Roger Smith (actor)
Encyclopedia
Roger LaVerne Smith is an American television and film actor and screenwriter
. He starred in the television detective series 77 Sunset Strip
. He is married to the actress Ann-Margret
.
, the son of Dallas and Leone Smith. When he was six, his parents enrolled him into a stage school; there he took singing, dancing and elocution lessons. He was educated at the University of Arizona
at Tucson
on a football scholarship
. He won several amateur talent prizes as a singer and guitarist.
. After a chance meeting with the actor
James Cagney
, he was encouraged to try a career in Hollywood. (Cagney had also encouraged other young actors, including Don Dubbins
, for whom he found roles in two 1956 films.) He would later play Cagney's son in Man of a Thousand Faces
.
Smith signed with Columbia Pictures
in 1957 and made several films, then moved to Warner Bros.
in 1959.
His greatest film exposure came with playing the adult nephew Patrick Dennis
in Auntie Mame
, with Rosalind Russell
in the title role. His signature television role came as Jeff Spencer, a private detective in the firm of Bailey & Spencer partnered with Stuart Bailey, played by Efrem Zimbalist, Jr.
Like some other detective shows of the period, this show's title was its address: 77 Sunset Strip
.
Smith appeared in 74 episodes of this Warner Bros.-produced series but left the popular ABC program in 1962 because of a blood clot in his brain. He recovered from this injury post-surgery. Several years later his health declined and he was diagnosed with myasthenia gravis
, a neuromuscular disease. His condition went into remission in 1985. Following his retirement from performing, he managed his wife Ann-Margret
's career and produced her popular Las Vegas
stage shows.
Smith appeared very rarely on television once his health deteriorated, but did participate on This is Your Life
when host Ralph Edwards
devoted an episode to Ann-Margret. In addition to the appearances credited below, Smith also has been on several game shows.
n-born actress Victoria Shaw, and together they had three children: daughter Tracey (b. 1957), and sons Jordan (b. 1958) and Dallas (b. 1961). He has five grandchildren: Leone (b. 1981), Alex (1984–2008), Rosalyn (b. 1988), Zach (b. 1990) and Cameron (b. 1995). He has two great grandchildren, twins Axel and Radley (b. 2010). Smith and Shaw divorced in 1965. He has been married to Ann-Margret
since May 8, 1967.
According to cfidarren.com, Smith was a Private Pilot with an instrument rating issued in 11/30/1966.
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
. He starred in the television detective series 77 Sunset Strip
77 Sunset Strip
77 Sunset Strip is an hour-length American television private detective series created by Roy Huggins and starring Efrem Zimbalist, Jr., Roger Smith, and Edd Byrnes....
. He is married to the actress Ann-Margret
Ann-Margret
Ann-Margret Olsson is a Swedish-American actress, singer and dancer whose professional name is Ann-Margret. She became famous for her starring roles in Bye Bye Birdie, Viva Las Vegas, The Cincinnati Kid, Carnal Knowledge, and Tommy...
.
Early life
A debonair and handsome leading man in his youth, Smith was born in South Gate, CaliforniaSouth Gate, California
South Gate is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The sixteenth largest city in Los Angeles County, it encompasses . South Gate is located just southeast of downtown Los Angeles It is part of the Gateway Cities region of southeastern Los Angeles County...
, the son of Dallas and Leone Smith. When he was six, his parents enrolled him into a stage school; there he took singing, dancing and elocution lessons. He was educated at the University of Arizona
University of Arizona
The University of Arizona is a land-grant and space-grant public institution of higher education and research located in Tucson, Arizona, United States. The University of Arizona was the first university in the state of Arizona, founded in 1885...
at Tucson
Tucson, Arizona
Tucson is a city in and the county seat of Pima County, Arizona, United States. The city is located 118 miles southeast of Phoenix and 60 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border. The 2010 United States Census puts the city's population at 520,116 with a metropolitan area population at 1,020,200...
on a football scholarship
Scholarship
A scholarship is an award of financial aid for a student to further education. Scholarships are awarded on various criteria usually reflecting the values and purposes of the donor or founder of the award.-Types:...
. He won several amateur talent prizes as a singer and guitarist.
Career
Smith served with the Naval Reserve in HawaiiHawaii
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...
. After a chance meeting with the 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...
