Yeardley Smith: podcast appearances and interviews

Martha Maria Yeardley Smith, born on July 3, 1964, is an American actress best known as the voice of Lisa Simpson on the animated television series The Simpsons. She began acting in 1982 after graduating from drama school and moved to New York City in 1984. There, she appeared in the Broadway production of Tom Stoppard's The Real Thing. Smith made her film debut in 1985 with Heaven Help Us, and also appeared in The Legend of Billie Jean and Maximum Overdrive. She relocated to Los Angeles in 1986, where she took a recurring role in the television series Brothers. In 1987, she auditioned for The Simpsons shorts on The Tracey Ullman Show. Although she initially aimed to audition for the role of Bart Simpson, she was cast as his sister, Lisa Simpson, after the casting director deemed her voice to be too high for the role of Bart. The shorts eventually expanded into the half-hour series The Simpsons in 1989. Smith received a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance in 1992 for her work on the show. Beyond The Simpsons, she appeared in the sitcom Herman's Head as Louise, and had recurring roles as Marlene on Dharma & Greg and Penny in two episodes of Dead Like Me. Her film appearances include City Slickers, Just Write, Toys, and As Good as It Gets. In 2004, she performed an off-Broadway one-woman show titled More at the Union Square Theatre in New York City. Additionally, Smith has voiced commercials and contributed to the film We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story, and she starred as well as served as an executive producer for the independent romantic comedy Waiting For Ophelia.