The second youngest of six children, Smith was born in Chicago, Illinois, in 1956 and grew up there for several years before her family relocated to Florida; there she was raised by her mother and step father.
Initial stage fright almost ended her career before it began, and the rock bottom of the worst comedy clubs in the city was only a preface to the struggle she'd face in standup that decade: "It was hard enough for [the audience] to accept a woman stand-up," remarked Smith, to the Daily Herald in May 1999.
[7] Her performances into the early 1990s would be given a great deal more weight as she could at that time be billed as a nominee for Comedian of the Year from the American Comedy Awards.
[8] She has toured the comedy circuit doing live performances throughout the United States and appeared in Amsterdam, Australia, Ireland and the Queen's Theater in London.
Released August 2000, it carries a liner note endorsement from Jay Leno: "The best comedians are the ones that write and perform their own material, and Margaret Smith is at the top of that list".
Her television and film credits include roles in Martin Scorsese's Goodfellas, the remake of The Blob, and the Wachowskis' thriller Bound with Gina Gershon and Jennifer Tilly.
[10] Despite this, she always maintained that her comedy would not become mean-spirited, ensuring that she took a stance to never "gay-bash or woman-bash", in her own words, and would become confrontational with her opening acts if they crossed this line.