James Cagney
James Cagney
James Francis Cagney, Jr. was an American actor, first on stage, then in film, where he had his greatest impact. Although he won acclaim and major awards for a wide variety of performances, he is best remembered for playing "tough guys." In 1999, the American Film Institute ranked him eighth...
, he was encouraged to try a career in Hollywood. (Cagney had also encouraged other young actors, including Don Dubbins
Don Dubbins
Don Dubbins , originally Donald Dubbins, was an American actor of film and television who in his early career usually played younger military roles, particularly in such classic pictures as From Here to Eternity and The Caine Mutiny...
, for whom he found roles in two 1956 films.) He would later play Cagney's son in Man of a Thousand Faces
Man of a Thousand Faces
Man of a Thousand Faces is a film detailing the life of silent movie actor Lon Chaney, in which the title role is played by James Cagney.Directed by Joseph Pevney, the film's cast included Dorothy Malone, Jane Greer and Jim Backus...
.
Smith signed with Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...
in 1957 and made several films, then moved to Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
in 1959.
His greatest film exposure came with playing the adult nephew Patrick Dennis
Patrick Dennis
Patrick Dennis was an American author. His novel Auntie Mame: An Irreverent Escapade was one of the bestselling American books of the 20th century. In chronological vignettes "Patrick" recalls his adventures growing up under the wing of his madcap aunt, Mame Dennis...
in Auntie Mame
Auntie Mame
Auntie Mame is a 1955 novel by Patrick Dennis that chronicles the madcap adventures of a boy, Patrick, growing up as the ward of his deceased father's eccentric sister, Mame Dennis. The book is a work of fiction inspired by the author's eccentric aunt, Marion Tanner, whose life and outlook in many...
, with Rosalind Russell
Rosalind Russell
Rosalind Russell was an American actress of stage and screen, perhaps best known for her role as a fast-talking newspaper reporter in the Howard Hawks screwball comedy His Girl Friday, as well as the role of Mame Dennis in the film Auntie Mame...
in the title role. His signature television role came as Jeff Spencer, a private detective in the firm of Bailey & Spencer partnered with Stuart Bailey, played by Efrem Zimbalist, Jr.
Efrem Zimbalist, Jr.
Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. is an American actor known for his starring roles in the television series 77 Sunset Strip and The F.B.I. He is also known as recurring character "Dandy Jim Buckley" in the series Maverick and as the voice behind the character Alfred Pennyworth in Batman: The Animated Series...
Like some other detective shows of the period, this show's title was its address: 77 Sunset Strip
77 Sunset Strip
77 Sunset Strip is an hour-length American television private detective series created by Roy Huggins and starring Efrem Zimbalist, Jr., Roger Smith, and Edd Byrnes....
.
Smith appeared in 74 episodes of this Warner Bros.-produced series but left the popular ABC program in 1962 because of a blood clot in his brain. He recovered from this injury post-surgery. Several years later his health declined and he was diagnosed with myasthenia gravis
Myasthenia gravis
Myasthenia gravis is an autoimmune neuromuscular disease leading to fluctuating muscle weakness and fatiguability...
, a neuromuscular disease. His condition went into remission in 1985. Following his retirement from performing, he managed his wife Ann-Margret
Ann-Margret
Ann-Margret Olsson is a Swedish-American actress, singer and dancer whose professional name is Ann-Margret. She became famous for her starring roles in Bye Bye Birdie, Viva Las Vegas, The Cincinnati Kid, Carnal Knowledge, and Tommy...
's career and produced her popular Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
stage shows.
Smith appeared very rarely on television once his health deteriorated, but did participate on This is Your Life
This Is Your Life
This Is Your Life is an American television documentary series broadcast on NBC, originally hosted by its producer, Ralph Edwards from 1952 to 1961. In the show, the host surprises a guest, and proceeds to take them through their life in front of an audience including friends and family.Edwards...
when host Ralph Edwards
Ralph Edwards
Ralph Livingstone Edwards was an American radio and television host and television producer.-Early career:Born in Merino, Colorado , Edwards worked for KROW-AM in Oakland, California while he was still in high school...
devoted an episode to Ann-Margret. In addition to the appearances credited below, Smith also has been on several game shows.
