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Martha Maria Yeardley Smith ( ; born July 3, 1964) is an American actress, artist and writer. She currently stars as the voice of Lisa Simpson on the long-running animated television series ''
The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, ...
''. Smith became an actress in 1982 after graduating from drama school. She moved to New York City in 1984, where she appeared in the Broadway production of
Tom Stoppard Sir Tom Stoppard (born , 3 July 1937) is a Czech born British playwright and screenwriter. He has written for film, radio, stage, and television, finding prominence with plays. His work covers the themes of human rights, censorship, and polit ...
's '' The Real Thing''. She made her film debut in 1985's '' Heaven Help Us'', followed by roles in ''
The Legend of Billie Jean ''The Legend of Billie Jean'' is a 1985 American drama film, directed by Matthew Robbins. It stars Helen Slater, Keith Gordon, Christian Slater, Dean Stockwell, Richard Bradford and Peter Coyote. Plot Billie Jean Davy, a teenager from Corpus C ...
'' and ''
Maximum Overdrive ''Maximum Overdrive'' is a 1986 American comedy horror film written and directed by Stephen King. The film stars Emilio Estevez, Pat Hingle, Laura Harrington, and Yeardley Smith. The screenplay was inspired by and loosely based on King's sho ...
''. She moved to Los Angeles in 1986 and took a recurring role in the television series '' Brothers''. In 1987, Smith auditioned for the ''
Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, a ...
'' shorts on '' The Tracey Ullman Show''. Smith intended to audition for the role of
Bart Simpson Bartholomew JoJo "Bart" Simpson is a fictional character in the American animated television series ''The Simpsons'' and part of the Simpson family. He is voiced by Nancy Cartwright and first appeared on television in '' The Tracey Ullman Sh ...
, 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 ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, ...
''. For her work on ''The Simpsons'', Smith received a
Primetime Emmy Award The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the Primetime ...
for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance in 1992. Alongside ''The Simpsons'', Smith appeared in the sitcom ''
Herman's Head ''Herman's Head'' is an American sitcom that aired on the Fox network from September 8, 1991, until April 21, 1994. The series was created by Andy Guerdat and Steve Kreinberg, and produced by Witt/Thomas Productions in association with Touch ...
'' as Louise, and had recurring appearances as Marlene on ''
Dharma & Greg ''Dharma & Greg'' is an American television sitcom that originally aired on ABC from September 24, 1997, until April 30, 2002, for 119 episodes over five seasons. The show starred Jenna Elfman and Thomas Gibson as Dharma and Greg Montgomery, a ...
'' and as Penny in two episodes of ''
Dead Like Me ''Dead Like Me'' is an American comedy-drama television series starring Ellen Muth and Mandy Patinkin as grim reapers who reside and work in Seattle, Washington. Filmed in Vancouver, British Columbia, the show was created by Bryan Fuller f ...
''. She has appeared in several films, including '' City Slickers'', ''
Just Write ''Just Write'' is a 1997 American romantic comedy film directed by Andrew Gallerani starring Jeremy Piven, Sherilyn Fenn, JoBeth Williams and Wallace Shawn. Plot Harold McMurphy (Piven) is a single, 30-year-old, Hollywood-obsessed tour bus dri ...
'', '' Toys'', and '' As Good as It Gets''. In 2004, Smith performed an
off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer th ...
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.


