Francesca Marie Smith | |
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Smith in 2015 | |
Born | Lincoln, Nebraska, U.S. | March 26, 1985
Occupation | Actress |
Years active | 1991–2003 2017–2022 |
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" |
1994–1996 | Itsy Bitsy Spider | Leslie McGroarty (voice) | 26 episodes [3] |
1994 | Beethoven | Emily Newton (voice) | 13 episodes |
1995 | Daisy-Head Mayzie | Mayzie McGrew (voice) | Television special [4] |
Here Come the Munsters | Monique | Television film [5] | |
The Drew Carey Show | Monica | Episode: "Lewis's Sister" | |
1996 | Nick Freno: Licensed Teacher | Ursula | Episode: "Hot for Teacher" |
1996–1998 | The Secret World of Alex Mack | Jenny, Pipe Victims Sister | 3 episodes |
1996–2004 | Hey Arnold! | Helga Pataki (voice) | 86 episodes [4] |
1997 | Knots Landing: Back to the Cul-de-Sac | Meg MacKenzie | Miniseries |
Pepper Ann | Damiana (voice) | Episode: "Thanksgiving Dad" | |
1997–2001 | Recess | Ashley B., Swinger Girl, Upside-Down Girl (voice) | 14 episodes |
1998 | 101 Dalmatians: The Series | Amber (voice) | Episode: "Beauty Pageant Pandemonium" |
The New Batman Adventures | Annie (voice) | Episode: "Growing Pains" [4] [6] | |
1999 | Two of a Kind | Gabrielle | Episode: "Kevin Burke's Day Off" |
2000–2002 | 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" [4] |
2003 | Fillmore! | Penny Madrid (voice) | Episode: "Immune to All But Justice" [4] |
2017 | Hey Arnold!: The Jungle Movie | Helga Pataki (voice) | Television film [4] |
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 | Recess: School's Out | Ashley B., Swinger Girl, Upside-Down Girl (voice) | [4] [8] |
Recess Christmas: Miracle on Third Street | Ashley B. (voice) | Direct-to-video | |
2002 | Hey Arnold!: The Movie | Helga Pataki | Voice [4] [9] |
2003 | Recess: Taking the Fifth Grade | Ashley B., Swinger Girl, Upside Down Girl (voice) | Direct-to-video |
Recess: All Growed Down | Upside-Down Girl (voice) |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2000 | Nicktoons Racing | Helga Pataki | Archival recordings |
2021 | Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl | Voiceover added in the June 2022 update [4] | |
2022 | Nickelodeon Extreme Tennis | ||
Nickelodeon Kart Racers 3: Slime Speedway | [4] |
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, Smith 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] She obtained a Ph.D. from USC Annenberg in 2021. [15]
On March 27, 2019, Smith stated that she had been diagnosed with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis 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 a 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 recovery. [17] [18]