Richard Smart (actor)
Encyclopedia
Richard Palmer Kaleioku Smart (1913–1992) was a musical theatre
actor and singer who became owner of the largest private ranch in Hawaii
.
. By this time World War I
was starting, so they hurriedly traveled back to New York
, where the sister died.
His mother (born Annie Thelma Kahiluonapuaapiilani Parker) died shortly after this in San Francisco on November 14, 1914 from tuberculosis
. A year later, his father Henry Gaillard Smart (son of a Virginia
clergyman) died in November 1915, just after contesting the will.
He was raised by his part-Hawaiian maternal grandmother, born Elizabeth Jane Lanakila Dowsett, by then remarried to Frederick Knight in San Francisco, usually called "Aunt Tootsie".
Although he had many cousins, he became the sole owner of the Parker Ranch
on Hawaii Island
, founded by his 5th generation ancestor John Palmer Parker
(1790–1868). The ranch was managed by Alfred Wellington Carter
from 1899 to 1937, then A.W.'s son Hartwell Carter. Already one of the largest owned by a single person (the King Ranch
was owned by a corporation), the Carters expanded the operation further through the 20th century. The ranch had over 500000 acres (202,343 ha) of land and 30,000 head of Hereford cattle
.
Smart was sent to Los Gatos High School
and become interested in theater.
hired him for the Broadway theatre
production of Two for the Show
in 1940. and he performed in The Merry Widow
.
Smart married actress Patricia Havens-Monteagle from Burlingame, California
July 3, 1936 who lived in Beverly Hills, California
. Known as Pat Monteagle, she appeared un-credited in the 1936 movie The Great Ziegfeld
, but was more well known as a socialite.
The family moved to Honolulu later in 1940, but then lived in California after the Attack on Pearl Harbor
. About 40000 acres (16,187.4 ha) of the ranch were leased to the United States Marines for use as Camp Tarawa
. The second and fifth divisions trained there.
He was divorced in 1944.
After the war he appeared under the name Dick Smart. In 1946 and 1947 he starred in the Broadway production of Bloomer Girl
with Nanette Fabray
and All for Love in 1949.
Over nearly 30 years, Smart performed on Broadway and in cabarets in the U.S. and abroad. He headlined such clubs as the Coconut Grove in Los Angeles, the Monte Carlo in New York and Le Lido
in Paris. After A.W. Carter died in 1949, Smart took a more active role in the ranch.
for building the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel
on Kaunaoa Bay
of the Kohala Coast. It was land too dry for cattle, but popular with tourists. He opened a visitors center and museum, and developed entire new towns such as Waikoloa Village on his landholdings. His wealth was an estimated $400 million in 1990.
Starting in 1979 he built the 490-seat Kahilu theater (named after his mother's Hawaiian name) in the town of Waimea, on ranch land, where he performed in occasional productions.
His most recent performance was in a one-man musical entitled "Richard Smart Remembers". Smart died July 4, 1992 on Oahu of cancer after a short illness.
His estate was left in a trust to benefit North Hawaii Community Hospital, Hawaii Preparatory Academy
, Hawaii Community Foundation, and Parker School.
James Michener said:
Son Gilliard "Gil" Smart died in 1999, leaving daughter Willow Parker Smart.
Antony Parker Smart was born August 8, 1937. Antony died June 26, 2007 in Honolulu, leaving daughter Stefanie Lee Havens Smart and son Parker Damon Smart.
. She he reports told him "Smart was gay" at least while she knew him when he was living on the French Riviera
. There is no doubt Smart spent considerable amounts of time in France and beginning in 1950 he started making frequent trips to Europe spending most of his time singing and dancing at the Lido Club in Paris.
A Hawaii Island resident wrote "Smart who died in the last few years was gay. He was very progressive and did wonders for the Big Island helping the poor folks out some." On this same forum in reply another Hawaii resident in September 2009 wrote "I knew Richard Smart was gay."
Smart's sexuality was again a topic, albeit glossed over, in a new book that came out about him in October 201.
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
actor and singer who became owner of the largest private ranch in Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
.
Early life
Richard Palmer Kaleioku Smart was born May 21, 1913 in Honolulu. In 1914 the family traveled to Europe, where his mother gave birth to a sister Elizabeth Ella Smart in ParisParis
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. By this time World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
was starting, so they hurriedly traveled back to New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, where the sister died.
His mother (born Annie Thelma Kahiluonapuaapiilani Parker) died shortly after this in San Francisco on November 14, 1914 from tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
. A year later, his father Henry Gaillard Smart (son of a Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
clergyman) died in November 1915, just after contesting the will.
He was raised by his part-Hawaiian maternal grandmother, born Elizabeth Jane Lanakila Dowsett, by then remarried to Frederick Knight in San Francisco, usually called "Aunt Tootsie".