Early life

Smith was born on July 3, 1964, in
Paris, France Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...
. Her father, Joseph Smith, worked for
United Press International United Press International (UPI) is an American international news agency whose newswires, photo, news film, and audio services provided news material to thousands of newspapers, magazines, radio and television stations for most of the 2 ...
in Paris and moved to Washington, D.C., in 1966, where he became ''
The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large n ...
'''s first official obituary editor. Her mother, Martha Mayor, was a paper conservator for the Freer and Sackler Galleries at the
Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Found ...
. Smith's parents later divorced. Her maternal grandfather was art historian A. Hyatt Mayor, and among her great-grandparents were marine biologist and zoologist
Alpheus Hyatt Alpheus Hyatt (April 5, 1838 – January 15, 1902) was an American zoologist and palaeontologist. Biography Alpheus Hyatt II was born in Washington, D.C. to Alpheus Hyatt and Harriet Randolph (King) Hyatt. He briefly attended the Mary ...
and artist and sculptor
Harriet Randolph Hyatt Mayor Harriet Randolph Hyatt Mayor (1868-1960) was an American artist and sculptor active in the late 19th century. She contributed work to the World's Columbian Exposition, among other exhibitions. Life and career Harriet Randolf Hyatt was born in Sal ...
. She is also the paternal niece of political scientist, historian, and Latin American studies specialist
Peter H. Smith Peter Hopkinson Smith (born January 17, 1940) is a scholar of Latin American history, politics, economics, and diplomacy. He is a distinguished Professor Emeritus of Political Science and the Simon Bolivar Professor of Latin American Studies at ...
. Smith has labeled her family "upper crust and reserved". As a child, Smith was often teased because of her unusual voice. Smith has stated: "I've sounded pretty much the same way since I was six. Maybe y voice isa little deeper now." She made her acting debut in a sixth-grade play.


Career


Early career

Smith became a professional actress in 1982 after graduating from drama school. 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. She moved to New York City in 1984 and appeared in the Broadway production of
Tom Stoppard Sir Tom Stoppard (born , 3 July 1937) is a Czech born British playwright and screenwriter. He has written for film, radio, stage, and television, finding prominence with plays. His work covers the themes of human rights, censorship, and polit ...
's play '' The Real Thing'' alongside Jeremy Irons and Glenn Close. Smith's first film role came in '' Heaven Help Us'' (1985). She then played Putter in ''
The Legend of Billie Jean ''The Legend of Billie Jean'' is a 1985 American drama film, directed by Matthew Robbins. It stars Helen Slater, Keith Gordon, Christian Slater, Dean Stockwell, Richard Bradford and Peter Coyote. Plot Billie Jean Davy, a teenager from Corpus C ...
'' (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." When filming was over, she rejoined ''The Real Thing'' before being out of work for six months. Smith worried her career was over. However, the following year, she played Connie in
Stephen King Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author of horror, supernatural fiction, suspense, crime, science-fiction, and fantasy novels. Described as the "King of Horror", a play on his surname and a reference to his high s ...
's ''
Maximum Overdrive ''Maximum Overdrive'' is a 1986 American comedy horror film written and directed by Stephen King. The film stars Emilio Estevez, Pat Hingle, Laura Harrington, and Yeardley Smith. The screenplay was inspired by and loosely based on King's sho ...
'' (1986), noting it was "truly a dreadful film, but I had a great part in it." Smith moved to Los Angeles in 1986 on the "semi-promise" of a part in a TV film. 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. In Los Angeles, Smith appeared in theatrical productions of ''Living on Salvation Street'', for which she was paid $14 for each performance, ''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''. She appeared in the films ''The Legend of Billie Jean'' and '' Ginger Ale Afternoon'' (1989) as "trailer-park girls". She later spoke of her regrets of appearing in the latter in her one-woman show ''More''.


''The Simpsons''

