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Monday, 28 September 2020

Yeardley Smith

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Yeardley Smith
YeardleySmith2019.png
Smith interviewed on The Woody Show in March 2019
Born
Martha Maria Yeardley Smith

July 3, 1964 (age 56)
Paris, France
CitizenshipUnited States
Occupation
  • Actress
  • writer
  • voice actress
  • artist
Years active1982–present
Spouse(s)
  • Christopher Grove
    (m. 1990; div. 1992)
  • Daniel Erickson
    (m. 2002; div. 2008)

Martha Maria Yeardley Smith (/ˈjɑːrdli/ YARD-lee;[1] born July 3, 1964) is a French-born American actress, writer, voice actress, and artist. She is known for her long-running role as Lisa Simpson on the animated television series The Simpsons.

Smith became an actress in 1982 after graduating from drama school and moved to New York City in 1984, where she appeared in the Broadway production of Tom Stoppard's The Real Thing. She made her film debut in 1985's Heaven Help Us, followed by roles in The Legend of Billie Jean and Maximum Overdrive. She moved to Los Angeles in 1986 and took a recurring role in the television series Brothers.

In 1987, Smith auditioned for the Simpsons shorts on The Tracey Ullman Show. Smith intended to audition for the role of Bart Simpson, but the casting director felt her voice was too high, and she was cast as Bart's sister Lisa. In 1989, the shorts were spun off into their own half-hour show, The Simpsons. For her work on The Simpsons, Smith received a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance in 1992.

Alongside The Simpsons, Smith appeared in the sitcom Herman's Head as Louise, and had recurring appearances as Marlene on Dharma & Greg and Penny in two episodes of Dead Like Me. She has appeared in several films, including City SlickersJust WriteToys and As Good as It Gets. In 2004, Smith performed an off-Broadway one-woman show entitled More at the Union Square Theatre in New York City. Aside from The Simpsons, Smith has recorded few voice-over parts, only commercials and the film We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story. Smith starred in and served as executive producer for the independent romantic comedy Waiting For Ophelia, which had its world premiere at the Phoenix Film Festival in April 2009.

Smith was married to actor Christopher Grove from 1990 to 1992 and Daniel Erickson from 2002 to 2008. She enjoys writing and painting. During the first season of Herman's Head, Smith taught herself to paint by copying other artists. She released a children's book titled I, Lorelei in 2009 and her story "The Race" was included in the book Just Humor Me.

Early life[edit]

Smith was born in Paris on 3 July 1964. Her father, Joseph Smith, worked for United Press International in Paris and moved to Washington, D.C., in 1966, where he became The Washington Post's first official obituary editor.[2][3] Her mother, Martha Mayor, was a paper conservator for the Freer and Sackler Galleries at the Smithsonian Institution.[4] Smith's parents later divorced.[5] Smith labeled her family "upper crust and reserved".[6] As a child, Smith was often teased because of her unusual voice.[7] Smith has stated: "I've sounded pretty much the same way since I was six. Maybe [my voice is] a little deeper now."[8] She made her acting debut in a sixth-grade play.[9]

Career[edit]

Early career[edit]

Smith became a professional actress in 1982 after graduating from drama school.[9][10] After appearances in a number of school plays, she joined the local Arena Stage theater group on an apprenticeship, featuring in their production of Peter Pan. She went on to star in several other plays in Washington.[9] She moved to New York City in 1984 and appeared in the Broadway production of Tom Stoppard's play The Real Thing alongside Jeremy Irons and Glenn Close.[7][11]

Smith's first film role came in Heaven Help Us (1985).[7] She then played Putter in The Legend of Billie Jean (also 1985). The film was a box office bomb and critically panned, although Smith "thought it would be the movie that launched my career. And then it was out at the box office about 10 days before it died."[8] When filming was over, she rejoined The Real Thing before being out of work for six months. Smith worried her career was over.[7] However, the following year, she played Connie in Stephen King's Maximum Overdrive (1986), noting it was "truly a dreadful film, but I had a great part in it."[7]