Although he had many cousins, he became the sole owner of the Parker Ranch
Parker Ranch
Parker Ranch is a working cattle ranch on the Island of Hawaii in the state of Hawaii, now run by a charitable trust.-History:The ranch was founded in 1847 and is one of the oldest ranches in the United States, pre-dating many mainland ranches in Texas and other southwestern states by more than 30...
on Hawaii Island
Hawaii (island)
The Island of Hawaii, also called the Big Island or Hawaii Island , is a volcanic island in the North Pacific Ocean...
, founded by his 5th generation ancestor John Palmer Parker
John Palmer Parker
John Palmer Parker was the founder of the Parker Ranch on the island of Hawaii in Hawaii.-Life:John Palmer Parker was born May 1, 1790 in Newton, Massachusetts. His father was Samuel Parker and mother was Ann Palmer Parker ....
(1790–1868). The ranch was managed by Alfred Wellington Carter
Alfred Wellington Carter
Alfred Wellington Carter was a lawyer and judge in the Republic of Hawaii and the Territory of Hawaii who managed the Parker Ranch.-Life:...
from 1899 to 1937, then A.W.'s son Hartwell Carter. Already one of the largest owned by a single person (the King Ranch
King Ranch
King Ranch, located in south Texas between Corpus Christi and Brownsville, is one of the world's largest ranches. The ranch, founded in 1853 by Captain Richard King and Gideon K. Lewis, includes portions of six Texas counties, including most of Kleberg County and much of Kenedy County, with...
was owned by a corporation), the Carters expanded the operation further through the 20th century. The ranch had over 500000 acres (202,343 ha) of land and 30,000 head of Hereford cattle
Hereford (cattle)
Hereford cattle are a beef cattle breed, widely used both in intemperate areas and temperate areas, mainly for meat production.Originally from Herefordshire, England, United Kingdom, more than five million pedigree Hereford Cattle now exist in over 50 countries...
.
Smart was sent to Los Gatos High School
Los Gatos High School
Los Gatos High School is a high school in Los Gatos, California, a small town near San Jose in the Silicon Valley. Los Gatos High School was founded in 1908 and is part of the Los Gatos-Saratoga Joint Union High School District...
and become interested in theater.
Show business
Smart became a nightclub singer and performed in plays and musicals from 1933–1939. Director Joshua LoganJoshua Logan
Joshua Lockwood Logan III was an American stage and film director and writer.-Early years:Logan was born in Texarkana, Texas, the son of Susan and Joshua Lockwood Logan. When he was three years old his father committed suicide...
hired him for the Broadway theatre
Broadway 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...
production of Two for the Show
Two for the Show (musical)
Two for the Show is a musical revue with sketches and lyrics by Nancy Hamilton and music by Morgan Lewis. The production was conceived by John Murray Anderson.-Production:...
in 1940. and he performed in The Merry Widow
The Merry Widow
The Merry Widow is an operetta by the Austro–Hungarian composer Franz Lehár. The librettists, Viktor Léon and Leo Stein, based the story – concerning a rich widow, and her countrymen's attempt to keep her money in the principality by finding her the right husband – on an 1861 comedy play,...
.
Smart married actress Patricia Havens-Monteagle from Burlingame, California
Burlingame, California
Burlingame is a city in San Mateo County, California. It is located on the San Francisco Peninsula and has a significant shoreline on San Francisco Bay. The city is named after diplomat Anson Burlingame. It is renowned for its many surviving examples of Victorian architecture, its affluence, and...
July 3, 1936 who lived in Beverly Hills, California
Beverly Hills, California
Beverly Hills is an affluent city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. With a population of 34,109 at the 2010 census, up from 33,784 as of the 2000 census, it is home to numerous Hollywood celebrities. Beverly Hills and the neighboring city of West Hollywood are together...
. Known as Pat Monteagle, she appeared un-credited in the 1936 movie The Great Ziegfeld
The Great Ziegfeld
The Great Ziegfeld is a 1936 musical film produced by MGM. A fictionalized biography of Florenz Ziegfeld from his show business beginnings to his death, it showcases a series of spectacular musical productions. The film includes original music by Walter Donaldson and Irving Berlin...
, but was more well known as a socialite.
The family moved to Honolulu later in 1940, but then lived in California after the Attack on Pearl Harbor
Attack on Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on the morning of December 7, 1941...
. About 40000 acres (16,187.4 ha) of the ranch were leased to the United States Marines for use as Camp Tarawa
Camp Tarawa
Camp Tarawa was a training camp located on the big island of Hawaii constructed and used by the 2nd Marine Division during World War II. The grounds of the camp were situated between the volcanic peaks of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa. Marines were sent straight from the bloodly Battle of Tarawa to the...
. The second and fifth divisions trained there.
He was divorced in 1944.
