She used to be a cheerleader!

'The Office': What Happened to "Phyllis"?

Phyllis Smith portrayed "Phyllis Vance" in The Office from 2005 to 2013 and we definitely loved her character! But what has the 70-year-old actress been up to lately? It seems like she is an amazing voice talent too!

Phyllis Smith is an actress
She starred in the US version of 'The Office'
Learn more about her life and career here

Phyllis Smith is best known for her character also named "Phyllis" in The Office! The 74-year-old Missouri native portrayed the funny character from 2005 to 2013, alongside other celebs like Steve Carell, Jenna Fischer, John Krasinski, and Angela Kinsey.

Did you know that she was working as a casting associate for The Office when she was offered to play "Phyllis"? It is not a coincidence that she and her character have the same name, in fact, "Phyllis", a soft-spoken woman who frequently disagrees with "Michael Scott" (Steve Carell), was created specifically for her.

Let's go back to the early 1970s for a moment. In 1972 Phyllis Smith got a degree in elementary education, and before pursuing her acting career she used to work as a dancer and cheerleader for football teams, as well as a burlesque performer.

Eventually, she had to quit all of that due to knee injuries, but right after she embarked on a new adventure in Hollywood. She started to get minor roles, and 1980 was the first time she appeared on screen in the film Caddyshack as an extra, though it could be said that her major breakthrough was in 2005 in The Office.

Where is The Office star Phyllis Smith today?

It was very sad when The Office concluded in 2013, but not for Phyllis Smith! Since then the actress has been working A LOT. In 2013 she appeared as "Mrs. Patty" in three episodes of the American sitcom Trophy Wife, one year later she had a brief appearance in ABC's The Middle as "Mrs. Huff," and from 2016 to 2019 she portrayed "Betty Broderick" in Netflix's mystery drama series The OA, in a total of 12 episodes.

Regarding film, Phyllis Smith voiced the character "Sadness" in Pixar's 2015 animated film Inside Out, which earned her one Annie Award for Voice Acting in a Feature Production, apart from the two Screen Actors Guild Awards that she got in 2006 and 2007, for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series for her performance in The Office. She has since appeared in the sequel, Inside Out 2, released in 2024.