Yeardley Smith

Though few might recognize her face, actress Yeardley Smith was known the world over as soon as she opened her mouth. As the voice of one of television's most beloved characters, Lisa Simpson, on the groundbreaking comedy, "The Simpsons" (Fox, 1989- ), Smith became part of a pop-culture institution. The daughter of famed Washington Post obituaries editor, Joseph Yeardley Smith, Martha Maria Yeardley Smith was born July 3, 1964 in Paris, France. Immigrating to the U.S. two years later, she was raised in the nation's capital, where her father worked. There, Smith grew up a shy, introverted child. Finding herself drawn to performing in her early teens, Smith landed an apprenticeship at the renowned Arena Stage in Washington, D.C. after high school, before heading off to New York to seek her fortune. In 1984, Smith made her professional debut on Broadway as Debbie Reynolds's understudy in Tom Stoppard's "The Real Thing." Parlaying her success into film roles, Smith made her screen debut the following year in Michael Dinner's teen cult favorite "Heaven Help Us" (1985). Later that year, Smith made a memorable turn as Helen Slater's loud-mouthed friend, Putter, in "The Legend of Billie Jean" (1985), a featherweight action-drama directed by Matthew Robbins. Driven by a blaring rock soundtrack, "Billie Jean" was expected to go over big with MTV audiences. Unfortunately, the film was a huge bomb. Undeterred, Smith moved to Los Angeles full-time in 1986, settling into theatre work with appearances in L.A. stage productions of "Boys and Girls/Men and Women" and British playwright Alan Ayckbourne's "How the Other Half Loves." Around the same time, Smith also landed a recurring role on television, playing Luella Waters on the landmark cable comedy series, "Brothers" (Showtime, 1984-89). In the late 1980s, after having lost out on a number of roles due to her distinctive, high-pitched chirpy voice, Smith won the role of her career. This time, however, it was Smith's voice that pro