Guild Award. In 1994, the Viewers for Quality Television named Hunt Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series. In her leisure time, she enjoys studying dance and painting. Hunt’s birthday is June 15.
Filmography (Ira Buchman) John Pankow says that even before he was cast as a regular on "Mad About You," he immediately felt "in sync" with the character when he first guest-starred as Paul Buchman’s (series star Paul Reiser) cousin Ira in five episodes during the 1992-93 season. "Ira is ambitious and has big dreams," says Pankow. "He is a musician who lives life to the fullest and has a lotta heart and spunk." This year the big screen opens up for Pankow, as he films a role as Jennifer Aniston’s (NBC’s "Friends") boyfriend in the feature film, "The Object of My Affection." Pankow was born in St. Louis and raised in Chicago, one of nine children. His mother was a homemaker and his father was an advertising salesman in technical publishing. Pankow dabbled in acting while in high school and later majored in speech and performing arts at Northeastern Illinois University in Chicago. He left before his junior year to study Sanford Meisner’s acting technique at the St. Nicholas Theater in Chicago for two years. He then relocated in 1979 to New York, where he was cast a year later in the off-Broadway production of "The Slab Boys." On Broadway he starred in "Amadeus" (as Mozart) and appeared in "The Iceman Cometh" and "Serious Money."
Away from the set, Pankow enjoys visiting museums, reading and listening to music (especially opera and jazz), and he is a fan of all Chicago professional sports teams. Having spent three months in Rome for a film shoot, he and his wife now consider themselves Italophiles. "We love to cook Italian," says Pankow. "At home, we go through vats of olive oil, garlic and other Italian staples." Pankow and his wife live in Los Angeles with their 5-year-old daughter. His birthday is February 18. Filmography (Lisa Stemple) Anne Ramsay had to extend herself by adding her middle name of Elizabeth when she began acting to distinguish herself from the late Oscar-winning actress Anne Ramsay -- the irksome mother in the feature film "Throw Momma From the Train" -- until she could finally jettison the middle moniker. But before signing on as a luckless single woman in "Mad About You", the younger Ramsay did her own throwing in the hit feature "A League of Their Own", as a first-basewoman on an all-female baseball team in the 1940s. "I was a tomboy as a kid, and that made me perfect for the role", says Ramsay, who broke her nose during the rough-and-tumble filming. Born and raised in Southern California, Ramsay was inspired as a child by Barbra Streisand's performance in the feature "Funny Girl." She eventually graduated from UCLA with a B.A. degree in theater. She notched her first professional role in an industrial film and worked in the Continuum, an acting group of fellow UCLA alumni whose 1987 production of "Waiting" (which she co-wrote) won them acclaim and landed her an agent.
While her alter ego of Lisa is still evolving, Ramsay sizes her up this way: "I love playing characters who seem to be on top of it but are not. She's very artsy, dresses in funky clothes and thinks she's independent -- but really is very dependent, especially on her sister." Ever athletic, Ramsay enjoys jogging, playing beach volleyball and admits to a weakness for Nintendo games. Filmography (Fran Devanow) Leila Kenzle has been entertaining people since childhood when she staged little dancing shows for her appreciative parents during breaks in the family’s dinners. "Our foyer made a great proscenium arch, and I had my first stage," recalls Kenzle. "I had a captive audience and got fed when it was over!" Kenzle was born in Patchogue, Long Island, and raised in Rutherford, New Jersey, one of three daughters of an electrical-supply salesman and an antiques dealer. She earned her B.F.A. in theater from the Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University, but promptly lost her desire to act and worked as a hotel telephone operator. Eventually she was coaxed into performing by a sympathetic casting director who arranged an audition for an off-Broadway role, which Kenzle eventually won.
