Background
Smith was born in Saint Louis, Missouri.
Smith was born in Saint Louis, Missouri.
She graduated from the University of Missouri–Saint Louis in 1972 with a degree in elementary education.
She is best known for playing Phyllis Vance in the television series The Office and her critically acclaimed voice role as Sadness in the film Inside Out. In the 1970s and 1980s, she worked as a dancer, a cheerleader for the old Saint Louis Cardinals football team, and a burlesque performer. She has said that there was "no stripping, but I did wear feathers".
She was forced to quit dancing after suffering a knee injury.
She later worked in Hollywood, California as an actress and in casting. In June 2008, Smith appeared with the cast of The Office on Celebrity Family Feud.
In 2011, she played a supporting role in the film Bad Teacher. In 2015, she voiced the character of Sadness in the Pixar film Inside Out, receiving high critical praise for her performance.