Kent Smith

Kent Smith
Kent Smith
	Kent Smith (1953)
Born	Frank Kent Smith; March 19, 1907; New York City, New York, U.S.
Died	April 23, 1985 (aged 78); Woodland Hills, California, U.S.
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1929-1978
Spouse(s)	Betty Gillette (m. 1937; div. 1954); Edith Atwater (m. 1962)
Children	1

Frank Kent Smith (March 19, 1907 – April 23, 1985) was an American actor who had a lengthy career in film, theatre and television.

Early years

Smith was born in New York City and was educated at Harvard University.[1]

Stage

Smith's early acting experience started in 1925 when he was one of the founders of the Harvard University Players, which later included Henry Fonda, James Stewart, Joshua Logan and Margaret Sullavan in Falmouth, Massachusetts. Smith's stock experience included productions with the Maryland Theatre in Baltimore. His professional acting debut was in 1929 in Blind Window in Baltimore. He made his Broadway acting debut in 1932 in Men Must Fight.[1] He appeared on Broadway in Measure for Measure, Sweet Love Remembered, The Best Man, Ah, Wilderness!,[2] Dodsworth (1934), Saint Joan (1936), Old Acquaintance (1941), Antony and Cleopatra (1948) and Bus Stop (1956).

Film

Smith moved to Hollywood, California, where he made his film debut in The Garden Murder Case.[1]

His biggest successes occurred during the 1940s in films such as Cat People (1942), Hitler's Children (1943), This Land Is Mine (1943), Three Russian Girls (1943), Youth Runs Wild (1944), The Curse of the Cat People (1944), The Spiral Staircase (1946), Nora Prentiss (1947), Magic Town (1947), My Foolish Heart (1949), The Fountainhead (1949), and The Damned Don't Cry (1950). He continued acting in films such as Comanche (1956), Sayonara (1957), Party Girl (1958), The Mugger (1958), Imitation General (1958), The Badlanders (1958), This Earth Is Mine (1959), Strangers When We Meet (1960), Susan Slade (1961), The Balcony (1963), A Distant Trumpet (1964), Youngblood Hawke (1964), The Young Lovers (1964), The Trouble with Angels (1966), A Covenant with Death (1967), Games (1967), The Money Jungle (1968), Kona Coast (1968), Assignment to Kill (1968), Death of a Gunfighter (1969), The Games (1970), Pete 'n' Tillie (1972), Die Sister, Die! (1972), Lost Horizon (1973) and Billy Jack Goes to Washington (1977).

During World War II, Smith served as a private in the U.S. Army, making training films covering among others, medical, dental, artillery, and electronics.

Television

Regular cast

Kent Smith played the imperious Dr. Morton on the popular series Peyton Place with his actual wife (Edith Atwater) cast as Mrs. Morton. Smith played Edgar Scoville in the second season of the science-fiction series The Invaders (1967-1968)[3] and was a host for the anthology series Philip Morris Playhouse (1953-1954).[3]^:831

Guest appearances

Smith had roles in TV movies such as How Awful About Allan (1970), The Night Stalker (1972), The Judge and Jake Wyler (1972), The Cat Creature (1973), The Affair (1973) and The Disappearance of Flight 412 (1974). His numerous television credits included a continuing role in Peyton Place as Dr. Robert Morton. He began guest-starring in television series in 1949 in The Philco Television Playhouse and appeared in Robert Montgomery Presents, Wagon Train, General Electric Theater, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Naked City, Have Gun Will Travel, Perry Mason, Gunsmoke, The Beverly Hillbillies, Rawhide, The Americans, Barnaby Jones, The Outer Limits, Night Gallery, and the 1976 miniseries Once an Eagle. His last appearance was in a 1977 episode of Wonder Woman.

Kent Smith and Simone Simon in Curse of the Cat People (1944)

Personal life

Smith was married to actress Betty Gillette from 1937 until 1954 and to actress Edith Atwater (died March 1986) from 1962 until his death from congestive heart failure in Woodland Hills, California at the age of 78.

