Yeardley Smith facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Yeardley Smith
Smith interviewed on The Woody Show in 2019
Born	Martha Maria Yeardley Smith (1964-07-03) July 3, 1964 (age 61) Paris, France
Citizenship	United States
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1982–present
Spouse(s)	Christopher Grove ​ ​ (m. 1990; div. 1992)​ Daniel Erickson ​ ​ (m. 2002; div. 2008)​ Daniel Grice ​ (m. 2022)​

Martha Maria Yeardley Smith (born July 3, 1964) is an American actress. She is best known as the voice of Lisa Simpson on the famous animated TV show The Simpsons.

Yeardley Smith started her acting career in 1982 after finishing drama school. She moved to New York City in 1984. There, she performed in a Broadway play called The Real Thing. Her first movie role was in 1985 in Heaven Help Us. She also appeared in movies like The Legend of Billie Jean and Maximum Overdrive. In 1986, she moved to Los Angeles and got a regular role in the TV series Brothers.

In 1987, Smith tried out for the Simpsons cartoon shorts. These shorts were part of The Tracey Ullman Show. She wanted to be the voice of Bart Simpson. However, the casting director thought her voice was too high. Instead, she was chosen to voice Bart's smart sister, Lisa. In 1989, these shorts became their own full TV show, The Simpsons. For her amazing work as Lisa, Smith won a Primetime Emmy Award in 1992.

Besides The Simpsons, Smith has acted in other TV shows. She was Louise in the sitcom Herman's Head. She also appeared as Marlene on Dharma & Greg and Penny in Dead Like Me. She has been in several movies, including City Slickers, Just Write, Toys, and As Good as It Gets. In 2004, Smith performed a special one-woman show called More in New York City. She has mostly done voice work for The Simpsons and some commercials. She also voiced a character in the movie We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story. In 2009, Smith starred in and helped produce a romantic comedy called Waiting For Ophelia.

Early Life and Beginnings

Yeardley Smith was born on July 3, 1964, in Paris, France. Her father, Joseph Smith, worked for a news agency in Paris. He later moved to Washington, D.C., and became an editor for The Washington Post. Her mother, Martha Mayor, worked to preserve old papers and artworks at the Smithsonian Institution. Smith's parents later divorced.

As a child, Yeardley was sometimes teased because of her unique voice. She has said that her voice has sounded pretty much the same since she was six years old. She first acted in a play when she was in sixth grade.

Career Journey

Starting Out in Acting

Yeardley Smith became a professional actress in 1982. After acting in school plays, she joined a local theater group called Arena Stage. She appeared in their play Peter Pan. She then acted in several other plays in Washington. In 1984, she moved to New York City. There, she performed on Broadway in The Real Thing with famous actors Jeremy Irons and Glenn Close.

Smith's first movie role was in Heaven Help Us in 1985. She then played Putter in The Legend of Billie Jean in the same year. She thought this movie would make her career take off. However, the film did not do well. After filming, she returned to The Real Thing and then was out of work for six months. She worried her acting career might be over. But the next year, she played Connie in Stephen King's movie Maximum Overdrive (1986). She called it "truly a dreadful film, but I had a great part in it."

In 1986, Smith moved to Los Angeles. She had been offered a possible role in a TV movie. But another actress got the part. This taught Smith that people don't always mean what they say in Hollywood. She decided to protect herself from disappointment. In Los Angeles, she acted in plays and had a regular role as Louella Waters on the TV series Brothers.

Voicing Lisa Simpson

Yeardley Smith's most famous role is voicing Lisa Simpson on The Simpsons. She has been Lisa's voice since 1987. It all started with The Simpsons shorts on The Tracey Ullman Show. Smith first tried out for the role of Lisa's brother, Bart. But the casting director, Bonita Pietila, thought her voice was too high. Smith remembered, "I always sounded too much like a girl." So, she was given the role of Lisa instead. She slightly raises her voice to play Lisa. Lisa is the only main character Smith voices. She rarely voices other characters, usually only if they are similar to Lisa. Smith spends two days a week recording for the show.

Despite her world-famous role, Smith is rarely recognized in public. She likes this, saying it's "wonderful to be in the midst of all this hype about the show... and to be totally a fly on the wall; people never recognise me solely from my voice." In a 2009 interview, she said, "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 at the Simpsons 500th Episode Marathon in February 2012.

Smith won a Primetime Emmy Award in 1992 for her voice work. She felt it wasn't a "real Emmy" because it's a Creative Arts Emmy, not given out during the main TV show. However, Smith says she is "thrilled that it was Lisa Simpson" if she has to be known for one character. The show's creator, Matt Groening, says Smith is very much like Lisa. He noted that Yeardley has strong beliefs about her character. Sometimes, she will say, "No, I wouldn't say that," if a line doesn't fit Lisa's personality.

Other Acting Roles

From 1991 to 1994, while working on The Simpsons, Smith was a main actress in the sitcom Herman's Head. She played Louise. Her other TV roles include Marlene on Dharma & Greg and Penny in Dead Like Me. She also appeared in Phil of the Future and Teen Angel.

Her small role as a pregnant checkout girl in the 1991 movie City Slickers brought her a lot of attention. She learned that "it's far better to have small parts in big movies that everyone sees." In 1997, she played Lulu the palm reader in the movie Just Write. She also had roles in Toys and As Good as It Gets.

In 2004, Smith performed her one-woman show called More in New York City. The play was about her feelings on The Simpsons' success, her family, and her personal challenges. A critic from The New York Times called it an "appealing show." Smith later performed the play in Los Angeles.

In 2009, Smith starred in and helped produce the independent romantic comedy Waiting for Ophelia. She even helped fund the movie. She said she loved the script and that she usually doesn't get to play lead roles. The movie premiered in April 2009. In 2011, Smith played Ms. Miller in the movie The Chaperone.

In June 2016, Smith and others appeared in a video for the Human Rights Campaign. The video honored the victims of a tragic event in Orlando. On March 30, 2019, Smith received an award from the Human Rights Campaign for her work supporting the LGBT community.

In 2017, Smith started a podcast called Small Town Dicks. This podcast explores real crime stories from small towns in the United States.

Personal Life

Yeardley Smith was married to actor Christopher Grove from 1990 to 1992. She later married Daniel Erickson in 2002, and their marriage ended in 2008.

In 1997, Smith described herself as shy but able to be outgoing when needed. She also said she is a "private" actress. 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 faced health challenges as a teenager. She enjoys writing and painting. She taught herself to paint by copying other artists. She has also written a children's book called I, Lorelei, which was published in 2009. In 2011, Smith launched her own women's shoe line called Marchez Vous.

On June 11, 2022, Yeardley Smith married Daniel Grice. He was one of the co-hosts of her podcast, Small Town Dicks. They met when he was providing security for her at a Simpsons event.

Filmography

Film Roles

Television Roles

Video Game Roles

Music Videos

Theme Park Rides

Podcasts

See also

In Spanish: Yeardley Smith para niños