After the war he appeared under the name Dick Smart. In 1946 and 1947 he starred in the Broadway production of Bloomer Girl
Bloomer Girl
Bloomer Girl was a Broadway musical that premiered on October 4, 1944. Sig Herzig and Fred Saidy wrote the book, Harold Arlen the music, and E.Y. Harburg the lyrics. Agnes de Mille was the choreographer...
with Nanette Fabray
Nanette Fabray
Nanette Fabray is an American actress, comedienne, singer, dancer, and activist. She began her career performing in vaudeville as a child and then became a musical theatre actress during the 1940s and 1950s, winning a Tony Award in 1949 for her performance in Love Life...
and All for Love in 1949.
Over nearly 30 years, Smart performed on Broadway and in cabarets in the U.S. and abroad. He headlined such clubs as the Coconut Grove in Los Angeles, the Monte Carlo in New York and Le Lido
Le Lido
Le Lido is a cabaret and burlesque house on the Champs-Élysées in Paris, France, famous for its exotic shows, which rival those of Las Vegas and where Elvis Presley gave an impromptu concert...
in Paris. After A.W. Carter died in 1949, Smart took a more active role in the ranch.
Back to the ranch
As traditional cattle ranching began to lose money, Smart modernized and diversified the ranch's operation. In 1965 he leased land to Laurance RockefellerLaurance Rockefeller
Laurance Spelman Rockefeller was a venture capitalist, financier, philanthropist, a major conservationist and a prominent third-generation member of the Rockefeller family. He was the fourth child of John D. Rockefeller, Jr. and brother to John D...
for building the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel
Mauna Kea Beach Hotel
The Mauna Kea Beach Hotel is a hotel property on the Kohala Coast of the island of Hawaii. It sits at Kaunaoa Bay. The American Institute of Architects awarded the hotel an Honor Award in 1967 citing its "restrained detailing and fine spacial sequences." In 2007, the hotel received honors...
on Kaunaoa Bay
Kaunaoa Bay
Kaunaoa Bay has one of the few white sand beaches of the Kohala Coast, the western side of the island of Hawaii. A historic hotel is located on the bay, which has given it the name Mauna Kea Beach.-Description:...
of the Kohala Coast. It was land too dry for cattle, but popular with tourists. He opened a visitors center and museum, and developed entire new towns such as Waikoloa Village on his landholdings. His wealth was an estimated $400 million in 1990.
Starting in 1979 he built the 490-seat Kahilu theater (named after his mother's Hawaiian name) in the town of Waimea, on ranch land, where he performed in occasional productions.
His most recent performance was in a one-man musical entitled "Richard Smart Remembers". Smart died July 4, 1992 on Oahu of cancer after a short illness.
His estate was left in a trust to benefit North Hawaii Community Hospital, Hawaii Preparatory Academy
Hawaii Preparatory Academy
Hawaii Preparatory Academy is a coeducational, boarding, independent school in Kamuela, Hawaii teaching kindergarten through the twelfth grade. Founded in 1949 by The Right Reverend Harry S. Kennedy, Episcopal Bishop of Honolulu, the school came of age under the leadership of James Monroe Taylor...
, Hawaii Community Foundation, and Parker School.
James Michener said:
Richard Smart is clearly a talented man. But what really impresses me is how much he is respected by the local people–particularly the native Hawaiians who work for him.
Son Gilliard "Gil" Smart died in 1999, leaving daughter Willow Parker Smart.
Antony Parker Smart was born August 8, 1937. Antony died June 26, 2007 in Honolulu, leaving daughter Stefanie Lee Havens Smart and son Parker Damon Smart.
Sexuality
Despite having married and fathered two children, there is reason to believe Smart was homosexual or at least bisexual. His marriage ended in a divorce in 1944 and he never remarried despite continuing to live to 1992. Smart's cousin, George W. Parker III, wrote something relevant in his memoirs 2009. Parker wrote he learned his cousin was gay via a mutual acquaintance, who was once married to René Coty, of the Coty perfume familyCoty, Inc.
Coty, Inc. is the world's largest fragrance company, founded in 1904. It is also a beauty products manufacturer whose main businesses are fragrances , followed by color cosmetics , toiletries and skin care...
. She he reports told him "Smart was gay" at least while she knew him when he was living on the French Riviera
French Riviera
The Côte d'Azur, pronounced , often known in English as the French Riviera , is the Mediterranean coastline of the southeast corner of France, also including the sovereign state of Monaco...
. There is no doubt Smart spent considerable amounts of time in France and beginning in 1950 he started making frequent trips to Europe spending most of his time singing and dancing at the Lido Club in Paris.
A Hawaii Island resident wrote "Smart who died in the last few years was gay. He was very progressive and did wonders for the Big Island helping the poor folks out some." On this same forum in reply another Hawaii resident in September 2009 wrote "I knew Richard Smart was gay."
Smart's sexuality was again a topic, albeit glossed over, in a new book that came out about him in October 201.