Phyllis Smith is an American actress and comedian. She was born on August 15, 1949, in St. Louis. She’s famous for her role as Phyllis Vance in The Office and as the voice of Sadness in Inside Out. She also acted in the Netflix series The OA.
Phyllis grew up in a big family with eight siblings. She finished high school at Cleveland High School and later went to the University of Missouri–St. Louis, graduating in 1972 with a degree in elementary education.
In the 1970s and 1980s, Phyllis did various jobs like dancing, cheering for the St. Louis Cardinals football team, and performing in shows with feathers, but not stripping. Unfortunately, she had to stop dancing because of a knee injury. She briefly tried telemarketing but quit after three hours. Eventually, she moved to Hollywood, California, and started working in acting and casting.
Phyllis got into acting when she worked as a casting associate on The Office. She was then offered the role of Phyllis Lapin, a character made just for her. She received awards for her performance on The Office and later played roles in movies like Bad Teacher. In 2015, she voiced Sadness in Inside Out, earning praise for her performance. She also became a regular in The OA. In 2023, she appeared in a commercial with Leslie David Baker, her co-star from The Office, for Honey Nut Cheerios.