Missi Pyle

Missi Pyle
Born (1972-11-16) November 16, 1972 (age 51)
Houston, Texas, U.S.
EducationUniversity of North Carolina School of the Arts (BFA)
Occupations
  • Actress
  • singer
Years active1995–present
Spouses
(m. 2000; div. 2005)
(m. 2008; div. 2012)
Children1
Musical career
GenresCountry pop
Instrument(s)Vocals
Years active2007–2011
LabelsUrban Prairie Records
Formerly of

Missi Pyle (born November 16, 1972) is an American actress and singer. She has appeared in a number of films, including Galaxy Quest (1999), Josie and the Pussycats (2001), Bringing Down the House (2003), Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (2004), Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005), Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay (2008), The Artist (2011), Gone Girl (2014), Captain Fantastic (2016), and Ma (2019).

Pyle has also appeared in various television series, such as The Mentalist (2010), Cleaners (2013–2014), Jennifer Falls (2014), Another Period (2015–2018), Bordertown (2016), The Soul Man (2016), Mom (2017), Impulse (2018–2019), and Dirty John (2020).

In addition to acting, Pyle has also previously worked as a singer. With actress Shawnee Smith, she served as half of Smith & Pyle, a country rock duo.

Early life

Pyle attended the North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and graduated in 1995. For her achievements, Pyle was honored by the Poplar Pike Playhouse at her alma mater Germantown High School in Germantown, Tennessee.

Career

Pyle has guest starred on many television shows, including Heroes, Mad About You, Boston Legal, Frasier, The Sarah Silverman Program, and 2 Broke Girls. She started her film career with a minor role in As Good as It Gets, starring Helen Hunt and Jack Nicholson. After her breakout role in Galaxy Quest, she had supporting roles in Bringing Down the House (for which she and Queen Latifah were nominated for an MTV Movie Award for Best Fight), Josie and the Pussycats, Home Alone 4, Exposed, Big Fish, Along Came Polly, Soul Plane, Stormbreaker, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. She was the female lead in BachelorMan. She appears in Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story. She had a brief appearance in 50 First Dates and starred in A Cinderella Story: Once Upon a Song.

Selected cast and crew of The Artist at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival; (left to right) Ludovic Bource (composer), Michel Hazanavicius (director), Missi Pyle (actress), Bérénice Bejo (actress), Jean Dujardin (actor), Guillaume Schiffman (cinematographer), and Thomas Langmann (producer)

Pyle played Jake's elementary school teacher Ms. Pasternak on Two and a Half Men. The role was recast in 2009 for undisclosed reasons; however, it is believed that it was to show the emotional change she went through after Charlie dumped and hurt her.[citation needed] Pyle returned to the series in the same role in 2011 and again in the series finale "Of Course He's Dead" in 2015.

In 2008, Missi starred in the Broadway play Boeing-Boeing opposite Christine Baranski, Mark Rylance, Greg Germann, Paige Davis and Rebecca Gayheart. The play closed in January 2009.

Pyle was scheduled to ring the closing bell for the trading day at the New York Stock Exchange on September 29, 2008, to promote Boeing-Boeing, but backed out minutes before the close of trading so as not to associate herself with ending a calamitous day of financial turmoil which resulted in the Dow Jones Industrial Average losing 778 points, the largest point loss ever in a session in the wake of the financial crisis of 2007–2008. She watched from the floor as an NYSE staffer pushed the button and gaveled the end of trading instead.

Pyle was part of a country music group with actress Shawnee Smith called Smith & Pyle. The two actresses met while filming an ABC comedy pilot titled Traveling in Packs. The band started after Smith invited Pyle to join her in attending the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. While stuck in traffic, Pyle talked about her dream to be a rock star and Smith agreed to form a band with her. Their first album, "It's OK to Be Happy", was released digitally through iTunes and Amazon.com in July 2008. The debut album was recorded in Joshua Tree, California at Rancho De La Luna and was produced by Chris Goss. The two actresses have also become business partners and formed their own record label called Urban Prairie Records, under which "It's OK to be Happy" was released. According to an interview Smith did with pretty-scary.net in August 2008, a Smith & Pyle television or webisode series might be in the works. Smith also mentioned the idea of a series on Fangoria radio with Dee Snider. Currently there are three videos posted on YouTube that show the making of the record. They also have a 10-minute "making of" video on Vimeo called Smith & Pyle: Desert Sessions.

