• Phyllis Smith is an American actress best known for her role as Phyllis Vance in "The Office"
• She voiced Sadness in the 2015 animated movie "Inside Out"
• She has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Elementary Education
• Phyllis has been seen in movies such as "The 40-Year-Old Virgin", "Bad Teacher" and "Inside Out"
• Her net worth is estimated at over $4 million

Phyllis Smith Bio

Do you remember Phyllis Vance from “The Office”, a quiet but friendly sales representative at Dunder Mifflin Scranton, who enjoys gossip and girl talk? Phyllis Smith, the actress who played this character, rose to international prominence thanks to her performance in this hilarious series, which also starred Steve Carell, John Krasinski and Jenna Fischer.

To the younger audience, Phyllis is perhaps known best for voicing Sadness in the 2015 animated movie “Inside Out”, which brought her numerous nominations and awards, including the Annie Award for Outstanding Achievement in Voice Acting in an Animated Feature Production.

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Early life, family, and education

Born on 10 July 1951, Phyllis Smith is aged 71 as of January 2023; her zodiac sign is Cancer, hails from St. Louis, Missouri USA, holds American nationality, and her ethnicity is Caucasian. Phyllis was raised in her hometown by her parents alongside eight siblings, but there’s nothing known about her family members.

Phyllis attended Cleveland High School, and upon matriculating in 1969, enrolled at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, from which she graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education in 1972.

Before she launched her acting career, Phyllis worked as a jazz dancer, and was a burlesque performer. She stopped dancing after she injured her knee, and briefly worked as a telemarketer. Subsequently, Phyllis moved to Los Angeles, California, and at first worked as a casting assistant, before she launched her acting career.

Roles in movies

Phyllis made her acting debut in an uncredited role as Andy’s Mother in the 2005 comedy “The 40-Year-Old Virgin”, starring Steve Carell, which had 29 award nominations and won 10. She followed with her role as OA Lady-Marsha in the 2006 romantic comedy “I Want Someone to Eat Cheese With”, written, directed by and starring Jeff Garlin.

Five years later, she was seen as Lynn Davis in the comedy “Bad Teacher”, starring Cameron Diaz and Justin Timberlake. The movie followed the story of a lazy and incompetent middle school teacher, who although hating her job, her co-workers, and her students must return to work since her wealthy fiancée has left her; it had 10 award nominations and six wins.

Later that year, Phyllis was seen as Nancy in “Butter”, and as a Flight Attendant in “Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked”.

In 2015, as mentioned she was heard in “Inside Out”, and in the same year reprised her voice role as Sadness in “Riley’s First Date?”.

Most recently, Phyllis was seen as Delores in the 2021 movie “Barb and Star Go To Vista Del Mar”, a comedy about two lifelong friends and their life-changing adventure, which had 20 award nominations and won two.

Roles in series

Phyllis made her first television series appearance as Carla in an episode of the comedy “Arrested Development” in 2005.

Then from 2005 to 2013, Phyllis starred in 186 episodes of “The Office”, which followed the story of typical office workers, though their workday consisted of ego conflicts, fatigue, and inappropriate behavior. The series had 195 award nominations and won 51, including five Primetime Emmys – Phyllis and her co-stars won two Gold Derby Awards for Ensemble of the Year in 2007 and 2008.

Fun fact: in the series, Phyllis had a basket of yarn and knitting needles under her desk, but in truth, Phyllis Smith doesn’t know how to knit.

Concurrently, Phyllis reprised her role in the TV mini-series “The Office: The Accountants” in 2006 and “The Office: The Outburst” in 2008.

In 2013, Phyllis was seen as Mrs Steinberg in three episodes of the series “Trophy Wife”, starring Malin Akerman and Bradley Whitford, which was nominated for the People’s Choice Award – Favorite New Comedy, then in the following year, Phyllis made a guest appearance as Ms. Huss in the series “The Middle”.

From 2016 to 2019, Phyllis had the recurring role as Betty Broderick-Allen in the fantasy drama series “The OA”, also starring Brit Marling, Scott Wilson, and Jason Isaacs. It told the story of Prairie, a young girl who went missing seven years earlier and was known to be blind. Now that she’s returned and her sight has been restored, some consider it a miracle, while others believe Prairie could be a danger to them. The series had nine award nominations, and won three, while the audience rated it 7.8/10.

Concurrently, in 2017, Phyllis was seen in an episode of the series “Nunsense”, while her role in “The OA” was her most recent television appearance.

Love life and husband

There have been various rumors about Phyllis’ love life, with many of them saying that she might be lesbian. Phyllis hasn’t spoken about her love life and her sexual orientation, so these are just assumptions.

On-screen, her character from “The Office” was married to Bob Vance, played by Robert R. Shafer, and many fans of the series assumed that they’re a couple in a real life, which isn’t true.

As of early 2023, Phyllis seems to be single. She hasn’t been married or engaged, and doesn’t have children.

Where is she now?

Because Phyllis has no social media accounts, it’s difficult to learn more about her current situation. She is known to live in Los Angeles with her several cat pets, but hasn’t been seen in public since her last television role.

Some internet rumors circulated that she’d retired from acting and decided to withdraw from public life, though this isn’t confirmed.

Net worth

Phyllis aspired to be a world-renowned dancer, but a knee injury prevented her from realizing her ambition. In the end, it looks like everything hasn’t turned out so badly for her. She’s had some notable movie roles, and will certainly be remembered as Phyllis from “The Office”.

Thanks to her acting career, she’s accumulated decent wealth for herself. According to sources as of early 2023, Phyllis Smith’s net worth has been estimated at over $4 million.

Author

As Managing Editor at The Biography, I oversee a skilled team to produce insightful biographies of influential figures. My responsibilities include managing the editorial process, conducting detailed research, crafting engaging narratives, and ensuring the accuracy and quality of our content. At The Biography, we aim to deliver in-depth profiles that provide valuable insights into the realms of business, entertainment, and more. Our commitment to meticulous research and dynamic storytelling highlights the significant journeys and successes of inspiring individuals.

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