Phyllis Smith (born August 15, 1949) is an American actress and casting director. She is best known for playing Phyllis Vance in the television series The Office and her voice role as Sadness in Pixar's animated franchise Inside Out.
Early life and education Smith was born on August 15, 1949, in St. Louis, Missouri. She graduated from Cleveland High School.
Smith graduated from the University of Missouri–St. Louis in 1972 with a degree in elementary education. In the 1970s and 1980s, she was a dancer, a cheerleader for the St. Louis Cardinals football team, and a burlesque performer. She said that there was "no stripping, but I did wear feathers." She was forced to quit dancing after suffering a knee injury, and later worked in Hollywood, California, as an actress and in casting.
Career Smith was working as a casting associate under the direction of Allison Jones on the television series The Office, when she was offered the role of Phyllis Lapin, a character created specifically for her, a soft-spoken saleswoman who tended to disagree with pompous office manager Michael Scott. She received Screen Actors Guild Awards in 2006 and 2007 for her performance in The Office in the category "Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series". In June 2008, she appeared with the cast of The Office on Celebrity Family Feud.
In 2011, Smith played a supporting role in the film Bad Teacher. In 2015, she voiced the character Sadness in the Pixar film Inside Out, receiving high critical praise for her performance. In 2016, she starred as Betty Broderick-Allen in the Netflix series The OA. She reprised her role as Sadness in Inside Out 2 in 2024.
Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 2006 I Want Someone to Eat Cheese With Marsha 2011 Bad Teacher Lynn Butter Nancy Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked Flight Attendant 2015 Inside Out Sadness (voice) Annie Award for Outstanding Achievement for Voice Acting in a Feature Production Riley's First Date? Short film 2021 Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar Delores 2024Inside Out 2Sadness (voice)
Television Year Title Role Notes 2005 Arrested Development Carla Episode: "The Immaculate Election" 20052013 The Office Phyllis Vance Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series (20072008)Nominated Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series (20092013) 2006 The Office: The Accountants Episode: "Phyllis" 2008 The Office: The Outburst Episode: "The Explanation" 2013 Trophy Wife Mrs. Patty Steinberg 3 episodes 2014 The Middle Mrs. Huff Episode: "The Sinkhole" 20162019 The OA Betty Broderick-Allen 12 episodes2024ChadHerselfEpisode: "Class President" Dream Productions Sadness (voice) 4 episodes
Video games Year Title Role Notes 2015 Disney Infinity 3.0 Sadness Voice2024Disney SpeedstormVoice
Production work Year Title Position Notes 1999 Roswell Assistant casting director 1 episode 2000–2002 Spin City 45 episodes 2005 Curb Your Enthusiasm 10 episodesThe Office6 episodes
References
External links
Deadspin profile