Smith was born on July 3, 1964, in Paris, France. Her father, Joseph Smith, worked for United Press International in Paris and moved to Washington, D.C., in 1966, where he became The Washington Post's first official obit… See more

Smith became a professional actress in 1982. After appearances in a number of school plays, she joined the local Arena Stage theater group on an apprenticeship, featuring in their production of Peter Pan. She went o… See more

Smith is a lifelong Democrat.
In 2018, Smith mocked Republican Ted Cruz after he labeled the Democratic Party "the party of Lisa Simpson". Smith recommended that people of differing political vie… See more