Amy Lysle Smart is an American actress and former fashion model. She became widely known through Varsity Blues, Road Trip, Rat Race, Felicity, The Butterfly Effect, Just Friends, Crank, Shameless, and Stargirl, while also working in independent film and television.
Background
Smart was born on March 26, 1976, in Topanga Canyon, California, and grew up in the Los Angeles area. Her mother, Judy Lysle, worked at a museum, while her father, John Boden Smart, was a salesman. The Topanga Canyon community, located in the hills west of Los Angeles, formed the geographic background of her early life.
She studied ballet for about ten years, beginning in childhood and continuing through adolescence. As a teenager she also worked as a fashion model, including assignments in Italy, where she met fellow model Ali Larter. The two later took acting classes together in Los Angeles, linking Smart's early modeling career with her transition to screen acting.
Education
Smart attended Palisades Charter High School in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles. The public high school, founded in 1961, serves the western Los Angeles area and has been associated with the region's long-standing connections to the entertainment industry.
Her preparation for performance also included approximately ten years of ballet and later acting classes in Los Angeles. Ballet provided a sustained background in movement and stage discipline before she began pursuing professional acting.
Career
Smart began her public career as a fashion model and worked in the United States and Europe, including Milan, Italy. During this period she met Ali Larter, with whom she later shared acting classes in Los Angeles. Her early screen appearances included a music video for the Lemonheads and small roles in television productions and films.
Her first film work included Campfire Tales, followed by appearances in Starship Troopers and other late-1990s productions. She gained broader recognition in 1999 through Varsity Blues and Outside Providence, then appeared as Ruby in the television series Felicity from 1999 to 2001. These roles established her in both feature films and recurring television work.
During the 2000s Smart moved among comedy, drama, action, horror, and independent film. Her credits included Road Trip, Rat Race, Scotland, PA, The Butterfly Effect, Starsky & Hutch, Just Friends, Peaceful Warrior, Crank, Mirrors, and Crank: High Voltage. She also appeared in television productions including Scrubs and was a regular cast member of the CBS series Smith in 2006.
Smart continued to work in film and television during the following decade. She appeared in The Best Man, Seventh Moon, Dead Awake, The Reunion, Columbus Circle, 7500, The Single Moms Club, Among Ravens, Hangman, The Keeping Hours, The Brawler, 13 Minutes, Tyson's Run, On Sacred Ground, The Christmas Classic, and Rally Caps. Her television work included recurring roles in Shameless and Justified, appearances in MacGyver and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and the role of Barbara Whitmore in Stargirl from 2020 to 2022.
Achievements
Smart achieved broad recognition through her performances in Varsity Blues and Outside Providence in 1999, followed by prominent roles in Road Trip, Rat Race, and The Butterfly Effect.
Smart developed a sustained career across feature films, independent productions, television series, miniseries, and voice work, working in comedy, drama, action, horror, and science fiction.
Smart represented the transition from a professional modeling career into film and television acting, with work spanning the late 1990s through the 2020s.
Works
film
Varsity Blues
(Teen sports drama in which Smart played Jules Harbor, one...)
1999
A&P
(Short film adaptation of John Updike's story in which Sma...)
(Medical comedy series in which Smart played Jamie Moyer, ...)
2003
Shameless
(Showtime comedy-drama series in which Smart played Jasmin...)
2011
Felicity
(Television series in which Smart played Ruby in a recurri...)
1999
Stargirl
(Superhero drama series in which Smart played Barbara Whit...)
2020
Smith
(CBS crime drama series in which Smart was a regular cast ...)
2006
The '70s
(Television miniseries in which Smart played Christie Shales.)
2000
Religion
Smart has been identified with Catholicism. Catholicism is the largest tradition within Christianity and is organized around the teachings of Jesus Christ, Scripture, sacramental worship, and the authority of the Church.
Her public comments about family and parenthood have included references to faith, gratitude, and prayer, themes that are compatible with the Catholic tradition while not establishing a more specific theological position.
Views
Smart has spoken about authenticity, balance, gratitude, and sustainability. Her comments about acting emphasize the value of bringing one's own identity to a role rather than relying only on external performance techniques.
Her public interests in environmental responsibility, organic living, and sustainable design have also formed part of her outlook. She has connected family life, time outdoors, and ecological awareness in interviews about her lifestyle.
Quotations:
There is something about blondes that triggers a lightheartedness. People can't take you seriously. Brunettes are more mysterious.
I think everyone has certain qualities that make them stars. But I think the strongest quality anyone has to bring to a film role is themselves. You have to bring the essence of who you are. That's where your real strength lies.
Personality
Smart has described herself as having developed confidence through ballet and performance. In interviews she has emphasized authenticity in acting and the importance of bringing one's own qualities to a role.
Physical Characteristics:
Smart is publicly known for her blonde hair and blue eyes.
Quotes from others about the person
Smart has said that an actor's strongest quality is the ability to bring the essence of their own identity to a film role. She has also described ballet as an influence on her discipline, posture, and approach to work.
Interests
Cooking, ballet, dancing, yoga, sustainability, environmental advocacy, and nutrition.
Philosophers & Thinkers
Tolstoy
Politicians
George Bush
Artists
Jackie Chan
Sport & Clubs
Tennis
Athletes
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Music & Bands
Pop
Connections
Smart married television host and home-improvement personality Carter Oosterhouse on September 10, 2011, in Traverse City, Michigan. They have a daughter, Flora, who was born in 2016 through surrogacy after Smart and Oosterhouse experienced fertility difficulties.
Smart's early professional and personal circle included actress Ali Larter. The two met while modeling in Italy, later took acting classes together in Los Angeles, and appeared together in Varsity Blues.
Father:
John Boden Smart
Worked as a salesman.
Mother:
Judy Lysle
Worked at a museum and was born Judy Carrington.
husband:
Carter Oosterhouse
Television host and home-improvement personality; Smart married him in Traverse City, Michigan, in 2011.
Daughter:
Flora Oosterhouse
Born in 2016 through surrogacy.
References
IMDb biography of Amy Smart
Biographical information about Smart's birth, family, modeling career, acting work, awards, spouse, child, and selected quotations.
TV Guide profile of Amy Smart
Filmography and television credits covering Smart's screen career through Rally Caps and later television work.
Amy Smart Is Now a Full-Time Mom to Flora
Interview documenting Smart's family life, her daughter Flora, surrogacy, environmental interests, and relationship with Carter Oosterhouse.
