Missi Pyle is an actress who has appeared in films such as ‘Big Fish’ and ’50 First Dates,’ as well as television programs such as ‘Mad About You,’ ‘Friends,’ ‘Two and a Half Men,’ ‘My Name Is Earl,’ and ‘2 Broke Girls.’ She also enjoys singing and was previously a member of the country-rock band ‘Smith & Pyle.’ Missi Pyle is a versatile and accomplished actress who has been in a number of successful films and television series. She began her career at the end of the 1990s and went on to have a successful second decade. She has starred in a number of successful films and television shows as a supporting actress. She has also dabbled with theatre and the world of the internet. Pyle first tried her hand at singing while filming ABC’s comedy pilot ‘Travelling in Packs.’ Shawnee Smith was the first person she met at this period. She told Smith about her long-held ambition of joining a rock band. Smith offered her the chance almost immediately by forming the country-rock band Smith & Pyle in Los Angeles, California. Their self-released debut album, ‘It’s OK to Be Happy,’ was recorded on their own label. Despite the fact that Smith & Pyle is no longer active, they were instrumental in realizing Pyle’s aim of becoming a successful vocalist.
Childhood and Adolescence
Andrea Kay “Missi” Pyle was born on November 16, 1972, in Houston, Texas, to Linda and Frank Pyle. She was born and reared in the city of Memphis, Tennessee. She is the youngest of three siblings, with Debbie and Julie as her older sisters and Sam and Paul as her older brothers. Gordon is her half-brother, while Meredith is her half-sister.
Pyle went to Germantown High School in Germantown, Tennessee, before enrolling at Winston-North Salem’s Carolina School of the Arts. In 1995, she received her diploma from the same institution.
Career of Missi Pyle
Missi Pyle began her acting career in 1997 with a small role in the comedy film ‘As Good as it Gets.’ It provided Pyle the much-needed break she had been waiting for, starring Jack Nicholson and Helen Hunt.
After a long period of stagnation, her career took off again in 1999 when she was cast as Laliari in the science fiction picture ‘Galaxy Quest.’ In the same year, she appeared in guest roles on ‘Mad About You,’ ‘Friends,’ and ‘The Drew Carey Show.’
Pyle played her first ever negative character in ‘Home Alone 4’, following her blockbuster appearance in ‘Galaxy Quest.’ She had a supporting role in ‘Josie and the Pussycats’ soon after.
Missi Pyle had a supporting part in ‘Bringing Down the House’ in 2003. In the same year, she starred in ‘Big Fish,’ the first of many sequels to Tim Burton’s films. She appeared in several of Burton’s films over the next few years, including ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,’ ‘Just My Luck,’ and ‘Soccer Mom,’ in which she played a double part.
Pyle’s string of successful supporting roles continued with each film she appeared in. ‘Along Came Polly,’ ‘Soul Plane,’ ‘Stormbreaker,’ and ’50 First Dates’ are a few of her significant films from the early 2000s. She portrayed Fran Stalinovskovichdavidovitchsky in the film ‘Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story,’ as well as the female lead in ‘BachelorMan.’
With her film career on the rise, there was no stopping her from pursuing a television career as well. Pyle starred as Ms. Pasternak, Jake’s elementary school teacher, on the hit TV show ‘Two and a Half Men,’ which aired from 2004 to 2015. She also appeared in a number of other television shows at the same time, including ‘Boston Legal,’ ‘The Sarah Silverman Program,’ and ‘Heroes.’
She played Constance in the film ‘The Artist’ in 2011. She went on to star in films such as ‘My Uncle Rafael’ and ‘Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters.’ Her television career was also on the rise at the time, with appearances as a receptionist in four episodes of ‘The Life & Times of Tim,’ and two episodes each of ‘The Mentalist’ and ‘$h*! My Dad Says.’
