Phyllis Smith is an American film and television actress who plays Phyllis Vance on The Office.
She was born in Lemay, MO, which is just outside of St. Louis. In the 1970s and 1980s, she worked as a dancer, a cheerleader for the old St. Louis football Cardinals, and a burlesque performer ("No stripping, but I did wear feathers," says Smith). She had to quit dancing after suffering a knee injury. Smith worked in Hollywood in casting, and occasionally as an actress, before landing a part on "The Office".