Kenzle describes her "Mad About You" character as "a really wonderful friend with a change in her life and marital status. She’s really trying to find herself now." In her spare time, Kenzle enjoys hiking and shopping for antiques. She learned to walk the high wire for an acrobatic appearance on "Circus of the Stars," and she is also active in multiple-sclerosis charities. Kenzle says she recently derived satisfaction from producing her first short film, "Bigger Fish," a black comedy which was on the festival circuit and received 12 first place awards, including Best Short Film at South Carolina’s Worldfest Charleston and Houston’s Annual Worldfest. Kenzle lives in Los Angeles with her husband, Neil Monaco, a private acting coach. Her birthday is July 16. (Murray Buchman) Maui, an 8-year-old collie mix, got his first major break as Murray, the lovable but slightly dim-witted dog on "Mad About You," during the comedy series’ first season (1992-93). When Maui enters his sixth season, he will have to contend with the Buchman’s first baby, whose presence will undoubtedly challenge Murray’s role in the Buchman household. Originally found in a Castaic, California, animal shelter by noted Hollywood animal trainer Boone Narr, Maui weighs 58 pounds and is now trained primarily by Betty Linn. His first assignments came in TV commercials and as the backup for the top dog in the feature film "Bingo." "Maui is very sweet and takes direction well," says Linn, who has trained him for the past four years. "He’s completely spoiled by everyone and consequently loves to go to the set when we begin a new show on Mondays."
Away from the set, Maui enjoys watching movies on videotape, including "Beethoven," "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn," "Old Yeller" and "Dog Day Afternoon." |
From 1987 to 1990 he starred on NBC’s comedy series "My Two Dads," and his TV movie credits include "The Tower." He also wrote, produced and starred in his own HBO comedy special, "Paul Reiser: Out on a Whim," and starred in a similar special for Showtime, "3 1/2 Blocks from Home." As a series producer, Reiser won a Golden Globe Award in 1995 when "Mad About You" was named Best Series, Musical or Comedy. The Viewers for Quality Television named Reiser as Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series in 1994.
After a childhood career co-starring on various TV series, two-time Golden Globe winner Hunt worked hard to establish herself in feature films and never seriously considered a lengthy commitment to another series. That is, until she got a call from actor/comedian 
Pankow notched his first film credit in 1985 as a Secret Service agent in "To Live and Die in L.A." His other feature films include "A Stranger Among Us," "Mortal Thoughts," "Year of the Gun," "Talk Radio" and "The Secret of My Success." On television he guest-starred on NBC’s "Law & Order" as well as on "Miami Vice" and "Spenser: For Hire." In addition, he appeared in the TV movies "Life on the Mississippi" and "First Steps" and co-starred on NBC’s daytime drama "The Doctors." He also does commercial voiceovers.
Ramsay guest-starred on the NBC drama "A Year in the Life", "Booker", "Wolf", "Hunter", "Duet" and "Star Trek: The Next Generation," among other series. She was a series regular as a nutty psychiatrist on "Doctor, Doctor." In addition to "A League of Their Own", her feature films include "Class Action" (with Gene Hackman), "Critters 4", "The Taste of Hemlock", "Unfinished Business" and "Perfect Alibi", an upcoming feature with Teri Garr. She co-starred in "Murder of Innocence", a TV movie starring Valerie Bertinelli.
Her big break came when she was cast as a stripper in the off-Broadway production of "Tony ’n’ Tina’s Wedding." In 1989 she went to Los Angeles, still unsure of her calling as an actress, but she quickly found work in the first of five television series pilots. She also appeared in the feature film "Other People’s Money" and had a recurring part as the sister of Fran Drescher’s character on the series "Princesses." Her other TV credits include appearances on "The Golden Girls," "thirtysomething," "The Cosby Show" and the television movie "The Charmer." Last year Kenzle co-starred with Marcia Cross ("Melrose Place") in the TV movie "All She Ever Wanted" and in the fall of 1997 stars in the TV movie "Dogmatic."
As Murray, Maui has been known to chase phantom mice and collide with walls, and he excels at getting lost. However, Linn vouches for her canine charge: "Maui is definitely smarter than Murray, and he knows tons of tricks." Among Maui’s favorite skills are "hiking" (making people believe he is relieving himself), sneezing, crawling, shaking his head and rolling over. In the summer of 1994 he shared the cover of "TV Guide" with fellow NBC star Moose (Eddie, the dog on "Frasier").
Mad About You is produced by NBC. All original work is copyright Johan Bäckman 1996-2003. View the disclaimer for more information.