Biography
Who is Yeardley Smith?
Early life and family
Yeardley Smith was born on July 3, 1964, in Paris, France. Her father, Joseph Smith, worked for United Press International in that city before moving the family to Washington, D.C. In 1966. Her mother, Martha Mayor, served as a paper conservator at the Smithsonian Institution's Freer and Sackler Galleries. Yeardley is one of five children.
The actress shares her first name with her father's middle name. Her maternal grandfather was the art historian A. Hyatt Mayor. Her family history includes connections to the marine biologist Alpheus Hyatt and the sculptor Harriet Randolph Hyatt Mayor. She is also the niece of the historian Peter H. Smith.
Acting career beginnings
Yeardley began her professional acting path in 1982. After performing in various school plays, she took an apprenticeship with the Arena Stage theater group and appeared in Peter Pan. Following this, she performed in several plays located in Washington. In 1984, she relocated to New York City to appear in the Broadway production of The Real Thing by Tom Stoppard.
Her film work started in 1985 with the movie Heaven Help Us. She followed this with roles in The Legend of Billie Jean and the film Maximum Overdrive in 1986. After moving to Los Angeles in 1986, she secured a recurring part on the television series Brothers.
The Simpsons and fame
In 1987, Yeardley auditioned for the animated shorts on The Tracey Ullman Show. Although she originally sought the role of Bart Simpson, the casting director decided her high voice was a better fit for his sister, Lisa. When the shorts became the standalone series The Simpsons in 1989, she became a permanent fixture of the cast.
For her work on the long-running series, she won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance in 1992. She has voiced Lisa Simpson for decades and occasionally provided sounds for Maggie Simpson in early episodes. While she has voiced other minor characters, they are usually variations of Lisa.
Television and film roles
Beyond her animation work, Smith appeared in the sitcom Herman's Head as Louise from 1991 to 1994. She also had recurring roles as Marlene on Dharma & Greg and as Penny in the series Dead Like Me. Her film credits include appearances in City Slickers, Toys, and As Good as It Gets.
In 2004, she performed a one-woman show called More at the Union Square Theatre in New York City. She also worked as an executive producer and star for the independent comedy Waiting For Ophelia, which premiered at the Phoenix Film Festival in 2009. Her voice acting roles outside of the Simpson family include the film We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story.
Birthday and age
Yeardley Smith was born on July 3, 1964, which makes Yeardley 62 years old today. That birthday falls under the Cancer sign. Yeardley shares the date with 23 other famous people.
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