Missi Pyle had a busy year in 2014, appearing in four films: “A Haunted House 2,” “Just Before I Go,” “Gone Girl,” and “Kiss Me.” Her television career also reached its pinnacle with appearances in ‘Inside Amy Schumer,’ ‘The Exes,’ ‘The Crazy Ones,’ ‘Jennifer Falls,’ and ‘Partners.’
‘Director’s Cut, Captain Fantastic, Slash, and Pandemic’ were among her back-to-back feature releases in 2016. She also appeared in episodes of ‘Bordertown,’ ‘The Soul Man,’ ‘Sing It!,’ ‘Lady Dynamite,’ ‘Major Crimes,’ ‘Mary + Jane,’ and ‘Notorious,’ among others.
Pyle is set to star in the 2017 film ‘Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle,’ in which she will play Coach Webb. She recently appeared in the television series ‘The Catch,’ in which she played Chloe Jackson.
Pyle is very active in the online media, in addition to television and films. Given the growing popularity of internet media, she starred as Sue in twelve episodes of the web series ‘Greetings from Home’ in 2012, and then as Eileen in the web series ‘Cleaners’ in 2013.
This accomplished actress has also considered a career in the theatre. She landed a role in the Broadway play ‘Boeing-Boeing’ opposite Christine Baranski, Mark Rylance, Greg Germann, Paige Davis, and Rebecca Gayheart in 2008 after a spell in ‘900 Oneonta’ in 1996. In 2012, she starred as Sister Joan in the film ‘Bare.’
While acting has always been Pyle’s forte, the multi-talented actress has also dabbled in singing, achieving her long-held dream of becoming a rock star. She formed the country music band ‘Smith & Pyle’ with Shawnee Smith under their record company Urban Prairie Records. In July 2008, the debut album, ‘It’s OK to Be Happy,’ was released digitally on iTunes and Amazon.com. They released the singles ‘One Night Stand’ and ‘Rafael’ two years later. The band was officially disbanded in 2011.
Major Projects of Missi Pyle
Missi Pyle, who is extremely brilliant and artistically gifted, rose to prominence early in her career with the award-winning film ‘Galaxy Quest’ in 1999. Pyle’s position as a significant actor was cemented by the success of the picture. As a result, she appeared in a number of successful films over the next decade, including ‘The Artist,’ ‘DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story,’ ‘Big Fish,’ ’50 First Dates,’ ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,’ ‘Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay,’ and ‘Gone Girl.’
Pyle’s television career flourished at the same time as her film career soared. ‘Mad About You,’ ‘Friends,’ ‘Heroes,’ ‘Two and a Half Men,’ ‘Frasier,’ ‘My Name Is Earl,’ ‘2 Broke Girls,’ ‘Grey’s Anatomy,’ and ‘Jennifer Falls’ were among the successful television programs in which she appeared.
Achievements & Awards
Missi Pyle was nominated for an MTV Movie Award for ‘Best Fight’ in 2004 with Queen Latifah for the film ‘Bringing Down the House.’
Pyle was ranked number 98 in Maxim’s 100 Sexiest Women during the height of her career.
Pyle was nominated for a Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Cast in a Motion Picture for ‘The Artist’ in 2011 and a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture for ‘Captain Fantastic’ in 2016.
Marriage and Love Relationships
Missi Pyle and Casey Anderson tied the knot on September 12, 2008 in Montana. He is a professional naturalist. However, in 2012, the two split ways. Pyle was married to Antonio Sacre from 2000 to 2005 before marrying Anderson.
Pyle and bandmate Shawnee Smith claimed to get married in a fake wedding in November 2009 to support the repeal of California’s Proposition 8. The ceremony was performed by actor Hal Sparks, who was dressed as a priest and used rainbow-colored hula hoops as wedding rings.
Estimated Net Worth
Missi Pyle has a net worth of $3 million as an actress and singer in the United States. Missi Pyle was born in November 1972 in Houston, Texas. Pyle has a long list of acting credits, totaling over 100. In 1996, she made her debut in the film The Cottonwood. In 2007, she had a recurring part in the TV series The Wedding Bells as Amanda Pontell.