Early Life
Smith was born Martha Maria Yeardley Smith on July 3, 1964 in Paris, France. Her father, Joseph Smith, worked for United Press International in Paris and moved to Washington, D.C., United States in 1966, where he became The Washington Post's first official obituary editor. Her mother, Martha Mayor, was a paper conservator for the Freer and Sackler Galleries at the Smithsonian Institution. Smith's parents later divorced. Smith labeled her family "upper crust and reserved". As a child, Smith was often mocked because of her unusual voice. Smith has stated: "I've sounded pretty much the same way since I was six. Maybe a little deeper now." She made her acting debut in a sixth grade play.
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