Personal life

Pyle married naturalist Casey Anderson on September 12, 2008. The wedding was country-western themed and took place in Montana. Wedding guests included bandmate Shawnee Smith and comedian Steve Agee. Anderson's pet grizzly bear, Brutus, served as his best man in the ceremony. Pyle and Anderson appeared in "Grizzly Dogs", the October 22, 2010, episode of Dog Whisperer, in which they sought the help of Cesar Millan to rehabilitate their dog. Pyle confirmed their breakup in 2013. She has one daughter.

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role
1997 As Good as It Gets Cafe 24 waitress
1999 Trick Actress with flowers
Galaxy Quest Laliari
2001 Josie and the Pussycats Alexandra Cabot
Let It Snow Ily
2002 Home Alone 4: Taking Back the House Vera
2003 Bringing Down the House Ashley
Exposed Amy
BachelorMan Heather
Big Fish Mildred
2004 Along Came Polly Roxanne
50 First Dates Noreen
Soul Plane Barbara Hunkee
Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story Fran Stalinovskovichdaviddivitchski
Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy Zoo keeper
Meet Market Ericka
2005 The Civilization of Maxwell Bright Cop
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Mrs. Beauregarde
2006 Just My Luck Peggy Braden
Mojave Phone Booth Sarah
Stormbreaker Nadia Vole
2007 Live! Plummy
Entry Level Liz
Feast of Love Agatha Smith
2008 Pretty Ugly People Lucy
Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay Raylene
Visioneers Sahra
American Crude Gigi
Soccer Mom Wendy Handler/Coach Lorenzo
2009 Spring Breakdown Charlene
Still Waiting... Rocky Rhoades/Exotic dancer
Taking Chances Faith Fishback
A Fork in the Road Nola
2010 Barry Munday Lida Griggs
Miss Nobody Charmaine
2011 The Artist Constance
A Cinderella Story: Once Upon a Song Gail Van Ravensway
2012 My Uncle Rafael Blair Schumacher
2013 Bakersfield, Earth Judy
Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters Gray Sister #3
Killing Vivian Megan
2014 A Haunted House 2 Noreen
Just Before I Go Officer CT
Gone Girl Ellen Abbott
Kiss Me Pam
Dragula Maggie
2015 Uncle Nick Michelle
Hollywood Adventures Casting Director
2016 Director's Cut Herself / Mabel
Captain Fantastic Ellen McCune
Slash Ronnie
Emma's Chance Susan Peirce
Pandemic Denise
Miles Leslie Wayne
2017 Deidra & Laney Rob a Train Mrs. Fowler
Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle Coach Webb
2018 Traffik Sheriff Sally Marnes
Nobody's Fool Lauren Meadows
Miss Arizona Bev
Grace Liz
2019 Walk. Ride. Rodeo. Tina Snyder
Ma Mercedes
2022 Teen Titans Go! & DC Super Hero Girls: Mayhem in the Multiverse Cythonna, Speaker of Nations (voice)
Bring It On: Cheer or Die Principal Simmons
2023 If You Were the Last Megan Benson
A Tourist's Guide to Love Mona