Smith moved to Los Angeles in 1986 on the "semi-promise" of a part in a TV film.[2][7] After the audition, the role was given to another actress. Smith realized "that people don't mean what they say. It's not malicious. They just don't realize how much impact they have on an impressionable actor – and all actors are impressionable." From then on, she decided to "just sort of build a wall around myself", to cope with the disappointment of not getting a part.[7] In Los Angeles, Smith appeared in theatrical productions of Living on Salvation Street, for which she was paid $14 for each performance,[10] Boys and Girls/Men and Women, and How the Other Half Loves, and played the recurring role of Louella Waters on the Showtime series Brothers.[12] She appeared in the films The Legend of Billie Jean and Ginger Ale Afternoon (1989) as "trailer-park girls".[2] She later spoke of her regrets of appearing in the latter in her one-woman show More.[13]

The Simpsons[edit]

It's a happy fluke. When she was cast back in 1987, I just liked the sound of her voice. She's also a great actress. In general, people who make their living doing voices on cartoons aren't always great for us. Most cartoons want things peppy and cartoony. Yeardley is able to go through moments of great emotion and wring it for all she's worth.

Matt Groening on Smith's vocal style[7]

Smith's longest-running role is voicing Lisa Simpson on The Simpsons. She has voiced Lisa since 1987, beginning with The Simpsons shorts on The Tracey Ullman Show. Smith had initially been asked to audition for the role of Lisa's brother Bart, but casting director Bonita Pietila thought her voice was too high. Smith later recalled "I always sounded too much like a girl, I read two lines as Bart and they said, 'Thanks for coming!'"[10][14] Smith was given the role of Lisa, instead. She denies rumors that she almost turned down the role, though admits she had never planned a career in voice-over work.[15] Pietila stated that, having seen her in Living on Salvation Street,[10] Smith was always her preferred choice.[7] Smith lifts her voice up slightly to perform the role.[10] Lisa is the only regular character voiced by Smith, although in some earlier episodes, she provided some of Maggie's squeaks and occasional speaking parts.[16] Smith has only voiced characters other than Lisa on very rare occasions, with those characters usually being some derivative of Lisa, such as Lisa Bella in "Last Tap Dance in Springfield" and Lisa, Jr. in "Missionary: Impossible" (both from season 11 in 2000).[1] Smith spends two days a week recording the show.[17]

Until 1998, Smith was paid $30,000 per episode. During a pay dispute in 1998, Fox threatened to replace the six main voice actors with new actors, going as far as preparing to cast new voices.[18] However, the dispute was soon resolved and she received $125,000 per episode until 2004, when the voice actors demanded that they be paid $360,000 per episode.[18] The issue was resolved a month later,[19] and Smith earned $250,000 per episode.[20] After salary renegotiations in 2008, the voice actors received about $400,000 per episode.[21] Three years later, with Fox threatening to cancel the series unless production costs were cut, Smith and the other cast members accepted a 25% pay cut, down to just over $300,000 per episode.[22]

Smith at the Simpsons 500th Episode Marathon, February 2012

Despite her world-famous role, Smith is rarely recognized in public, which she does not mind, saying, "it's wonderful to be in the midst of all this hype about the show, and people enjoying the show so much, and to be totally a fly on the wall; people never recognise me solely from my voice."[20] In a 2009 interview with The Guardian, she commented: "It's the best job ever. I have nothing but gratitude for the amount of freedom The Simpsons has bought me in my life."[17]

Smith received a Primetime Emmy Award in 1992, but felt it was not worth anything, saying "there's part of me that feels it wasn't even a real Emmy." The Emmy for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance is a Creative Arts and not handed out during the primetime telecast and, prior to 2009, was a juried award without nominations.[23] However, Smith says "if I had to be associated with one character in fiction, I will always be thrilled that it was Lisa Simpson."[23] The show's creator Matt Groening has called Smith very similar to Lisa: "Yeardley has strong moral views about her character. There are lines that are written for Lisa that Yeardley reads and says, 'No, I wouldn't say that.'"[7] Writer Jay Kogen praised her performance on the show, particularly in the episode "Lisa's Substitute", as able "to move past comedy to something really strong and serious and dramatic."[7]

Further career[edit]

