Jean Smart has some serious acting chops.
Smart is ideally suited for her role as comedian Vance.
It’s a perfect combo of her acting skill and her childhood ambition.
Smart toldTown & Countrythat she had entertained thoughts of a career as a standup comedian.
and “Frasier,” according toEntertainment Weekly.
But all this success didn’t happen overnight.
Before she became famous, Smart had beenworking hardat her craft for years.
From the garage to the stage
Jean Smart has been an actor since childhood.
Her first performances were impromptu plays that she and her sister staged in the garage of their Seattle home.
From there, she continued her craft in high school and college productions (viaVariety).
Smart toldTodaythat her first job was serving meals at a hospital when she was 15.
As a high school senior, Smart toldNPRthat she was mentored by Earl Kelly, her drama teacher.
This experience inspired her to pursue an acting career.
At the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Smart performed “Much Ado About Nothing” and “Henry VI.”
Her Shakespearean roles continued as she played Lady Macbeth at Pittsburgh Public Theatre.
At age 28, Smart moved toNew Yorkto explore acting opportunities.
She played Lil in the 1980 off-Broadway production of “Last Summer at Bluefish Cove.”
A year later, Smart played iconic actor Marlene Dietrich in “Piaf” and made her Broadway debut.
According toIMDb, a TV movie version of “Piaf” paved the way for Smart’s future stardom.
The movie’s cast included TV mainstays like Patty Duke and Betty White.
Smart also made a guest appearance on “The Facts of Life.”
Smart did some regular appearances in a few short-lived TV series before “Designing Women.”
Her roles included an administrative assistant on “Teachers Only” and “Reggie.”
The success of “Designing Women” took Smart by surprise.
“It was the first one that actually had a hold,” she toldThe New Yorker.
“That was the scary thing about signing on to ‘Designing Women,’ as good as it was.
I thought, Yikes, I have to sign a five-year contract.”
After 120 episodes, Smart was ready to move on.
Bloodworth’s assessment of Smart continues to hold true.
Wait and see what role she dazzles us with next.
