Rex Smith
Encyclopedia
Rex Smith is an American
actor
and singer. Smith debuted in the Broadway play Grease
in 1978. He is noted for his role as Jesse Mach in the 1985 television series Street Hawk
, as well as being a singer and stage actor. During the late 1970s, Smith was popular as a teen idol
. Because of his good looks, he was featured regularly in 16 Magazine
and Tiger Beat
. He also had a gold
Top 10 single, "You Take My Breath Away," in 1979.
The demo disc included the following songs:
In 1979, he had a hit single from the television movie Sooner or Later, entitled "You Take My Breath Away", which reached #10 on the Billboard Hot 100
. It is on the platinum-selling album Sooner or Later, which is also named for the movie. The music for this song was written by Stephen J. Lawrence
and the lyrics were written by Bruce Hart
. For many years, it was a staple on the play lists of FM radio stations with a soft rock
or "lite" format.
In 1981, Smith would hit the top 40 again with a remake of "Everlasting Love
", in a duet with singer Rachel Sweet
. Peaking at #32, the song is Smith's last charting hit to date. The song also became Smith's only hit on the UK Singles Chart
, peaking at #35.
Rex Smith performed live at the 1982 Miss Universe beauty pageant main event night, held in Lima, Perú.
His last album was released in 2000 and entitled Simply...Rex. It was re-released in 2006 and re-titled You Take My Breath Away. Smith is currently working on an album to be released in late 2009.
, but he has also made guest appearances on a variety of television shows, such as The Love Boat
, Baywatch
, Caroline in the City
and JAG
. Smith has been a celebrity spokesperson for a number of corporate entities.
Also in 1982, Smith replaced Andy Gibb
as a host on the music variety show, Solid Gold
.
In 1989, Smith played Daredevil
a.k.a. Matt Murdock in the television movie, The Trial of the Incredible Hulk
. This was viewed as a potential pilot for an ongoing Daredevil television series.
From 1990 through 1992, Smith was a contract player on the CBS daytime drama, As the World Turns
, in the role of Darryl Crawford.
debut in the musical Grease
in the lead role of Danny Zuko.
Smith also starred as Frederic in the New York Shakespeare Festival
's Central Park
production of The Pirates of Penzance
. In 1981, Smith won the Theatre World Award
for his role in Pirates. For the 1983 film adaptation, Smith reprised the role of Frederic along with two other castmembers, Kevin Kline
as the Pirate King and Linda Ronstadt
as Mabel.
Smith has appeared in other Broadway and Off-Broadway productions, including The Scarlet Pimpernel
, Grand Hotel
, The Human Comedy
, and Annie Get Your Gun
. He played Joe Gillis opposite Diahann Carroll as Norma Desmond in the 1995 Canadian production of Sunset Boulevard
.
Smith also starred as Fred Graham/Petruchio in the 2001-2002 national tour of Kiss Me, Kate
.
Smith also has a son by Karen Lakey, a record-company representative with whom he had a weekend affair. The son, Brandon, was born in 1980. Father and son met for the first time in 1997, during Smith's appearance in the musical "Sunset Boulevard" when he was signing autographs.
Smith is the brother of Michael Lee Smith, who was the singer of '70s hard rock band Starz
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
and singer. Smith debuted in the Broadway play Grease
Grease (musical)
Grease is a 1971 musical by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey. The musical is named for the 1950s United States working-class youth subculture known as the greasers. The musical, set in 1959 at fictional Rydell High School , follows ten working-class teenagers as they navigate the complexities of love,...
in 1978. He is noted for his role as Jesse Mach in the 1985 television series Street Hawk
Street Hawk
Street Hawk is an American television series that aired for 13 episodes on ABC in 1985. The series was a Limekiln and Templar Production in association with Universal Television. Its central characters were created by Paul M. Belous and Robert "Bob" Wolterstorff, and its core format was developed...
, as well as being a singer and stage actor. During the late 1970s, Smith was popular as a teen idol
Teen idol
A teen idol is a celebrity who is widely idolized by teenagers; he or she is often young but not necessarily teenaged. Often teen idols are actors or pop singers, but some sports figures have an appeal to teenagers. Some teen idols began their careers as child actors...
. Because of his good looks, he was featured regularly in 16 Magazine
16 magazine
16 Magazine was a fan magazine based out of New York City. It was the first magazine marketed to adolescents that focused exclusively on celebrities...
and Tiger Beat
Tiger Beat
Tiger Beat is an American fan magazine marketed primarily to adolescent girls. It is currently published by Laufer Media, Inc. of Los Angeles, California, which also produces its sister publication, Bop....
