Phyllis Smith
Smith in 2014
Born (1949-08-15) August 15, 1949 (age 74)[1]
St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
Alma materUniversity of Missouri–St. Louis
Occupations
  • Actress
  • comedian
  • casting associate
Years active1980–present

Phyllis Smith (born August 15, 1949) is an American actress, comedian and casting associate. 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,[1] the second-eldest of nine siblings. She graduated from Cleveland High School.[2]

Education

Smith graduated from the University of Missouri–St. Louis in 1972 with a degree in elementary education.[3] In the 1970s and 1980s, she was a dancer, a cheerleader for the St. Louis Cardinals football team, and a burlesque performer.[4] She said that there was "no stripping, but I did wear feathers."[5] She was forced to quit dancing after suffering a knee injury. Following this, she tried being a telemarketer, but later 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.[6]

Career

Smith was working as a casting associate 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.[4] 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.[7] In February 2023, Smith reunited with The Office co-star and friend Leslie David Baker in an advertisement for Honey Nut Cheerios.

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
1980 Caddyshack Extra Uncredited
1993 Once Upon a Forest Abigail's Mother (voice) Uncredited/deleted scenes[6]
1994 The Princess and the Goblin Narrator Voice, uncredited
2005 The 40-Year-Old Virgin Andy's Mother Uncredited
2006 I Want Someone to Eat Cheese With Marsha
2011 Bad Teacher Lynn
2011 Butter Nancy
2011 Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked Flight Attendant
2015 Inside Out Sadness (voice) Annie Award for Outstanding Achievement for Voice Acting in a Feature Production
2015 Riley's First Date? Sadness (voice) Short film
2021 Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar Delores
2024 Inside Out 2 Sadness (voice)

Television

Year Title Role Notes
2005 Arrested Development Carla Episode: "The Immaculate Election"
2005–2013 The Office Phyllis Vance Starring: 187 episodes
Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series (2007–2008)
Nominated – Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series (2009–2013)
2006 The Office: The Accountants Phyllis Vance Episode: "Phyllis"
2008 The Office: The Outburst Phyllis Vance Episode: "The Explanation"
2013 Trophy Wife Mrs. Patty Steinberg 3 episodes
2014 The Middle Mrs. Huff Episode: "The Sinkhole"
2016–2019 The OA Betty Broderick-Allen Starring: 12 episodes

Video games

Year Title Role Notes
2015 Disney Infinity 3.0 Sadness Voice[8]

Production work

Year Title Position Notes
1992 A Taste for Killing Casting associate TV movie
1994–1997 Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman 88 episodes
1999 Roswell 1 episode
2000–2002 Spin City 45 episodes
2005 Curb Your Enthusiasm 10 episodes
2005 The Office Assistant Casting Director 6 episodes

References

  1. ^ a b Rose, Mike (August 15, 2022). "Today's famous birthdays list for August 15, 2022 includes celebrities Jennifer Lawrence, Joe Jonas". The Plain Dealer. Associated Press. Archived from the original on August 14, 2023. Retrieved August 14, 2023.
  2. ^ "St. Louis Hometown Stories: Phyllis Smith, Actress". stlmag. February 2012. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved February 12, 2020.
  3. ^ Tracy, Linda (Fall 2008). "It's never just another day at the office for UM-St. Louis alumna Phyllis Smith". UM St. Louis. St. Louis, MO: University of Missouri-St. Louis: 14–15. OCLC 19214058. Archived from the original on November 16, 2011.
  4. ^ a b "Office Ladies: The Pilot on Apple Podcasts". Apple Podcasts. Archived from the original on July 11, 2020. Retrieved April 12, 2020.
  5. ^ Grose, Jessica (June 23, 2011). "Questions for Phyllis Smith". Slate. Archived from the original on September 22, 2018. Retrieved July 14, 2012.
  6. ^ a b "'The Office' Star Phyllis Smith - Five Facts You May Not Know!". September 15, 2019. Archived from the original on April 11, 2023. Retrieved April 8, 2023.
  7. ^ Ge, Linda (December 12, 2016). "Brit Marling's Netflix Series "The OA" Promises Mystery in First Trailer Video". The Wrap. Archived from the original on December 30, 2018. Retrieved December 12, 2016.
  8. ^ Avalanche Software. Disney Infinity 3.0. Scene: Closing credits, 5:39 in, Featuring the Voice Talents of.

External links

Annie Award for Outstanding Achievement for Voice Acting in a Feature Production
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