From 1991 to 1994, alongside The Simpsons, Smith was one of the lead cast members in the sitcom Herman's Head as Louise.[9] Her other television roles include recurring appearances as Marlene on Dharma & Greg, and Penny in two episodes of Dead Like Me. Smith has also appeared in Phil of the Future and Teen Angel.[24] Her one-scene role as pregnant checkout girl Nancy in 1991's City Slickers earned her "more attention than all [her] previous roles combined", and taught her "that it's far better to have small parts in big movies that everyone sees."[8] In 1997, she appeared as Lulu the palm reader in the independent film Just Write.[8] Her other roles include parts in Barry Levinson's Toys and James L. BrooksAs Good as It Gets.[2] Brooks, who is also executive producer of The Simpsons, had cast Smith in his 1994 film I'll Do Anything (in one of the film's musical numbers), but her part was cut.[8] Aside from The Simpsons, Smith has recorded few voice-over parts, only commercials and the film We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story. She "had a voice-over agent for about two years, and I used to go out [on auditions] all the time, but it never really came to anything. Everybody said, 'Oh Yeardley, you'll clean up,' and that was definitely not the case."[7]

In 2004, Smith performed her own off-Broadway one-woman show entitled More at the Union Square Theatre in New York City. Directed by Judith Ivey,[25] the play is about her mixed feelings over the success of The Simpsons, her parents, her relationships, and her struggles with bulimia.[2][23] The New York Times critic Margo Jefferson called it an "appealing if overlong show", adding that "The career narrative needed shortening. This would involve some editing and revising but wouldn't taint the best parts of More. It is refreshing to hear a celebrity talk cleanly about being fame-driven and about not getting the degree or the kind of fame you craved. It's fun to watch a skilled actress use her craft to the full."[25] She would later perform the play for three weeks in Los Angeles the following year.[26]

Smith starred in and served as executive producer for the independent romantic comedy Waiting for Ophelia, which was released in 2009. She funded the film, which was written by Adam Carl and based on a stage play he wrote in 2003. She said: "I loved it. I never get to play parts like that. I always play the friend of a friend, never the lead. And the script surprised me." Carl stated it was very unlikely she would recoup her money, but Smith decided she "believe[d] in this project, and my expectations have already been fulfilled by making the movie", and added: "You can support art even if it's not going to make a zillion dollars."[17] It premiered on 4 April 2009 at the Phoenix Film Festival.[27]

In 2011, Smith starred as Ms. Miller in the movie The Chaperone alongside Triple H and Ariel Winter.

In June 2016, the Human Rights Campaign released a video in tribute to the victims of the Orlando nightclub shooting; in the video, Smith and others told the stories of the people killed there.[28][29] On 30 March 2019, Smith was honored with the Human Rights Campaign's National Leadership Award in Los Angeles for her work as an advocate of the LGBT community.[30]

In 2017, Smith started a podcast, Small Town Dicks, which explores real life crime in small towns in the United States.[31] Smith had co-hosted the podcast with actress and long-time friend Zibby Allen until March 2019 when the two filed lawsuits against one another, with Allen accusing Smith of pushing her out of ownership and profit rights from the show.[32]

Politics[edit]

Smith is a Democrat.[33]

In 2018, Smith challenged Republican Ted Cruz after he disparagingly labeled the Democratic Party "the party of Lisa Simpson".[34][35] Smith recommended that people of differing political views should be able to work together on gun control, promoting gay rights and environmentalism.[36]

Personal life[edit]

Smith married English-Canadian actor Christopher Grove in 1990. They were divorced in 1992, citing irreconcilable differences.[37] She married Daniel Erickson in 2002; the marriage lasted for six years and Smith filed for divorce on 21 May 2008, citing irreconcilable differences.[38] In a 1997 interview with The Daily Targum, Smith stated "I am shy, but I have an extroverted persona which I can draw on when I need to," and that she is a "private" actress.[8] In 2009, she commented, "People have said to me that I'm unassuming. It's true, I'm the worst celebrity ever. But I'm trying to become better."[17] Smith had bulimia since she was a teenager. She noted "It would make me high, I would feel endorphins and this great sense of victory."[6][11]