. He also had a gold
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
Top 10 single, "You Take My Breath Away," in 1979.
Music
Around 1976, Rex Smith was in a band simply titled "REX." The music was hard rock and consisted of the following members:- Rex Smith - Vocals
- Mike Ratti - Drums, percussion
- Lou Vandora - Guitar, background vocals
- Orville Davis - Bass
- Lars Hanson - Guitar, background vocals
The demo disc included the following songs:
- "Trouble"
- "Ten Seconds of Love"
- "Feeling Better"
- "Call Her 'Easy'"
In 1979, he had a hit single from the television movie Sooner or Later, entitled "You Take My Breath Away", which reached #10 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
. It is on the platinum-selling album Sooner or Later, which is also named for the movie. The music for this song was written by Stephen J. Lawrence
Stephen J. Lawrence
Stephen J. Lawrence is an American composer, living and working in New York City.-Overview :Career overview to date : composed over 250 songs and scores for Sesame Street, resulting in three shared Emmy Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Music Direction and Composition; composed the title song...
and the lyrics were written by Bruce Hart
Bruce Hart (songwriter)
Bruce Hart was an American songwriter and screenwriter perhaps best known for composing the lyrics to the theme song to Sesame Street.-Biography:...
. For many years, it was a staple on the play lists of FM radio stations with a soft rock
Soft rock
Soft rock is a style of music which uses the techniques of rock music to compose a softer, more toned-down sound. Soft rock songs generally tend to focus on themes like love, everyday life and relationships. The genre tends to make heavy use of acoustic guitars, pianos, synthesizers and sometimes...
or "lite" format.
In 1981, Smith would hit the top 40 again with a remake of "Everlasting Love
Everlasting Love
"Everlasting Love" is a song written by Buzz Cason and Mac Gayden that has been a hit for various artists, including Robert Knight, Carl Carlton, Love Affair, and Gloria Estefan.- Overview :...
", in a duet with singer Rachel Sweet
Rachel Sweet
Rachel Sweet is an American singer, television writer and actress.-Biography:After beginning her singing career at the age of three, when she won an electric garage door opener in a singing contest, she began recording commercials at the age of six, toured with Mickey Rooney, and performed in Las...
. Peaking at #32, the song is Smith's last charting hit to date. The song also became Smith's only hit on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
, peaking at #35.
Rex Smith performed live at the 1982 Miss Universe beauty pageant main event night, held in Lima, Perú.
His last album was released in 2000 and entitled Simply...Rex. It was re-released in 2006 and re-titled You Take My Breath Away. Smith is currently working on an album to be released in late 2009.
Television
Smith is best known for his role as motorcycle police officer Jesse Mach in the short-running 1985 television series Street HawkStreet Hawk
Street Hawk is an American television series that aired for 13 episodes on ABC in 1985. The series was a Limekiln and Templar Production in association with Universal Television. Its central characters were created by Paul M. Belous and Robert "Bob" Wolterstorff, and its core format was developed...
, but he has also made guest appearances on a variety of television shows, such as The Love Boat
The Love Boat
The Love Boat is an American television series set on a cruise ship, which aired on the ABC Television Network from September 24,1977, until May 24,1986.The show starred Gavin MacLeod as the ship's captain...
, Baywatch
Baywatch
Baywatch is an American action drama series about the Los Angeles County Lifeguards who patrol the beaches of Los Angeles County, California, starring David Hasselhoff. The show ran in its original title and format from 1989 to 1999, sans the 1990-1991 season, of which it was not in production...
, Caroline in the City
Caroline in the City
Caroline in the City is an American situation comedy that ran from September 21, 1995 to April 26, 1999 on the NBC television network. It starred Lea Thompson as cartoonist Caroline Duffy. The series premiered in the two-hour Thursday night block led by Friends.-Premise:Caroline Duffy is a...
and JAG
JAG (TV series)
JAG is an American adventure/legal drama television show that was produced by Belisarius Productions, in association with Paramount Network Television and, for the first season only, NBC Productions...
. Smith has been a celebrity spokesperson for a number of corporate entities.