Personal life
Smith married twice. His first wife was AustraliaAustralia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n-born actress Victoria Shaw, and together they had three children: daughter Tracey (b. 1957), and sons Jordan (b. 1958) and Dallas (b. 1961). He has five grandchildren: Leone (b. 1981), Alex (1984–2008), Rosalyn (b. 1988), Zach (b. 1990) and Cameron (b. 1995). He has two great grandchildren, twins Axel and Radley (b. 2010). Smith and Shaw divorced in 1965. He has been married to Ann-Margret
Ann-Margret
Ann-Margret Olsson is a Swedish-American actress, singer and dancer whose professional name is Ann-Margret. She became famous for her starring roles in Bye Bye Birdie, Viva Las Vegas, The Cincinnati Kid, Carnal Knowledge, and Tommy...
since May 8, 1967.
According to cfidarren.com, Smith was a Private Pilot with an instrument rating issued in 11/30/1966.
Television
- Original Amateur HourOriginal Amateur HourThe Original Amateur Hour is an American radio and television program. The show was a continuation of Major Bowes Amateur Hour which had been a radio staple from 1934 to 1945. Major Edward Bowes, the originator of the program and its master of ceremonies, left the show in 1945 and died the...
(1948)...as a singer and guitaristGuitaristA guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
with Ted MackTed Mack (television host)Ted Mack , born as William Edward Maguiness, was the host of Ted Mack and the Original Amateur Hour on radio and television.... - Damon Runyon TheaterDamon Runyon TheaterDamon Runyon Theater was an American television program that presented dramatized versions of Damon Runyon's short stories. Hosted by Donald Woods, the program, sponsored by Anheuser-Busch's Budweiser beer, aired for a total of 39 episodes on CBS from April 1955 through February 1956 .-Season...
: Hot Oil (1956) .... Richard - Celebrity PlayhouseCelebrity PlayhouseCelebrity Playhouse is the title of a 30 minute American television drama series which aired from 1956-1957 .Recurring Roles and Notable Guest Stars:...
: Faith (1956) - Ford TheatreFord TheatreFord Theatre was a radio and television anthology series broadcast in the United States in the 1940s and 1950s. At various times the television series appeared on all three major television networks, while the radio version was broadcast on two separate networks and on two separate coasts...
: Stand by to Dive (1956) .... Skee Langford - Ford TheatreFord TheatreFord Theatre was a radio and television anthology series broadcast in the United States in the 1940s and 1950s. At various times the television series appeared on all three major television networks, while the radio version was broadcast on two separate networks and on two separate coasts...
: A Past Remembered (1956) .... Jug Jensen - Ford TheatreFord TheatreFord Theatre was a radio and television anthology series broadcast in the United States in the 1940s and 1950s. At various times the television series appeared on all three major television networks, while the radio version was broadcast on two separate networks and on two separate coasts...
: Never Lend Money to a Woman (1956) .... Carter - Sheriff of CochiseSheriff of CochiseSheriff of Cochise , renamed U.S. Marshal , is a 58-episode syndicated western-themed crime drama set in Arizona and starring John Bromfield as law enforcement officer Frank Morgan. In the first two seasons, Morgan was sheriff of Cochise County...
: "The Kidnapper" (1957) .... Jim - West Point: "M-24" (1957)
- The George Sanders Mystery TheaterThe George Sanders Mystery TheaterThe George Sanders Mystery Theater is the title of a 30 minute American television mystery drama series which aired on the NBC in 1957 and hosted by character actor George Sanders....
: Round Trip (1957) - Father Knows BestFather Knows BestFather Knows Best is an American radio and television comedy series which portrayed a middle class family life in the Midwest. It was created by writer Ed James in the 1940s.-Radio:...
(1957–1958) .... Doyle Hobbs - Wagon TrainWagon TrainWagon Train is an American Western series that ran on NBC from 1957–62 and then on ABC from 1962–65...
: "The Daniel Barrister Story" (1958) .... Dr. Peter Culver - SugarfootSugarfootSugarfoot is the title of a TV western that aired from 1957 to 1961. The series featured Will Hutchins as fledgling frontier lawyer Tom Brewster and Jack Elam as sidekick Toothy Thompson...
: "Yampa Crossing" (1958) .... Gene Blair - 77 Sunset Strip77 Sunset Strip77 Sunset Strip is an hour-length American television private detective series created by Roy Huggins and starring Efrem Zimbalist, Jr., Roger Smith, and Edd Byrnes....
