Phyllis Smith
Age: 73
Birthplace: St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
Phyllis Smith (born July 10, 1951) is an American actress. 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.
Early life
Smith was born in St. Louis, Missouri. She graduated from the University of Missouri-St. Louis in 1972 with a degree in elementary education. In the 1970s and 1980s, she worked as a dancer, a cheerleader for the old St. Louis Cardinals football team, and a burlesque performer. She has said that there was "no stripping, but I did wear feathers". She was forced to quit dancing after suffering a knee injury. She later worked in Hollywood, California as an actress and in casting.
Career
Smith was working as a casting associate on The Office when she was offered the role of Phyllis Vance, a character created specifically for her; a soft-spoken saleswoman who tends to disagree with the 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, Smith 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 of Sadness in the Pixar film Inside Out, receiving high critical praise for her performance.
Filmography
Film
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2005 | The 40-Year-Old Virgin | Mrs. Stitzer | Uncredited |
2006 | I Want Someone to Eat Cheese With | Marsha | |
2011 | Butter | Nancy | |
2011 | Bad Teacher | Linn | |
2011 | Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked | Flight Attendant | |
2015 | Inside Out | Sadness | Annie Award for Voice Acting in a Feature Production |
Television
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1999-2013 | 64 Zoo Lane | Molly the Hippopotamus and Thelma the Whale | Voice role |
2005 | Arrested Development | Carla | Episode: "The Immaculate Election" |
2005-2013 | The Office | Phyllis Vance | 187 episodes Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series Nominated - Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series |
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" |
TBA | Sesame Street | herself | Episode |
Video games
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2015 | Disney Infinity 3.0 | Sadness | Voice |