Smith enjoys writing and painting. During the first season of Herman's Head, Smith taught herself to paint by copying other artists.[8] The book Just Humor Me includes a story, "The Race", written by Smith.[8] She has written a children's book, I, Lorelei, which was published by HarperCollins in February 2009.[39]

In 2011, Smith launched a women's shoe line called Marchez Vous.[40]

As of April 2019, Smith is engaged to one of the co-hosts of her podcast, Small Town Dicks, only identified as Detective Dan on the podcast. She met him while he was providing personal security for her during a Simpsons event.[41]

Filmography[edit]

Film[edit]

YearFilmRoleNotes
1985Heaven Help UsKathleen
The Legend of Billie JeanPutter
1986Maximum OverdriveConnie
1987Three O'Clock HighCheerleader
1989Listen to MeCootz
Silence Like GlassKaren
Ginger Ale AfternoonBonnie Cleator
1991City SlickersNancy
1992ToysResearcher Miss Drum
1993We're Back! A Dinosaur's StoryCecilia NuthatchVoice
1996Jingle All the WayWoman who hits Howard with her purse[8]Uncredited
1997Just WriteLulu
As Good as It GetsJackie Simpson
2002Back by MidnightVeronica
2007The Simpsons MovieLisa SimpsonVoice
2009Waiting for OpheliaCaitlin O'MalleyAwaiting release; also executive producer
Miracle of PhilHollyAwaiting release
TugMom
2010High SchoolTeacherCameo Appearance
VirginiaMrs. Whitaker
2011The ChaperoneMs. Miller
New Year's EveMaude
SporkMs. Danahy
2016MilesMrs. Armstrong
2018All SquareBeachesProducer

Television[edit]

YearSeriesRoleNotes
1984ABC Afterschool SpecialJennyEpisode 13.4: "Mom's on Strike"
1987–1989BrothersLouella WatersAppeared in 46 episodes
1985The Recovery RoomJillTV film
1986Tales from the DarksideBetty Ann CooperEpisode 2.23: "Fear of Floating"
Mama's FamilyBonita RokekeEpisode 3.11: "Where's There's Smoke"
1987Square One Television (Mathnet)Jane Rice-BurroughsAppeared in four episodes
Episode 1.2: "The Problem of the Missing Monkey"
1987–1989The Tracey Ullman ShowLisa Simpson (voice)The Simpsons shorts
1988CBS Summer PlayhousePaula BennettEpisode 2.17: "Tickets, Please"
1989Murphy BrownPhoebe CramerEpisode 2.5: "Miles' Big Adventure"
1989–presentThe SimpsonsLisa Simpson (voice)Main cast member; longest-running role
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance
1990SydneyTracy ColeEpisode 1.8: "The Me Nobody Knows"
42nd Primetime Emmy AwardsLisa Simpson (voice)TV special
1991–1994Herman's HeadLouise FitzerMain cast member; appeared in 32 episodes
1991Sesame StreetLisa Simpson (voice)One episode; Celebrity Monster in the Mirror
1991–2004RugratsBrown Dummy Bear, additional voices (voice)
1992Likely SuspectsUnnamed characterEpisode 1.11: "Am I Not Your Stiff"
1994Empty NestSallyEpisode 7.3: "Just for Laughs"
1997ToothlessGatekeeperTV film
Smart GuyMrs. RawlingsEpisode 2.5: "Dumbstruck"
Teen AngelMiss GrossEpisode 1.8: "Jeremiah Was a Bullfrog"
1997–2002Dharma & GregMarleneAppeared in 17 episodes
1998Sports NightMalory MossEpisode 1.4: "Intellectual Property"
1999Nash BridgesStevie StrongEpisode 5.9: "Crosstalk"
2001Last DanceUnnamed characterTV film
2003BeckerRubyEpisode 5.19: "Ms. Fortune"
2004Dead Like MePennyEpisodes 2.12: "Forget Me Not" and 2.14: "Always"
2005Phil of the FutureMrs. TeslowEpisodes 1.18: "Double Trouble" and 1.20: "Corner Pocket"
Strong MedicineReal Estate AgentEpisode 6.5: "Dying Inside"
2009Mad MenNurseEpisode 3.5: "The Fog"
The Wishing WellMaryTV film
2010The Big Bang TheorySandyEpisode 3.14: "The Einstein Approximation"
The Simpsons 20th Anniversary Special – In 3-D! On Ice!Herself
Lisa Simpson (voice)
TV special
2012FOX 25th Anniversary SpecialLisa Simpson (voice)TV special
2013Hot in ClevelandMargaretEpisode 4.21: "Corpse Bride"
2014RevengePhyllisEpisode 4.1: "Renaissance"
2014Family GuyLisa Simpson (voice)Episode 13.1: "The Simpsons Guy"
2014–2015The Mindy ProjectCarolynEpisode 3.6: "Caramel Princess Time" and Episode 3.12: Stanford
2016Fresh Off the BoatMarie (Costco Employee)Episode 3.6: "WWJD: What Would Jessica Do?"
2017MomEnidEpisode 4.21: "A Few Thongs and A Hawaiian Funeral"

