Missi Pyle

Missi Pyle is an American actress and singer born on November 16, 1972, in Houston, Texas. She has built a career spanning film, television, stage, and music over several decades.

Pyle began her film work with a minor part in As Good as It Gets before earning wider recognition through her role in the 1999 science fiction comedy Galaxy Quest. That performance led to a series of supporting roles in films including Josie and the Pussycats (2001), Home Alone 4 (2002), Big Fish, Along Came Polly, Soul Plane, and Bringing Down the House (2003), the last of which earned her and co-star Queen Latifah a nomination for an MTV Movie Award for Best Fight. She served as the female lead in BachelorMan and appeared in Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (2004). Her role as a factory worker in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005) added to her profile in studio productions. Later film credits include Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay (2008), The Artist (2011), Gone Girl (2014), Captain Fantastic (2016), and Ma (2019).

On television, Pyle played Ms. Pasternak, Jake's elementary school teacher, on Two and a Half Men, a role she originated before it was recast in 2009 and then returned to in 2011 and again in the 2015 series finale. She has guest-starred on numerous series including Heroes, Frasier, Boston Legal, Mad About You, The Sarah Silverman Program, and 2 Broke Girls. Her recurring and regular television credits include The Mentalist (2010), Cleaners (2013–2014), Jennifer Falls (2014), Another Period (2015–2018), Bordertown (2016), The Soul Man (2016), Mom (2017), Impulse (2018–2019), and Dirty John (2020).

In 2008, Pyle made her Broadway debut in the play Boeing-Boeing, appearing alongside Christine Baranski, Mark Rylance, Greg Germann, Paige Davis, and Rebecca Gayheart. The production closed in January 2009. During the run, Pyle was scheduled to ring the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange on September 29, 2008, to promote the show, but withdrew moments before the close of trading to avoid being associated with ending a session in which the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 778 points, the largest single-session point loss recorded during the 2008 financial crisis. She remained on the exchange floor and watched an NYSE staff member complete the closing instead.

As a musician, Pyle is one half of Smith & Pyle, a country rock duo she formed with actress Shawnee Smith. The two met while filming an ABC comedy pilot called Traveling in Packs, and the idea for the band emerged during a conversation while stuck in traffic on the way to the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. Their debut album, It's OK to Be Happy, was recorded at Rancho De La Luna in Joshua Tree, California, produced by Chris Goss, and released digitally through iTunes and Amazon.com in July 2008. The album was issued on Urban Prairie Records, a label the two founded together. Smith & Pyle also released the singles One Night Stand and Rafael in 2010.

Pyle married wildlife naturalist Casey Anderson on September 12, 2008, in a country-western themed ceremony held in Montana. Anderson's pet grizzly bear, Brutus, served as best man. Bandmate Shawnee Smith and comedian Steve Agee were among the wedding guests. Pyle and Anderson appeared together in the October 22, 2010, episode of Dog Whisperer, seeking assistance from Cesar Millan for their dog. Pyle confirmed the end of their relationship in 2013. She has a daughter.