Francesca Marie Smith | |
Birth Date: | 26 March 1985 |
Birth Place: | Lincoln, Nebraska, U.S. |
Occupation: | Actress |
Years Active: | 1991–present |
Known For: | Hey Arnold! Recess |
Francesca Marie Smith (born March 26, 1985)[1] [2] is an American actress known for voicing Helga Pataki on the Nickelodeon animated television series Hey Arnold!. She is also known for voicing multiple characters on Disney's Recess, most notably as Ashley B. and Swinger Girl, among others.
Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1991 | Parker Lewis Can't Lose | Elaine Leffler | Episode: "Boy Meets Girl" | |
1992 | In Sickness and in Health | Kid #1 | Television film | |
1994 | Blossom | Lizzy Martin | Episode: "Dirty Rotten Scoundrel" | |
1994–96 | Itsy Bitsy Spider | Leslie McGroarty[3] | Voice, 26 episodes | |
1994 | Beethoven | Emily Newton | Voice, 13 episodes | |
1995 | Daisy-Head Mayzie | Mayzie McGrew | Voice, television special | |
Here Come the Munsters | Monique[4] | Television film | ||
The Drew Carey Show | Monica | Episode: "Lewis's Sister" | ||
1996 | Ursula | Episode: "Hot for Teacher" | ||
1996–98 | The Secret World of Alex Mack | Jenny, Pipe Victims Sister | Episodes: "Local Hero", "Twelve and a Half", "Paradise Lost" | |
1996–2004 | Hey Arnold! | Helga Pataki, Sheena, Gloria, Camp Fire Lass, additional voices | Voice, 86 episodes[5] | |
1997 | Meg MacKenzie | Miniseries | ||
Pepper Ann | Damiana | Voice, episode: "Thanksgiving Dad" | ||
1997–2001 | Ashley B., Swinger Girl, Upside-Down Girl | Voice, 14 episodes | ||
1998 | Amber | Voice, episode: "Beauty Pageant Pandemonium/Hog-Tied" | ||
The New Batman Adventures | Annie | Voice, episode: "Growing Pains"[6] | ||
1999 | Two of a Kind | Gabrielle | Episode: "Kevin Burke's Day Off" | |
2000–02 | The Amanda Show | Various | 3 episodes | |
2001 | Lloyd in Space | Additional voices | Episode: "Caution: Wormhole!" | |
2002 | The Zeta Project | Transita | Voice, episode: "Ro's Gift" | |
2003 | Fillmore! | Penny Madrid | Voice, episode: "Immune to All But Justice" | |
2017 | Helga Pataki | Voice, television film | ||
2018 | Subway Surfers: The Series | N/A | Writer[7] |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1998 | A Bug's Life | Additional voices | |
The Prince of Egypt | |||
2001 | Ashley B., Swinger Girl, Upside-Down Girl[8] | Voice | |
Ashley B. | Voice, direct-to-video | ||
2002 | Helga Pataki[9] | Voice | |
2003 | Ashley B., Swinger Girl, Upside Down Girl | Voice, Direct-to-video | |
Upside-Down Girl |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2000 | Nicktoons Racing | Helga Pataki | Archive recordings |
2021 | Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl | Voiceover added in the June 2022 update | |
2022 | Nickelodeon Extreme Tennis | ||
In 1998, Smith won the award for Best Performance in a Voice-Over – TV or Film: Young Actress at the 19th Youth in Film Awards for her role on Hey Arnold![10] She was nominated for Best Youth Actress in a Voice-Over Role: TV or Movie at the 15th Youth in Film Awards for Itsy Bitsy Spider and for Best Performance in a TV Drama Series: Guest Starring Young Actress at the 18th Youth in Film Awards for her role on The Secret World of Alex Mack.[11] [12] In 2001, she was nominated for Best Performance in a Voice-Over: TV/Film/Video – Young Actress at the 22nd Young Artist Awards for her role on Hey Arnold![13]
Smith studied at Pepperdine University, graduating in 2008,[14] and obtained a Ph.D.from USC Annenberg in 2021.[15]
On March 27, 2019, Smith stated that she had diagnosed with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis disease via Twitter (now X).[16] On April 12, 2024, Smith was admitted to the Keck Hospital as a result of a major relapse effect of MS (similar to stroke) and stated that she was unable to walk, speak and even unable to eat solid foods for three weeks, while also having trouble breathing. Thus, she set up a fundraiser called *FrancescaAndHerMSJourney to help her health become normal again.[17] Her current condition was also confirmed by Hey Arnold! series creator Craig Bartlett on a post he published on his Instagram account in May 2024.[18]