Phyllis Smith

Bio:
Phyllis Smith (born on July 10, 1951 in Lemay, Missouri) is an American actress. Phyllis graduated from the University of Missouri at St. Louis in 1972, after completing her degree in Elementary Education. However, Phyllis worked throughout the 1970s and 1980s as a dancer, a burlesque performer and a cheerleader for the St. Louis Cardinals football team. A knee injury ended her dancing career. Phyllis then relocated to Hollywood, California, to pursue acting and work in casting. Phyllis was actually working as a casting associate for the US adaptation of the UK hit sitcom, The Office. Phyllis joined the cast when she was offered the role of Phyllis Lapin-Vance, a role that was created specifically for her. Phyllis’s portrayal of her The Office counterpart earned her several Screen Actors Guild Awards in the category of Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series. In addition to her work on The Office, Phyllis has appeared in the movies The 40-Year Old Virgin, Butter, Bad Teacher, and Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked. She also voiced the character Sadness in the Pixar animated film, Inside Out. Her other TV work includes appearances on Arrested Development, Trophy Wife and in The Middle.

Best Known For:
Phyllis Smith is best known as an actress, most notably as the character Phyllis Lapin-Vance on The Office.

Personal Life:
Phyllis toured the country as a dancer with Able’s Baggy Pants Burlesque and the Mercer Brother’s Show, Giggles Galore, as a comedy performer. Phyllis is a football fan, supporting her home team of St. Louis Rams.