John Smith (actor)
Encyclopedia
John Smith was an American
actor remembered in particular for two NBC western
television series.
In the early 1940s, he joined Robert Mitchell
Boys Choir and appeared in several films, including Going My Way
.
By 1950 he had been working as a messenger for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
and in 1952, the studio cast him as James Stewart
's brother in Carbine Williams
, although he was uncredited.
Later he appeared as Milo Buck in the Academy Award-winning film, The High and the Mighty
, which starred and was produced by John Wayne
. Couple of years later he made a small role in Friendly Persuasion
, starring Gary Cooper
in 1956. One year before, Smith guest starred in the role of Sontag in the syndicated
series Stories of the Century
, the first western series to win an Emmy Award
.
He played blacksmith/deputy sheriff Lane Temple in Cimarron City
in 1958 and 1959. The episodes rotated from star George Montgomery as town mayor Matt Rockford to Audrey Totter
as Beth Purcell, and Smith as Lane Temple.
He played a pilot in the movie Island of Lost Women
in 1959, and starred as Slim Sherman in Laramie
(1959–1963) with Robert Fuller
, Hoagy Carmichael
, and Spring Byington
. After Laramie, he guest-starred in 1966 in the short-lived comedy/western series The Rounders
.
John Smith's last film role was as Mr. Ames in the Disney 1972 feature Justin Morgan Had a Horse
, and his last television appearance came in 1975, when he portrayed a doctor on ABC
's medical-drama Marcus Welby, M.D.
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actor remembered in particular for two NBC western
Western (genre)
The Western is a genre of various visual arts, such as film, television, radio, literature, painting and others. Westerns are devoted to telling stories set primarily in the latter half of the 19th century in the American Old West, hence the name. Some Westerns are set as early as the Battle of...
television series.
Early life and career
He was born Robert Errol Van Orden, in Los Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
In the early 1940s, he joined Robert Mitchell
Robert Mitchell (organist)
Robert Mitchell was an American organist and choir director whose career spanned 85 years, from 1924 to 2009. He was one of the last original silent film accompanists, having accompanied films from 1924 to 1928. Mitchell revived the art from 1992 until his death in 2009, usually to wild...
Boys Choir and appeared in several films, including Going My Way
Going My Way
Going My Way is a 1944 film directed by Leo McCarey. It is a light-hearted musical comedy-drama about a new young priest taking over a parish from an established old veteran . Crosby sings five songs in the film. It was followed the next year by a sequel, The Bells of St. Mary's. This picture was...
.
By 1950 he had been working as a messenger for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. is an American media company, involved primarily in the production and distribution of films and television programs. MGM was founded in 1924 when the entertainment entrepreneur Marcus Loew gained control of Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures Corporation and Louis B. Mayer...
and in 1952, the studio cast him as James Stewart
James Stewart (actor)
James Maitland Stewart was an American film and stage actor, known for his distinctive voice and his everyman persona. Over the course of his career, he starred in many films widely considered classics and was nominated for five Academy Awards, winning one in competition and receiving one Lifetime...
's brother in Carbine Williams
Carbine Williams
Carbine Williams is a 1952 American drama film directed by Richard Thorpe and starring James Stewart. The film follows the life of its namesake, David Marshall Williams, who invented the operating principle for the M1 Carbine while in a North Carolina prison...
, although he was uncredited.
Later he appeared as Milo Buck in the Academy Award-winning film, The High and the Mighty
The High and the Mighty (film)
The High and the Mighty is a 1954 American "disaster" film directed by William A. Wellman and written by Ernest K. Gann who also wrote the novel on which his screenplay was based. The film's cast was headlined by John Wayne, who was also the project's co-producer...
, which starred and was produced by John Wayne
John Wayne
Marion Mitchell Morrison , better known by his stage name John Wayne, was an American film actor, director and producer. He epitomized rugged masculinity and became an enduring American icon. He is famous for his distinctive calm voice, walk, and height...
. Couple of years later he made a small role in Friendly Persuasion
Friendly Persuasion (film)
Friendly Persuasion is a 1956 Civil War film starring Gary Cooper, Dorothy McGuire, Anthony Perkins, Richard Eyer, Robert Middleton and Phyllis Love. The screenplay was adapted by Michael Wilson from the 1945 novel The Friendly Persuasion by Jessamyn West, and was directed by William Wyler...
