Phyllis Smith Biography

American actress and comedian (born 1949)

For other people named Phyllis Smith, see Phyllis Smith (disambiguation).

Phyllis Smith (born August 15, 1949) is an American actress, comedian and casting *ociate. She is best known for playing Phyllis Vance in the television series The Office and her critically acclaimed voice role as Sadness in the film Inside Out. She also starred as Betty Broderick-Allen on the critically acclaimed Netflix series The OA.

Early life

Smith was born in St. Louis in 1949, the second-eldest of nine siblings. She graduated from Cleveland High School.

Education

Smith graduated from the University of Missouri–St. Louis in 1972 with a degree in elementary education. In the 1970s and 1980s, she was a dancer, a cheerleader for the St. Louis Cardinals football team, and a burlesque performer. She said that there was "no stripping, but I did wear feathers." She was forced to quit dancing after suffering a knee injury. Following this, she tried being a telemarketer, but lasted only three hours before resigning. She later worked in Hollywood, California as an actress and in casting. Her first paid acting role was as an extra in the film Caddyshack.

Career

Smith was working as a casting *ociate under the direction of Allison Jones on the television series The Office, when she was offered the role of Phyllis Lapin, a character created specifically for her, a soft-spoken saleswoman who tended to disagree with pompous office manager Michael Scott. She received Screen Actors Guild Awards in 2006 and 2007 for her performance in The Office in the category "Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series". In June 2008, she appeared with the cast of The Office on Celebrity Family Feud. In 2011, she played a supporting role in the film Bad Teacher. In 2015, she voiced the character Sadness in the Pixar film Inside Out, receiving high critical praise for her performance. Later, she appeared as a regular in the Netflix series The OA. In February 2023, Smith reunited with The Office co-star and friend Leslie David Baker in an adverti*t for Honey Nut Cheerios.

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

Production work

References

External links

• Phyllis Smith at IMDb
• Deadspin profile

Portals:

• :Biography
• :Film
• :Television
• :United States