Video games[edit]

YearGameVoice role
1991The SimpsonsLisa Simpson
1996The Simpsons Cartoon Studio
1997Virtual Springfield
1999The Simpsons Bowling
2000The Simpsons Wrestling
2001The Simpsons: Road Rage
2002The Simpsons Skateboarding
2003The Simpsons: Hit & Run
2007The Simpsons Game
2012The Simpsons: Tapped Out

Music videos[edit]

YearSongRoleArtist
1990"Do the Bartman"Lisa SimpsonNancy Cartwright

Theme park[edit]

YearRideRole
2008The Simpsons RideLisa Simpson

Podcasts[edit]

YearShowRole
2017–presentSmall Town DicksCo-Host
2019HarmontownSpecial Guest (episode 337)

References[edit]

  1. Jump up to:a b Smith, Yeardley. (2005). Commentary for "Missionary: Impossible", in The Simpsons: The Complete Eleventh Season [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.
  2. Jump up to:a b c d e Gates, Anita (17 March 2004). "Lisa Simpson's Voice Steps Out on Her Own"The New York Times. Retrieved 26 October 2008.
  3. ^ Pickle, Betsy (26 February 1992). "Two in one. Yeardley Smith is behind Lisa Simpson, but up front on 'Herman's Head'". The Knoxville News-Sentinel.
  4. ^ Smith, Martha. "Hunting for Old Paper with James McNeill Whistler." The Book and Paper Group Annual. v16 (1997). American Institute for Conservation. Accessed 2 August 2011.
  5. ^ Bernstein, Adam (19 January 2006). "J.Y. Smith, 74; Raised Standards for Post Obituaries"Washington Post. Retrieved 3 April 2009.
  6. Jump up to:a b Vogt, Heidi (5 April 2004). "'Lisa Simpson' turns insecurities to laughs". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. p. 3.
  7. Jump up to:a b c d e f g h i j k l Michion, L. W. (Spring 1992). "Yeardley Smith Confesses: I Love Lisa". Simpsons Illustrated Magazine1: 20–23.
  8. Jump up to:a b c d e f g h i Dalin, Nancy E. (23 January 1997). "Ms. Smith goes to Springfield". The Daily Targum.
  9. Jump up to:a b c d Freeman, Paul (20 November 1994). "Local actress finds a voice in 'Simpsons'". The Washington Times.
  10. Jump up to:a b c d e Miranda, Charles (8 December 2007). "She who laughs last". The Daily Telegraph (Sydney). p. 8E.
  11. Jump up to:a b Dziemianowicz, Joe (18 March 2004). "A Homer Town Girl"New York Daily News. Retrieved 3 April 2009.[dead link]
  12. ^ "Brothers on Showtime"TV Guide. Retrieved 3 April 2009.
  13. ^ Hernandez, Ernio (19 January 2005). ""The Simpsons" Actress Yeardley Smith Brings Her More to Los Angeles"Playbill. Archived from the original on 11 September 2012. Retrieved 24 May 2009.
  14. ^ Carroll, Larry (26 October 2008). "'Simpsons' Trivia, From Swearing Lisa To 'Burns-Sexual' Smithers". MTV. Archived from the original on 20 December 2007. Retrieved 29 July 2007.
  15. ^ "Life as Lisa Simpson"3 News NZ. 24 May 2013.
  16. ^ Smith, Yeardley (2007). Audio commentary for The Simpsons Movie (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
  17. Jump up to:a b c d Marks, Lisa (16 January 2009). "From Springfield to Tinseltown"The Guardian. Retrieved 16 February 2009.
