Phyllis Smith
Phyllis Smith | |
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Born | St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. | August 15, 1949
Alma mater | University of Missouri–St. Louis |
Occupations |
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Years active | 1980–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, 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 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. 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 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 |
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 |
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 |
- 1951 births
- Actresses from St. Louis
- American female dancers
- American dancers
- American film actresses
- American television actresses
- American female erotic dancers
- American erotic dancers
- Annie Award winners
- American burlesque performers
- Living people
- National Football League cheerleaders
- People from St. Louis County, Missouri
- University of Missouri alumni
- University of Missouri–St. Louis alumni
- American cheerleaders
- 21st-century American actresses
- American voice actresses