(1958–1963) .... Jeff Spencer - Hawaiian EyeHawaiian EyeHawaiian Eye is an American television series that ran from October 1959 to September 1963 on the American Broadcasting Company television network.-Premise:...
: "I Wed Three Wives" (1960) .... Jeff Spencer - The Ford Show, Starring Tennessee Ernie FordThe Ford ShowThe Ford Show is a half-hour comedy/variety program, starring singer and folk humorist Tennessee Ernie Ford, which aired in color on NBC television on Thursday evenings from October 4, 1956 to June 29, 1961....
(December 22, 1960) .... Himself - Surfside 6Surfside 6Surfside 6 was an ABC television series which aired from 1960 to 1962. The show centered around a Miami Beach detective agency set on a houseboat and featured Troy Donahue as Sandy Winfield, II; Van Williams as Kenny Madison ; and Lee Patterson as Dave Thorne...
: "Love Song for a Deadly Redhead" (1962) .... Jeff Spencer - Kraft Suspense TheatreKraft Suspense TheatreKraft Suspense Theatre, an anthology series, was telecast from 1963 to 1965 on NBC. Sponsored by Kraft Foods, it was seen three weeks out of every four and was pre-empted for Perry Como's Kraft Music Hall specials once monthly...
: Knight's Gambit (1964) .... Anthony Griswold Knight - Mister RobertsMister Roberts (TV series)Mister Roberts is an American sitcom that aired on NBC from September 17, 1965 to April 8, 1966. Based on the best selling novel, 1948 play, and the 1955 film of the same name, the series starred Roger Smith in the title role.-Synopsis:...
(1965 Series) .... Lt. Douglas Roberts - HullabalooHullabaloo (TV series)Hullabaloo is an American musical variety series that ran on NBC from January 12, 1965 through August 29, 1966. Similar to Shindig! it ran in prime time in contrast to ABC's American Bandstand.-Overview:...
(1966)
Film
- Man of a Thousand FacesMan of a Thousand FacesMan of a Thousand Faces is a film detailing the life of silent movie actor Lon Chaney, in which the title role is played by James Cagney.Directed by Joseph Pevney, the film's cast included Dorothy Malone, Jane Greer and Jim Backus...
(1957) .... Creighton Chaney at 21 - Operation Mad BallOperation Mad BallOperation Mad Ball is a 1957 military comedy starring Jack Lemmon, Kathryn Grant, Ernie Kovacs, Dick York, Arthur O'Connell, and Mickey Rooney and directed by Richard Quine. The screenplay by Blake Edwards and Jed Harris is based on an unproduced play by Arthur Carter.-Plot:In a hospital unit in...
(1957) .... Cpl. Berryman - No Time to Be YoungNo Time to Be YoungNo Time to Be Young is a 1958 film directed by David Lowell Rich. It stars Robert Vaughn and Roger Smith.-Cast:*Robert Vaughn as Buddy Root*Roger Smith as Bob Miller*Tom Pittman as Stu Bradley*Dorothy Green as Mrs. Doris Dexter...
(1957) .... Bob Miller - Crash Landing (1958) .... John Smithback
- Auntie MameAuntie MameAuntie Mame is a 1955 novel by Patrick Dennis that chronicles the madcap adventures of a boy, Patrick, growing up as the ward of his deceased father's eccentric sister, Mame Dennis. The book is a work of fiction inspired by the author's eccentric aunt, Marion Tanner, whose life and outlook in many...
(1958) .... Patrick Dennis -older - Never Steal Anything SmallNever Steal Anything SmallNever Steal Anything Small is a musical comedy film starring James Cagney, Shirley Jones, Roger Smith, Cara Williams, Nehemiah Persoff, Royal Dano, and Horace McMahon. The film was based on The Devil's Hornpipe by Maxwell Anderson and released by Universal Pictures.-Production details:Filmed in...
(1959) .... Dan Cabot - For Those Who Think YoungFor Those Who Think Young (film)For Those Who Think Young is a 1964 beach party film directed by Leslie H. Martinson and featuring James Darren, Pamela Tiffin, Paul Lynde, Tina Louise, Bob Denver, Robert Middleton, and Woody Woodbury.-Plot:...
(1964) (uncredited) .... Detective - Rogues' Gallery (1968) .... Richard Rogue
- Sette uomini e un cervello (1968) .... Un giocatore