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 Bonita Pietila (born January 14, 1953) is a casting director and producer. She is best known for her work on ''The Simpsons'', with which she has won three Emmy Awards (in 1998, 2000, and 2001). Pietila has been with the series since its beginning ...
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!'" 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. Pietila stated that, having seen her in ''Living on Salvation Street'', Smith was always her preferred choice. Smith lifts her voice up slightly to perform the role. 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. 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).Smith, Yeardley. (2005). Commentary for " Missionary: Impossible", in ''The Simpsons: The Complete Eleventh Season'' VD 20th Century Fox. Smith spends two days a week recording the show. 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. 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. The issue was resolved a month later, and Smith earned $250,000 per episode. After salary renegotiations in 2008, the voice actors received about $400,000 per episode. 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. 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." In a 2009 interview with ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers '' The Observer'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the ...
'', 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." Smith received a
Primetime Emmy Award The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the Primetime ...
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 The arts are a very wide range of human practices of creative expression, storytelling and cultural participation. They encompass multiple diverse and plural modes of thinking, doing and being, in an extremely broad range of media. Both ...
and not handed out during the primetime telecast and, prior to 2009, was a juried award without nominations. However, Smith says "if I had to be associated with one character in fiction, I will always be thrilled that it was Lisa Simpson." 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. Writer Jay Kogen praised her performance on the show, particularly in the episode "
Lisa's Substitute "Lisa's Substitute" is the nineteenth episode of the second season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on April 25, 1991. In the episode, Lisa's teacher Miss H ...
", as able "to move past comedy to something really strong and serious and dramatic".


Further career

From 1991 to 1994, alongside ''The Simpsons'', Smith was one of the lead cast members in the sitcom ''
Herman's Head ''Herman's Head'' is an American sitcom that aired on the Fox network from September 8, 1991, until April 21, 1994. The series was created by Andy Guerdat and Steve Kreinberg, and produced by Witt/Thomas Productions in association with Touch ...
'' as Louise. Her other television roles include recurring appearances as Marlene on ''
Dharma & Greg ''Dharma & Greg'' is an American television sitcom that originally aired on ABC from September 24, 1997, until April 30, 2002, for 119 episodes over five seasons. The show starred Jenna Elfman and Thomas Gibson as Dharma and Greg Montgomery, a ...
'', and Penny in two episodes of ''
Dead Like Me ''Dead Like Me'' is an American comedy-drama television series starring Ellen Muth and Mandy Patinkin as grim reapers who reside and work in Seattle, Washington. Filmed in Vancouver, British Columbia, the show was created by Bryan Fuller f ...
''. Smith has also appeared in '' Phil of the Future'' and '' Teen Angel''. Her one-scene role as pregnant checkout girl Nancy in 1991's '' City Slickers'' earned her "more attention than all erprevious roles combined", and taught her "that it's far better to have small parts in big movies that everyone sees." In 1997, she appeared as Lulu the palm reader in the independent film ''
Just Write ''Just Write'' is a 1997 American romantic comedy film directed by Andrew Gallerani starring Jeremy Piven, Sherilyn Fenn, JoBeth Williams and Wallace Shawn. Plot Harold McMurphy (Piven) is a single, 30-year-old, Hollywood-obsessed tour bus dri ...
''. Her other roles include parts in Barry Levinson's '' Toys'' and
James L. Brooks James Lawrence Brooks (born May 9, 1940) is an American director, producer, screenwriter and co-founder of Gracie Films. His television and film work includes ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'', ''Taxi'', ''The Simpsons'', '' Broadcast News'', ''As G ...
' '' As Good as It Gets''. Brooks, who is also executive producer of ''The Simpsons'', had cast Smith in his 1994 film ''
I'll Do Anything ''I'll Do Anything'' is a 1994 American comedy-drama film written and directed by James L. Brooks. While a large part of the film is a satire of the film industry, it also skewers relationships from various angles. Its primary plot concerns a do ...
'' (in one of the film's musical numbers), but her part was cut. 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 n auditionsall the time, but it never really came to anything. Everybody said, 'Oh Yeardley, you'll clean up,' and that was definitely not the case." 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, the play is about her mixed feelings over the success of ''The Simpsons'', her parents, her relationships, and her struggles with bulimia. ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' 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." She would later perform the play for three weeks in Los Angeles the following year. 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 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." It premiered on April 4, 2009, at the Phoenix Film Festival. In 2011, Smith starred as Ms. Miller in the movie '' The Chaperone'' alongside
Triple H Paul Michael Levesque (born July 27, 1969), better known by the ring name Triple H, is an American business executive, actor, and retired professional wrestler currently serving as the chief content officer for WWE. He is widely regarded as ...
and
Ariel Winter Ariel Winter Workman (born January 28, 1998) is an American actress. She starred as Alex Dunphy in the ABC comedy series '' Modern Family'', for which she and her co-stars won four consecutive Screen Actors Guild Awards for Outstanding Ensembl ...
. In June 2016, the
Human Rights Campaign The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) is an American LGBTQ advocacy group. It is the largest LGBTQ political lobbying organization within the United States. Based in Washington, D.C., the organization focuses on protecting and expanding rights for ...
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. On March 30, 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 The LGBT community (also known as the LGBTQ+ community, GLBT community, gay community, or queer community) is a loosely defined grouping of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and other queer individuals united by a common culture and so ...
. In 2017, Smith started a podcast, ''Small Town Dicks'', which explores real life crime in small towns in the United States. 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.