He was survived by his wife and daughter.[2]

Smith was a Republican and campaigned for Dwight Eisenhower in the 1952 presidential election.[4]

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1936	The Garden Murder Case	Woode Swift
1939	Back Door to Heaven	Attorney
1942	Cat People	Oliver Reed
1943	Hitler's Children	Professor Nichols
1943	Forever and a Day	Gates Trimble Pomfret
1943	This Land Is Mine	Paul Martin
1943	Three Russian Girls	John Hill	alternate title: She Who Dares
1944	The Curse of the Cat People	Oliver Reed
1944	Resisting Enemy Interrogation	Capt. Reining - American Working for the Nazis
1944	Youth Runs Wild	Danny Coates
1946	The Spiral Staircase	Dr. Parry
1947	Nora Prentiss	Dr. Richard Talbot
1947	Magic Town	Professor Frederick Hoopendecker
1947	The Voice of the Turtle	Kenneth Bartlett
1949	The Fountainhead	Peter Keating
1949	My Foolish Heart	Lew Wengler
1950	The Damned Don't Cry	Martin Blankford
1950	This Side of the Law	David Cummins
1952	Paula	John Rogers	alternate title: The Silent Voice
1956	Comanche	Quanah Parker
1957	Sayonara	General Mark Webster
1958	Imitation General	Brig. Gen. Charles Lane
1958	The Badlanders	Cyril Lounsberry
1958	Party Girl	Jeffrey Stewart
1958	The Mugger	Dr. Pete Graham
1959	This Earth Is Mine	Francis Fairon
1960	Strangers When We Meet	Stanley Baxter
1961	Susan Slade	Dr. Fane
1962	Moon Pilot	Secretary of the Air Force
1963	The Balcony	General
1964	A Distant Trumpet	Secretary of War
1964	Youngblood Hawke	Paul Winter Sr.
1964	The Young Lovers	Dr. Shoemaker
1966	The Trouble with Angels	Uncle George
1967	A Covenant with Death	Parmalee
1967	Games	Harry Gordon
1967	The Money Jungle	Paul Kimmel
1968	Assignment to Kill	Mr. Eversley
1968	Kona Coast	Akamai
1969	Death of a Gunfighter	Andrew Oxley
1970	The Games	Kaverley
1970	How Awful About Allan	Raymond Colleigh	TV movie
1971	The Last Child	Gus Iverson	TV movie
1972	The Night Stalker	D.A. Tom Paine	TV movie
1972	Probe	Dr. Edward Laurent	TV movie
1972	Another Part of the Forest	Simon Isham	TV movie
1972	The Crooked Hearts	James Simpson	TV movie
1972	The Judge and Jake Wyler	Robert Dodd	TV movie
1972	Pete 'n' Tillie	Father Keating
1972	Call Me by My Rightful Name	Mr. Watkins
1973	Lost Horizon	Bill Fergunson
1973	Maurie	Dr. Walker	uncredited
1973	Cops and Robbers	Bit Part	uncredited
1973	The Affair	Mr. Patterson	TV movie
1973	The Cat Creature	Frank Lucas	TV movie
1974	Murder or Mercy	Judge	TV movie
1974	The Disappearance of Flight 412	General Enright	TV movie
1976	Once an Eagle	Gen. Jacklyn	TV miniseries
1977	Billy Jack Goes to Washington	Senator Joe Foley
1978	Die Sister, Die!	Dr. Thorne	alternate title: The Companion final film role

References

Monush, Barry (2003). Screen World Presents the Encyclopedia of Hollywood Film Actors: From the silent era to 1965. Hal Leonard Corporation. pp. 690–691. ISBN 9781557835512. Retrieved 3 March 2017.
"Kent Smith, the Actor, Dies; Career Lasted Four Decades". The New York Times. New York, New York City. Associated Press. April 26, 1985. Archived from the original on March 3, 2017. Retrieved 3 March 2017.
Terrace, Vincent (2011). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010 (2nd ed.). Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. p. 508509. ISBN 978-0-7864-6477-7.
Motion Picture and Television Magazine, November 1952, page 34, Ideal Publishers

External links

Kent Smith at IMDb
Kent Smith at the Internet Broadway Database

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[sw-1] Monush, Barry (2003). Screen World Presents the Encyclopedia of Hollywood Film Actors: From the silent era to 1965. Hal Leonard Corporation. pp. 690–691. ISBN 9781557835512. Retrieved 3 March 2017.

[nyt-2] "Kent Smith, the Actor, Dies; Career Lasted Four Decades". The New York Times. New York, New York City. Associated Press. April 26, 1985. Archived from the original on March 3, 2017. Retrieved 3 March 2017.

[etvs-3] Terrace, Vincent (2011). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010 (2nd ed.). Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. p. 508509. ISBN 978-0-7864-6477-7.

[4] Motion Picture and Television Magazine, November 1952, page 34, Ideal Publishers