Also in 1982, Smith replaced Andy Gibb
Andy Gibb
Andy Gibb was an English singer and teen idol, and the youngest brother of the family whose other male siblings formed the Bee Gees: Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb.-The early years:...
as a host on the music variety show, Solid Gold
Solid Gold (TV series)
Solid Gold is an American syndicated music television series that debuted on September 13, 1980. Like many other shows of its genre, such as American Bandstand, Solid Gold featured musical performances and various other elements such as music videos...
.
In 1989, Smith played Daredevil
Daredevil (Marvel Comics)
Daredevil is a fictional character, a superhero in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Bill Everett, with an unspecified amount of input from Jack Kirby, and first appeared in Daredevil #1 .Living in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood...
a.k.a. Matt Murdock in the television movie, The Trial of the Incredible Hulk
The Trial of the Incredible Hulk
The Trial of the Incredible Hulk is a 1989 TV movie sequel to the 1970s Incredible Hulk television series, featuring both the Hulk and fellow Marvel Comics character Daredevil, who team up to defeat Wilson Fisk, the Kingpin...
. This was viewed as a potential pilot for an ongoing Daredevil television series.
From 1990 through 1992, Smith was a contract player on the CBS daytime drama, As the World Turns
As the World Turns
As the World Turns is an American television soap opera that aired on CBS from April 2, 1956 to September 17, 2010. Irna Phillips created As the World Turns as a sister show to her other soap opera Guiding Light...
, in the role of Darryl Crawford.
Stage
In 1978, he made his BroadwayBroadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
debut in the musical Grease
Grease (musical)
Grease is a 1971 musical by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey. The musical is named for the 1950s United States working-class youth subculture known as the greasers. The musical, set in 1959 at fictional Rydell High School , follows ten working-class teenagers as they navigate the complexities of love,...
in the lead role of Danny Zuko.
Smith also starred as Frederic in the New York Shakespeare Festival
New York Shakespeare Festival
New York Shakespeare Festival is the previous name of the New York City theatrical producing organization now known as the Public Theater. The Festival produced shows at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park, as part of its free Shakespeare in the Park series, at the Public Theatre near Astor Place...
's Central Park
Central Park
Central Park is a public park in the center of Manhattan in New York City, United States. The park initially opened in 1857, on of city-owned land. In 1858, Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux won a design competition to improve and expand the park with a plan they entitled the Greensward Plan...
production of The Pirates of Penzance
The Pirates of Penzance
The Pirates of Penzance; or, The Slave of Duty is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. The opera's official premiere was at the Fifth Avenue Theatre in New York City on 31 December 1879, where the show was well received by both audiences...
. In 1981, Smith won the Theatre World Award
Theatre World Award
The Theatre World Award, first awarded for the 1945-46 season, is an American honor presented annually to actors and actresses in recognition of an outstanding New York City stage debut performance, either on Broadway or off-Broadway.-History:...
for his role in Pirates. For the 1983 film adaptation, Smith reprised the role of Frederic along with two other castmembers, Kevin Kline
Kevin Kline
Kevin Delaney Kline is an American theatre, voice, film actor and comedian. He has won an Academy Award and two Tony Awards, and has been nominated for five Golden Globe Awards, two BAFTA Awards and an Emmy Award.- Early life :...
as the Pirate King and Linda Ronstadt
Linda Ronstadt
Linda Ronstadt is an American popular music recording artist. She has earned eleven Grammy Awards, two Academy of Country Music awards, an Emmy Award, an ALMA Award, numerous United States and internationally certified gold, platinum and multiplatinum albums, in addition to Tony Award and Golden...
as Mabel.
Smith has appeared in other Broadway and Off-Broadway productions, including The Scarlet Pimpernel
The Scarlet Pimpernel (musical)
The Scarlet Pimpernel is a musical with music by Frank Wildhorn and lyrics and book by Nan Knighton, based on the novel of the same name by Baroness Orczy. The show is set in England and France during the Reign of Terror of the French Revolution...
, Grand Hotel
Grand Hotel (musical)
Grand Hotel is a musical with a book by Luther Davis and music and lyrics by Robert Wright and George Forrest, with additional lyrics and music by Maury Yeston....
, The Human Comedy
The Human Comedy (musical)
The Human Comedy is a musical with a book and lyrics by William Dumaresq and music by Galt MacDermot.William Saroyan's tale originated as a screenplay he had been hired to write and direct for MGM...
, and Annie Get Your Gun
Annie Get Your Gun (musical)
Annie Get Your Gun is a musical with lyrics and music written by Irving Berlin and a book by Herbert Fields and his sister Dorothy Fields. The story is a fictionalized version of the life of Annie Oakley , who was a sharpshooter from Ohio, and her husband, Frank Butler.The 1946 Broadway production...
