Biography
Yeardley Smith is an American actress best known for voicing Lisa Simpson (and, in earlier episodes, Maggie Simpson) on the animated series The Simpsons (1989–present).
Born Martha Maria Yeardley Smith on 3 July 1964 in Paris, France, she began acting after drama school in 1982. She moved to New York City in 1984 and appeared in the Broadway production of Tom Stoppard's The Real Thing. Her film debut came in 1985 with Heaven Help Us, followed by roles in The Legend of Billie Jean (1985) and Maximum Overdrive (1986). She relocated to Los Angeles in 1986.
In 1987 Smith was cast as Lisa Simpson for the shorts on The Tracey Ullman Show; the role continued when the series launched in 1989. She received a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance in 1992. Other credits include the sitcom Herman's Head (as Louise), recurring roles on Dharma & Greg and Dead Like Me, and film appearances in City Slickers (1991) and As Good as It Gets (1997).