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1999 Mad About You Beautiful woman Episode: "The Final Frontier: Part 2"
The Drew Carey Show Stacey Episode: "Drew's Reunion"
Friends Hillary Episode: "The One with Ross's Teeth"
2000 Battery Park Suzanne Episode: "Walter's Rib"
2001 Ally McBeal Marcia Hooper Episode: "Reach Out and Touch"
The Wayne Brady Show Various 6 episodes
Roswell Windy Sommers Episode: "Control"
The Tick Stacy Waxman Episode: "Arthur Needs Space"
2002 Philly Charise DuPree Episode: "Mojo Rising"
2003 Frasier Shannon Palmer Episode: "Maris Returns"
2004, 2010,
2011, 2015
Two and a Half Men Miss Dolores Pasternak 4 episodes
2005 My Name Is Earl Shelly Stoker Episode: "Broke Joy's Fancy Figurine"
2006–08 Boston Legal Renee Winger 3 episodes
2007–10 The Sarah Silverman Program Scarlett Lacey 4 episodes
2007 Heroes Hope 2 episodes
The Wedding Bells Amanda Pontell Main cast, 5 episodes
2008–11 American Dad! Tracy / Drunk Girl / Sorority Girl Voice; 2 episodes
2008 In Plain Sight Teri Ranzino/Treena Morris Episode: "Never the Bride"
Pushing Daisies Betty Bee Episode: "Bzzzzzzzzz!"
2009 Numbers Janet Galvin Episode: "Ultimatum"
2010 Grey's Anatomy Dr. Baylow Episode: "The Time Warp"
Rizzoli & Isles Merch owner Episode: "I Kissed a Girl"
The Life & Times of Tim Receptionist / Marcy / Nancy (voice) 4 episodes
2010–11 The Mentalist Karen Cross 2 episodes
$#*! My Dad Says Katie Palmer 2 episodes
2011 Up All Night Kaye Episode: "Mr. Bob's Toddler Kaleidoscope"
Family Guy Kitty Hawk Woman (voice) Episode: "Amish Guy"
2012 Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23 Angie Beckencort Episode: "Whatever It Takes..."
2013 Newsreaders Rebecca Lionwek Episode: "Auto Erotic"
1600 Penn Agent Sarah Harlan Episode: "Frosting/Nixon"
2 Broke Girls Charity Channing Episode: "And Not-So-Sweet Charity"
Warehouse 13 Lily Abbott Episode: "The Big Snag"
The Mindy Project Nancy Episode: "Mindy Lahiri Is a Racist"
2013–14 Inside Amy Schumer Various roles 3 episodes
The Exes Sabrina/Julie 2 episodes
2014 The Crazy Ones Melora Episode: "Dead and Improved"
Jennifer Falls Dina Simac Main cast, 10 episodes
Partners Biffy Saint Murray Episode: "Let's Have a Simple Gwedding"
Infomercials Jan Jeremy Episode: "Goth Fitness"
2015 Hot in Cleveland Canadian Joy 2 episodes
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Trudy Malco Episode: "Granting Immunity"
Z Nation Bernadette Episode: "Rozwell"
Where the Bears Are Maggie Dexter 3 episodes
TripTank Woman / Crap Girl / Anna (voice) 3 episodes
2015–18 Another Period Celery Bellacourt / Celery Savoy 11 episodes
2016 Bordertown Gert Buckwald (voice) Main role, 13 episodes
The Soul Man Alicia 11 episodes
Sing It! Marcy Main role, 10 episodes
Lady Dynamite Carol Simples Episode: "A Vaginismus Miracle"
Major Crimes Tina Walker Episode: "Off the Wagon"
Mary + Jane Feminist Mobile Librarian Episode: "Girl on Gurl"
Notorious Callie Connors Episode: "Kept and Broken"
2017 Dropping the Soap Lily 2 episodes
The Catch Chloe Jackson Episode: "The Bad Girl"
Mom Natasha Recurring role, 5 episodes
One Mississippi Cassandra Night Episode: "Who Do You Think You Are?"
2017–18 Disjointed Mary Jane 2 episodes
2018 The Goldbergs Madame Charbenaux Episode: "1990-Something"
Impulse Cleo Coles Main cast
2019 Drunk History Christa Gruhle Episode: "Love"
Bob Hearts Abishola Liz Episode: "Square Hamburger, Round Buns"
The Unicorn Ava Episode: "Wade Delayed"
Ghosting: The Spirit of Christmas Chrissy TV movie
To Tell the Truth Celebrity Panelist Season 4, Episode 11
2020 Dirty John Karen Kintner Recurring role (season 2; The Betty Broderick Story)
2021 The Big Leap Tonya Lovewell 2 episodes
A Hollywood Christmas Theresa Frost HBO Max original film
2022 Mr. Mayor Nicole Episode: "Hearts Before Parts"
Y: The Last Man Roxanne 5 episodes
A Tale Dark & Grimm The Rain / Widow Fischer (voice)
Star Trek: Lower Decks Cardassian interrogator Episode: "Strange Energies"
Celebrity Beef Herself Episode: "Critical Designer vs. Critically Acclaimed"

Web

Year Title Role Notes
2012 Greetings from Home Sue 12 episodes
2013–14 Cleaners Eileen Main role, 18 episodes
2016 The Lottery Teresa Yaw A Short Film On Shane Dawson TV

Appearances

Year Title Role Notes
2017 Play Dodgeball with Ben Stiller Fran Stalinovskovichdavidovitchsky Omaze Charity Dodgeball
Run Nurse Music video by Foo Fighters

Stage credits

Year Title Role Notes
1996 900 Oneonta Burning Jewel Circle Repertory Theatre
September 15–22, 1996
2008 Boeing-Boeing Gretchen Longacre Theatre
September 9 – October 7, 2008
2012–2013 Bare Sister Joan New World Stages
December 19, 2012 – February 3, 2013

Discography

Albums

Singles


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