Politics

Smith is a lifelong Democrat. In 2018, Smith challenged Republican
Ted Cruz Rafael Edward "Ted" Cruz (; born December 22, 1970) is an American politician and attorney serving as the junior United States Senator from Texas since 2013. A member of the Republican Party, Cruz served as Solicitor General of Texas fro ...
after he disparagingly labeled the Democratic Party "the party of Lisa Simpson". Smith recommended that people of differing political views should be able to work together on
gun control Gun control, or firearms regulation, is the set of laws or policies that regulate the manufacture, sale, transfer, possession, modification, or use of firearms by civilians. Most countries have a restrictive firearm guiding policy, with onl ...
, promoting
gay rights Rights affecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people vary greatly by country or jurisdiction—encompassing everything from the legal recognition of same-sex marriage to the death penalty for homosexuality. Notably, , ...
and
environmentalism Environmentalism or environmental rights is a broad Philosophy of life, philosophy, ideology, and social movement regarding concerns for environmental protection and improvement of the health of the environment (biophysical), environment, par ...
.


Personal life

Smith married English-Canadian actor Christopher Grove in 1990. They were divorced in 1992, citing irreconcilable differences. 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. She married Daniel Erickson in 2002; the marriage lasted for six years and Smith filed for divorce on May 21, 2008, citing irreconcilable differences. 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." Smith had bulimia when she was a teenager. She noted "It would make me high, I would feel
endorphins Endorphins (contracted from endogenous morphine) are chemical signals in the brain that block the perception of pain and increase feelings of wellbeing. They are produced and stored in an area of the brain known as the pituitary gland. Hist ...
and this great sense of victory." Smith enjoys writing and painting. During the first season of ''Herman's Head'', Smith taught herself to paint by copying other artists. The book ''Just Humor Me'' includes a story, "The Race", written by Smith. She has written a children's book, ''I, Lorelei'', which was published by
HarperCollins HarperCollins Publishers LLC is one of the Big Five English-language publishing companies, alongside Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, Hachette, and Macmillan. The company is headquartered in New York City and is a subsidiary of News C ...
in February 2009. In 2011, Smith launched a women's shoe line called Marchez Vous. On June 11, 2022, Smith married one of the co-hosts of her podcast, ''Small Town Dicks'', Detective (Ret) Dan Grice. She met him while he was providing personal security for her during a ''Simpsons'' event.


Filmography


Film


Television


Video games


Music videos


Theme park


Podcasts


References


External links

* *
Yeardley Smith
at the Voice Chasers Database
Yeardley Smith
at
HarperCollins HarperCollins Publishers LLC is one of the Big Five English-language publishing companies, alongside Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, Hachette, and Macmillan. The company is headquartered in New York City and is a subsidiary of News C ...
.com
Yeardley Smith's Personal Blog
at
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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Yeardley Living people American film actresses American television actresses American video game actresses American voice actresses Primetime Emmy Award winners Actresses from Paris Actresses from Washington, D.C. 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses 1964 births LGBT rights activists from the United States Washington (state) Democrats California Democrats