Martha Maria Yeardley Smith ( ;[ born July 3, 1964) is an American actress. She stars as the voice of Lisa Simpson on the animated television series The Simpsons.
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Smith began acting 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'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 as Penny in two episodes of Dead Like Me. She has appeared in several films, including City Slickers, Just Write, Toys, 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.
Early life
Smith was born on July 3, 1964, in Paris, France. 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.[Smith, Martha. " Hunting for Old Paper with James McNeill Whistler ." The Book and Paper Group Annual. v16 (1997). American Institute for Conservation. Accessed August 2, 2011.] Smith's parents later divorced.[ She made her acting debut in a sixth-grade play.][
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Career
Early career
Smith became a professional actress in 1982.[ 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'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 (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's Maximum Overdrive (1986), noting it was "truly a dreadful film, but I had a great part in it."][
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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.]
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 Simpson, 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!'"[ Smith was always her preferred choice.][ Smith lifts her voice up slightly to perform the role.][Smith, Yeardley. (2005). Commentary for "", in The Simpsons: The Complete Eleventh Season DVD. 20th Century Fox.] Smith spends two days a week recording the show.[
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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.]
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."
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.[ 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".][
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Further career
From 1991 to 1994, alongside The Simpsons, Smith was one of the lead cast members in the sitcom Herman's Head as Louise.[ In 1997, she appeared as Lulu the palm reader in the independent film Just Write.][ Her other roles include parts in Barry Levinson's Toys and James L. Brooks' As Good as It Gets.][ 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 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."][
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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,
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 "believed 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 2010 she had a small but attention-getting guest role in The Big Bang Theory, as a counselor trying to place Sheldon in a job.
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.
In 2017, Smith started a podcast, Small Town Dicks, which explores real life crime in small towns in the United States.
Politics
Smith is a lifelong Democrat.
In 2018, Smith mocked Republican Ted Cruz after he labeled the Democratic Party as "the party of Lisa Simpson".
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.[
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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."[
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Smith had bulimia nervosa when she was a teenager. She noted "It would make me high, I would feel endorphins 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.]
In 2011, Smith launched a women's shoe line called Marchez Vous.
In November 2021, Yeardley was noted for producing a podcast on the murder of Sheila Anderson, one of Scotland's most notorious unsolved murders.
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
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| 1985 | Heaven Help Us | Kathleen | |
| The Legend of Billie Jean | Putter | |
| 1986 | Maximum Overdrive | Connie | |
| 1987 | Three O'Clock High | Cheerleader | |
| 1989 | Listen to Me | Cootz | |
| Silence Like Glass | Karen | |
| Ginger Ale Afternoon | Bonnie Cleator | |
| 1991 | City Slickers | Nancy | |
| 1992 | Toys | Researcher Miss Drum | |
| 1993 | We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story | Cecilia Nuthatch | Voice |
| 1996 | Jingle All the Way | Woman who hits Howard with her purse | Uncredited |
| 1997 | Just Write | Lulu | |
| As Good as It Gets | Jackie Simpson | |
| 2002 | Back by Midnight | Veronica | |
| 2007 | The Simpsons Movie | Lisa Simpson | Voice |
