Yeardley Smith’s 5 Best Movies & Tv Shows (According To IMDb)

Yeardley Smith will always be known for being the voice of Lisa Simpson. This is partly because of how incredibly famous the yellow family is. But it’s also due to the wonderful job Smith has done to make Lisa an iconic character.

However, in a career spanning 35+ years, she’s done more than just voice an animated child. She has also appeared in plenty of great TV shows and movies across multiple genres.

In this list, we use IMDb to determine the best work she’s been a part of during her career. For those who only know her as Lisa, you might be surprised by some of the entries on this list.

10 Movie: Three O’ Clock High – 7.2

A young Yeardly Smith played a small role as a cheerleader in this teen comedy. The film was about a high school student avoiding a fight with the tough new kid. It wasn’t as well-received as many of the John Hughes movies that dominated the teen film genre at the time. However, its decent IMDb rating illustrates that it still had its fair share of fans.

Smith had minimal dialogue during the film, which is unsurprising as it was still very early in her career at this point. The Simpsons didn’t take off until a few years after this film was released.

9 TV Show: The Big Bang Theory – 8.1

The Big Bang Theory was one of the biggest sitcoms in the world during its twelve season run. Over those seasons, viewers followed the lives of a group of scientists and their friend Penny. While the show had its critics, it still managed to earn many awards as well as a good IMDb score.

Yeardley Smith appeared in the season three episode titled, “The Einstein Approximation.” She played a job center clerk named Sandy, who attempted to help Sheldon find what he regarded as a “menial job.” It wasn’t a huge role, but she still delivered several funny lines in her short screen time.

8 Movie: Waiting For Ophelia – 7.2

Yeardley Smith starred in this little known comedy alongside Director Adam Carl. Most of the film took place during a dinner party that Smith’s character Caitlyn and her boyfriend Jonah (played by Adam Carl) hosted with their friends and family. While waiting for the final guest, Ophelia, to arrive, the guests spent time discussing their lives and relationships.

The film might not be well-known, but its solid IMDb rating shows that most of the people who did catch it were impressed. Plus, being one of the few movies with Yeardley Smith as the lead shows its importance in her career.

7 TV Show: Dead Like Me – 8.1

Dead Like Me was a series about a group of grim reapers whose job was to remove people’s souls just before they died. The show’s clever mix of dark humor and emotional moments garnered a good response from viewers. However, it only lasted two seasons before cancellation, with a follow-up movie being released years later.

During the second season, the character Penny was introduced, and she was portrayed by Yeardley Smith. Penny was a reaper who removed the souls of people who were about to die of natural causes.

6 Movie: The Simpsons Movie – 7.3

It’s shocking how many years the Simpsons family were around before they appeared on the silver screen. Nevertheless, when it was released, The Simpsons Movie had the same level of wit as the TV series.

As with all the cast, Yeardley Smith reprised her role from the show. Her character Lisa might not have played as big of a part in the main plot as Homer, yet she was still one of the main characters. Plus, she had her own romantic subplot with a young boy named Colin. Smith did a typically excellent job of voicing the young Simpson throughout the film.

5 TV Show: Sports Night – 8.2

4 Movie: Big Bird’s Birthday Or Let Me Eat Cake – 7.7

Yeardley Smith hasn’t just portrayed Lisa Simpson in The SimpsonsMovie and TV Series. She also reprised the role in a cameo during one of Sesame Street’s musical numbers. During Grover’s Monster in the Mirror song, the Simpsons family appeared and joined in.

The moment was a part of the Big Bird’s Birthday Or Let Me Eat Cake TV movie, which is why it was eligible for this list. It was cool to see two big franchises come together like that. Plus, a bunch of other celebrities were also involved in the song, which made it even better.

3 TV Show: Mad Men – 8.6

One of the most beloved period dramas in recent history, Mad Men, followed the life of the confident Don Draper while he made his way to the top of the advertising world. Smart writing, great acting, and a distinct style, Mad Men had it all, which is illustrated by its fantastic IMDb rating.

Yeardley Smith made a cameo appearance during the show’s third season. The actress played a nurse who worked at the hospital where Betty gave birth to Gene. She occasionally went into the waiting room and updated Dennis Hobart (a man Don Draper was talking to) on the status of his baby.

2 Movie: As Good As It Gets – 7.7

As the film was an Oscar nominee, it’s not surprising that As Good As It Gets is Yeardley Smith’s highest-rated movie on IMDb. The film’s plot involved an antisocial author whose interactions with a cute dog, an artist, and a single mother made him start to change his ways. Jack Nicholson and Helen Hunt’s amazing performances as the leads earned them both Oscars.

Smith played a supporting character named Jackie, who worked closely with the artist (Greg Kinnear). While her performance couldn’t match the Oscar winners, she still did a good job in the role.

1 TV Show: The Simpsons – 8.7

Not only is The Simpsons the most famous show Yeardley Smith has been a part of, but it’s also the best according to IMDb voters. The dysfunctional family has been around since the late ’80s when The Simpsons was a series of shorts on The Tracey Ullman Show. When it was turned into a standalone series, The Simpsons quickly became a pop culture icon. Impressively, the show is still around today, 30+ years after it debuted.

Throughout all those years, Yeardley Smith has been the voice of Lisa Simpson (as well as various other smaller characters). The wonderful job the actress has done voicing the intellectual Simpson will be remembered forever.

About The Author

Ben Jessey
(88 Articles Published)

Ben Jessey spends all his time playing video games, watching TV, watching movies, watching football aka soccer (which I guess counts as watching TV) or writing about those things. He has a degree in Film and Television studies and is now a freelance writer.

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