, starring Gary Cooper
Gary Cooper
Frank James Cooper, known professionally as Gary Cooper, was an American film actor. He was renowned for his quiet, understated acting style and his stoic, but at times intense screen persona, which was particularly well suited to the many Westerns he made...
in 1956. One year before, Smith guest starred in the role of Sontag in the syndicated
Television syndication
In broadcasting, syndication is the sale of the right to broadcast radio shows and television shows by multiple radio stations and television stations, without going through a broadcast network, though the process of syndication may conjure up structures like those of a network itself, by its very...
series Stories of the Century
Stories of the Century
Stories of the Century is a Western television series that ran in syndication through Republic Pictures between January 23, 1954, and March 11, 1955.-Synopsis:...
, the first western series to win an Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
.
He played blacksmith/deputy sheriff Lane Temple in Cimarron City
Cimarron City (TV series)
Cimarron City is an American Western television series starring George Montgomery and John Smith that aired on NBC from October 11, 1958 until April 4, 1959...
in 1958 and 1959. The episodes rotated from star George Montgomery as town mayor Matt Rockford to Audrey Totter
Audrey Totter
Audrey Mary Totter is an American actress and former Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer contract star of Austrian-Slovene and Swedish descent...
as Beth Purcell, and Smith as Lane Temple.
He played a pilot in the movie Island of Lost Women
Island of Lost Women
Island of Lost Women is a 71-minute, black-and-white movie, directed by Frank Tuttle, which was released by Warner Brothers in 1959.Its plot borrows from the 1956 science fiction classic Forbidden Planet which, in turn, lifted much of its plot from Shakespeare's The Tempest. Jeff Richards plays...
in 1959, and starred as Slim Sherman in Laramie
Laramie (TV series)
Laramie is an American Western television series that aired on NBC from 1959 to 1963. Laramie was a Revue Studios production which originally starred John Smith as Slim Sherman, Robert Fuller as Jess Harper, Hoagy Carmichael as Jonesy and Robert Crawford, Jr...
(1959–1963) with Robert Fuller
Robert Fuller (actor)
Robert Fuller is an American former television Western actor and current rancher. In his five decades of television, he's best known for starring roles on the popular 1960s western series Laramie as Jess Harper, and Wagon Train as Cooper Smith, as well as his work for his lead role, Dr...
, Hoagy Carmichael
Hoagy Carmichael
Howard Hoagland "Hoagy" Carmichael was an American composer, pianist, singer, actor, and bandleader. He is best known for writing "Stardust", "Georgia On My Mind", "The Nearness of You", and "Heart and Soul", four of the most-recorded American songs of all time.Alec Wilder, in his study of the...
, and Spring Byington
Spring Byington
Spring Byington was an American actress. Her career included a seven-year run on radio and television as the star of December Bride. She was a key MGM contract player appearing in films from the 1930s through the 1960s.-Early life:Byington was born Spring Dell Byington in Colorado Springs,...
. After Laramie, he guest-starred in 1966 in the short-lived comedy/western series The Rounders
The Rounders (TV series)
The Rounders is a 17-episode western-style situation comedy about two cowboys on the fictitious J.L. Ranch in Texas, starring Ron Hayes , as Ben Jones and Patrick Wayne , a son of John Wayne, as Howdy Lewis. The M-G-M television series aired on ABC from September 6, 1966, to January 3, 1967...
.
John Smith's last film role was as Mr. Ames in the Disney 1972 feature Justin Morgan Had a Horse
Justin Morgan Had a Horse
Justin Morgan Had a Horse is a children's historical novel by Marguerite Henry. It concerns horse-breeding in Vermont in the late eighteenth century. The novel, illustrated by Wesley Dennis, was first published in 1945 and was a Newbery Honor recipient in 1946.-Plot summary:The schoolmaster, Justin...
, and his last television appearance came in 1975, when he portrayed a doctor on ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
's medical-drama Marcus Welby, M.D.
Marcus Welby, M.D.
Marcus Welby, M.D. is an American medical drama television program that aired on ABC from September 23, 1969, to July 29, 1976. It starred Robert Young as a family practitioner with a kind bedside manner, and was produced by David Victor and David J. O'Connell...
.