| 2009 | The Pinky:st. Movie | Jennifer | Voice |
| Waiting for Ophelia | Caitlin O'Malley | Also executive producer |
| The Miracle of Phil | Holly | |
| Tug | Mom | |
| 2010 | High School | Teacher | Cameo appearance |
| Virginia | Mrs. Whitaker | |
| 2011 | The Chaperone | Ms. Miller | |
| New Year's Eve | Maude | |
| Spork | Ms. Danahy | |
| 2016 | Miles | Mrs. Armstrong | |
| 2018 | All Square | Beaches | Producer |
| 2021 | The Good, the Bart, and the Loki | Lisa Simpson | Short film |
| Plusaversary |
| 2022 | When Billie Met Lisa |
| Welcome to the Club | Lisa Simpson, Snow White |
| The Simpsons Meet the Bocellis in "Feliz Navidad" | Lisa Simpson |
Television
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| 1984 | ABC Afterschool Special | Jenny | Episode 13.4: "Mom's on Strike" |
| 1987–1989 | Brothers | Louella Waters | Appeared in 46 episodes |
| 1985 | The Recovery Room | Jill | TV film |
| 1986 | Tales from the Darkside | Betty Ann Cooper | Episode 2.23: "Fear of Floating" |
| Mama's Family | Bonita Rokiki | Episode 3.11: "Where There's Smoke" |
| 1987 | Square One Television ( Mathnet) | Jane Rice-Burroughs | Appeared in four episodes; Episode 1.2: "The Problem of the Missing Monkey" |
| 1987–1989 | The Tracey Ullman Show | Lisa Simpson (voice) | The Simpsons shorts |
| 1988 | CBS Summer Playhouse | Paula Bennett | Episode 2.17: "Tickets, Please" |
| 1989 | Murphy Brown | Phoebe Cramer | Episode 2.5: "Miles' Big Adventure" |
| 1989–present | The Simpsons | Lisa Simpson (voice)
Herself | Main cast member; longest-running role
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance |
| 1990 | Sydney | Tracy Cole | Episode 1.8: "The Me Nobody Knows" |
| 42nd Primetime Emmy Awards | Lisa Simpson (voice) | TV special |
| 1991–1994 | Herman's Head | Louise Fitzer | Main cast member; appeared in all 72 episodes |
| 1991 | Sesame Street | Lisa Simpson (voice) | One episode; Celebrity Monster in the Mirror |
| 1991–2004 | Rugrats | Brown Dummy Bear, additional voices (voice) | |
| 1992 | Likely Suspects | Unnamed character | Episode 1.11: "Am I Not Your Stiff" |
| 1994 | Empty Nest | Sally | Episode 7.3: "Just for Laughs" |
| 1997 | Toothless | Gatekeeper | TV film |
| Smart Guy | Mrs. Rawlings | Episode 2.5: "Dumbstruck" |
| Teen Angel | Miss Gross | Episode 1.8: "Jeremiah Was a Bullfrog" |
| 1997–2002 | Dharma & Greg | Marlene | Appeared in 17 episodes |
| 1998 | Sports Night | Malory Moss | Episode 1.4: "Intellectual Property" |
| 1999 | Nash Bridges | Stevie Strong | Episode 5.9: "Crosstalk" |
| 2001 | Last Dance | Unnamed character | TV film |
| 2003 | Becker | Ruby | Episode 5.19: "Ms. Fortune" |
| 2004 | Dead Like Me | Penny | Episodes 2.12: "Forget Me Not" and 2.14: "Always" |
| 2005 | Phil of the Future | Mandy Teslow | Episodes 1.18: "Double Trouble" and 1.20: "Corner Pocket" |
| Strong Medicine | Real Estate Agent | Episode 6.5: "Dying Inside" |
| 2009 | Mad Men | Nurse | Episode 3.5: "The Fog" |
| The Wishing Well | Mary | TV film |
| 2010 | The Big Bang Theory | Sandy | Episode 3.14: "The Einstein Approximation" |
| The Simpsons 20th Anniversary Special – In 3-D! On Ice! | Herself
Lisa Simpson (voice) | TV special |
| 2012 | FOX 25th Anniversary Special | Lisa Simpson (voice) | TV special |
| 2013 | Hot in Cleveland | Margaret | Episode 4.21: "Corpse Bride" |
| 2014 | Revenge | Phyllis | Episode 4.1: "Renaissance" |
| Family Guy | Lisa Simpson (voice) | Episode 13.1: "The Simpsons Guy" |
| 2014–2015 | The Mindy Project | Carolyn | Episode 3.6: "Caramel Princess Time" and Episode 3.12: Stanford |
| 2016 | Fresh Off the Boat | Marie (Costco Employee) | Episode 3.6: "WWJD: What Would Jessica Do?" |
| 2017 | Mom | Enid | Episode 4.21: "A Few Thongs and A Hawaiian Funeral" |
Video games
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| 1991 | The Simpsons | Lisa Simpson |
| 1996 | The Simpsons Cartoon Studio |
| 1997 | Virtual Springfield |
| 1999 | The Simpsons Bowling |
| 2000 | The Simpsons Wrestling |
| 2001 | |
| 2002 | The Simpsons Skateboarding |
| 2003 | |
| 2007 | The Simpsons Game |
| 2012 | |
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Music videos
Theme park
Podcasts
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| 2017–present | Small Town Dicks | Co-host |
| 2019 | Harmontown | Special guest (episode 337) |
| 2020 | Jensen and Holes: The Murder Squad | Special guest (January 20, 2020) |
| 2021 | I Said No Gifts! | Special guest (June 3, 2021) |
| 2022 | The Adam Carolla Show | Special guest (March 20, 2022) |
External links
