Francesca Marie Smith facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Francesca Marie Smith
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Smith in 2015
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| Born | March 26, 1985 Lincoln, Nebraska, U.S.
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| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1991–present |
| Known for | Hey Arnold! Recess |
Francesca Marie Smith (born March 26, 1985) is an American actress. She is best known for using her voice to bring characters to life in popular cartoons. You might know her as the voice of Helga Pataki from the Nickelodeon show Hey Arnold!. She also voiced several characters for Disney's Recess, including Ashley B. and Swinger Girl.
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What She's Been In
Francesca Smith has lent her voice to many fun characters over the years. She started acting when she was young and has been part of many TV shows and movies.
Voice Acting in TV Shows
Francesca is famous for her voice work in animated TV series.
- From 1994 to 1996, she was the voice of Leslie McGroarty in Itsy Bitsy Spider.
- She also voiced Emily Newton in the Beethoven cartoon in 1994.
- One of her biggest roles was Helga Pataki in Hey Arnold!, which she voiced from 1996 to 2004. She also did other voices for the show.
- From 1997 to 2001, she voiced Ashley B., Swinger Girl, and Upside-Down Girl in the Disney show Recess.
- In 2017, she returned as Helga Pataki for the TV movie Hey Arnold!: The Jungle Movie.
Voice Acting in Movies
Francesca has also voiced characters in animated films.
- In 1998, she contributed additional voices to the movies A Bug's Life and The Prince of Egypt.
- She continued her role as Ashley B. and Swinger Girl in the Recess movies, including Recess: School's Out (2001) and Recess Christmas: Miracle on Third Street (2001).
- In 2002, she voiced Helga Pataki again for Hey Arnold!: The Movie.
- She also voiced characters in other Recess direct-to-video movies like Recess: Taking the Fifth Grade and Recess: All Growed Down in 2003.
Video Game Roles
Francesca has also voiced Helga Pataki in several video games.
- She was Helga in Nicktoons Racing (2000).
- Later, she voiced Helga in Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl (2021) and Nickelodeon Kart Racers 3: Slime Speedway (2022).
Awards and Recognition
Francesca Smith has been recognized for her amazing voice acting.
- In 1998, she won an award for Best Performance in a Voice-Over for a Young Actress for her role in Hey Arnold!. This was at the 19th Youth in Film Awards.
- She was also nominated for other awards, including for her work in Itsy Bitsy Spider and The Secret World of Alex Mack.
Her Journey and Education
Francesca went to Pepperdine University and graduated in 2008. Later, she earned a Ph.D. from USC Annenberg in 2021.
In 2019, Francesca shared that she was diagnosed with a health condition called multiple sclerosis. In April 2024, she faced a serious health challenge related to her condition that affected her ability to move and speak, and she needed help to recover. Her fans and the creator of Hey Arnold!, Craig Bartlett, showed their support for her recovery journey.