. He played Joe Gillis opposite Diahann Carroll as Norma Desmond in the 1995 Canadian production of Sunset Boulevard
Sunset Boulevard
Sunset Boulevard is a street in the western part of Los Angeles County, California, that stretches from Figueroa Street in downtown Los Angeles to the Pacific Coast Highway at the Pacific Ocean in the Pacific Palisades...
.
Smith also starred as Fred Graham/Petruchio in the 2001-2002 national tour of Kiss Me, Kate
Kiss Me, Kate
Kiss Me, Kate is a musical with music and lyrics by Cole Porter. It is structured as a play within a play, where the interior play is a musical version of William Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew. The original production starred Alfred Drake, Patricia Morison, Lisa Kirk and Harold Lang.Kiss...
.
Personal life
Smith has been married three times:- Jamie Buell, married 28 February 1987 and divorced 1995. The couple had two daughters, Meagan Elizabeth (born 1987) and Madison Marie (born 1990).
- Courtney Schrag, a corrections officer, married 1998 and unknown divorce date. She later became her husband's manager. The couple have a son, Gatsby Richard (born 1999), and a daughter, Savannah.
- Dr. Tracy Lin, a doctor in Orange County, CA, whom he married on 9/28/2009.
Smith also has a son by Karen Lakey, a record-company representative with whom he had a weekend affair. The son, Brandon, was born in 1980. Father and son met for the first time in 1997, during Smith's appearance in the musical "Sunset Boulevard" when he was signing autographs.
Smith is the brother of Michael Lee Smith, who was the singer of '70s hard rock band Starz
Starz (band)
Starz was a 1970s heavy metal and power pop band from New Jersey, United States. Despite a lack of big commercial success, the band has a lasting cult following and has been cited as a major influence by bands such as Mötley Crüe, Poison and Twisted Sister....
.
Filmography
- Pope Dreams .... Don
- Richie Rich's Christmas WishRichie Rich's Christmas WishRichie Rich'$ Christmas Wish is a 1998 direct-to-video sequel to the 1994 film Ri¢hie Ri¢h, released by Warner Bros. Family Entertainment, Harvey Home Entertainment and Saban Entertainment and starring David Gallagher as the titular character.-Plot:It is Christmas Eve and Richie Rich, the world's...
.... Rudy - Passion To Kill .... Ted
- The Trial of the Incredible HulkThe Trial of the Incredible HulkThe Trial of the Incredible Hulk is a 1989 TV movie sequel to the 1970s Incredible Hulk television series, featuring both the Hulk and fellow Marvel Comics character Daredevil, who team up to defeat Wilson Fisk, the Kingpin...
.... Matt Murdock/Daredevil - Ballerina And The Blues .... Lead
- The Pirates of PenzanceThe Pirates of PenzanceThe Pirates of Penzance; or, The Slave of Duty is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. The opera's official premiere was at the Fifth Avenue Theatre in New York City on 31 December 1879, where the show was well received by both audiences...
.... Frederick - Heading For Broadway .... Fast Eddie
- Sooner or LaterSooner or LaterSooner or Later is the first album from British music group BBMak released through Telstar Records. It was released in the UK in May 2000 and re-released the following year...
....Michael Skye - Street Hawk: The Movie (1984) .... Jesse Mach
- Once in a lifetime/Lindsay Wagner....1994 Jeffrey Fields...(Aad Schaaij The Netherlands)
Albums
- 1976: Rex (Columbia)
- 1977: Where Do We Go from Here (Columbia)
- 1979: Sooner or LaterSooner or Later (Rex Smith album)Sooner or Later is an album by Rex Smith, released on the Columbia label in 1979. The first four songs were featured in a 1979 NBC TV movie of the same title.-Track listing:All tracks composed by Stephen Lawrence and Bruce Hart; except where indicated...
(Columbia) - 1980: Forever, Rex (Columbia)
- 1981: Pirates of Penzance (Original Soundtrack) (Elektra)
- 1982: Everlasting Love (Columbia)
- 1983: Camouflage (Columbia)
- 1997: Sunset Boulevard (Original Canadian Cast recording)
- 1997: Human Comedy (Original Broadway Cast)
- 1999: The Scarlet Pimpernel: Encore! (1998 Broadway Revival Cast)
- 2000: Simply…Rex (re-titled You Take My Breath Away, 2006)