  18. Jump up to:a b Glaister, Dan (3 April 2004). "Simpsons actors demand bigger share"The Age. Retrieved 10 February 2009.
  19. ^ "'Simpsons' Cast Goes Back To Work"CBS News. 1 May 2004. Retrieved 10 February2009.
  20. Jump up to:a b Sheridan, Peter (6 May 2004). "Meet the Simpsons". Daily Express.
  21. ^ "Simpsons cast sign new pay deal"BBC News. 3 June 2008. Retrieved 10 February2009.
  22. ^ Block, Alex Ben (7 October 2011). "'The Simpsons' Renewed for Two More Seasons"The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 15 October 2011.
  23. Jump up to:a b c Vogt, Heidi (4 April 2004). "She's happy as Lisa Simpson, although she'd like more d'oh". The Spokesman-Review. Associated Press.
  24. ^ "Development update – July 12–13"The Futon Critic. 13 July 2004. Retrieved 3 April2009.
  25. Jump up to:a b Jefferson, Margo (25 March 2004). "Theater review; What Do I Want? It's Just One Word"The New York Times. Retrieved 3 April 2009.
  26. ^ Heffley, Lynne (2005). "Local hero"Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 29 June 2011.
  27. ^ Harter, Jess (31 March 2009). "Stars come out for Phoenix Film Festival"East Valley Tribune. Retrieved 21 April 2009.[dead link]
  28. ^ "49 Celebrities Honor 49 Victims of Orlando Tragedy | Human Rights Campaign". Hrc.org. Retrieved 30 June 2016.
  29. ^ Rothaus, Steve (12 June 2016). "Pulse Orlando shooting scene a popular LGBT club where employees, patrons 'like family'"The Miami Herald. Retrieved 15 June 2016.
  30. ^ Peters, Stephen (22 February 2019). "HRC to Honor Yeardley Smith with National Leadership Award at 2019 HRC Los Angeles Dinner"Human Righrs Campaign. Retrieved 31 March 2019.
  31. ^ Deffenbacher, Chelsea (1 September 2017). "True-crime podcast has a local flavor"The Register-Guard.
  32. ^ Hitt, Tarpley (25 September 2019). "The Simpsons' Lisa Simpson Accused of Screwing Over Her Best Friend"DailyBeast. Retrieved 6 December 2019.
  33. ^ https://variety.com/2018/politics/news/yeardley-smith-donates-250000-to-human-rights-campaign-pac-ahead-of-midterms-1202982693/
  34. ^ https://eu.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/onpolitics/2018/02/22/ted-cruz-simpsons/364747002/
  35. ^ https://www.themarysue.com/how-dare-you-yeardley-smith-responds-to-those-ted-cruz-simpsons-comments/
  36. ^ https://twitter.com/yeardleysmith/status/966830185457754113?lang=en
  37. ^ Smith, Lori (23 May 2008). "People: Cameron Diaz gives a hair-raising scene"Denver Post. Archived from the original on 29 May 2008. Retrieved 3 April 2009.
  38. ^ "'Simpsons' actress files for divorce"Jam! Showbiz. Canadian Online Explorer. 23 May 2008. Retrieved 8 March 2009.
  39. ^ "Yeardley Smith". FoxFlash. Archived from the original on 29 September 2011. Retrieved 21 April 2009.
  40. ^ "Yeardley Smith". MarchezVous.
  41. ^ J. Keith van Straaten and Helen Hong (17 April 2020). "Ep. 57: Jordan Morris"Go Fact Yourself (Podcast). Maximum Fun. Retrieved 17 May 2020.

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