Art Smith
Encyclopedia
Arthur Gordon "Art" Smith (March 23, 1899 - February 24, 1973) was an American
film stage and television actor, best-known for playing supporting roles in the 1940s.
Born in Chicago
, the actor appeared in many black-and-white noirish
films in supporting roles alongside more handsome and popular movie leads, such as John Garfield
in Body and Soul
(1947) and Humphrey Bogart
in In a Lonely Place
(1950).
The grey-haired actor usually played studious types in films. One of his last movie roles was in The Hustler
in an uncredited part. He worked on television before finally retiring in 1967.
Smith was one of the victims of the Hollywood blacklist
, which ended his film career in 1952. He died, aged 73, in Long Island
, New York
, from a heart attack.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
film stage and television actor, best-known for playing supporting roles in the 1940s.
Born in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, the actor appeared in many black-and-white noirish
Film noir
Film noir is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and sexual motivations. Hollywood's classic film noir period is generally regarded as extending from the early 1940s to the late 1950s...
films in supporting roles alongside more handsome and popular movie leads, such as John Garfield
John Garfield
John Garfield was an American actor adept at playing brooding, rebellious, working-class character roles. He grew up in poverty in Depression-era New York City and in the early 1930s became an important member of the Group Theater. In 1937 he moved to Hollywood, eventually becoming one of Warner...
in Body and Soul
Body and Soul (1947 film)
Body and Soul is a 1947 film noir which tells the story of a boxer who becomes involved with crooked promoters. It stars John Garfield, Lilli Palmer, Hazel Brooks, Anne Revere and William Conrad....
(1947) and Humphrey Bogart
Humphrey Bogart
Humphrey DeForest Bogart was an American actor. He is widely regarded as a cultural icon.The American Film Institute ranked Bogart as the greatest male star in the history of American cinema....
in In a Lonely Place
In a Lonely Place
In a Lonely Place is a film noir directed by Nicholas Ray, and starring Humphrey Bogart and Gloria Grahame, produced for Bogart's Santana Productions. The script was adapted by Edmund North from the 1947 novel In a Lonely Place by Dorothy B. Hughes.Bogart stars in the film as Dixon Steele, a...
(1950).
The grey-haired actor usually played studious types in films. One of his last movie roles was in The Hustler
The Hustler (film)
The Hustler is a 1961 American drama film directed by Robert Rossen from the 1959 novel of the same name he and Sidney Carroll adapted for the screen...
in an uncredited part. He worked on television before finally retiring in 1967.
Smith was one of the victims of the Hollywood blacklist
Hollywood blacklist
The Hollywood blacklist—as the broader entertainment industry blacklist is generally known—was the mid-twentieth-century list of screenwriters, actors, directors, musicians, and other U.S. entertainment professionals who were denied employment in the field because of their political beliefs or...
, which ended his film career in 1952. He died, aged 73, in Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
, 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...
, from a heart attack.
Partial filmography
- Education for DeathEducation for DeathEducation for Death: The Making of the Nazi is an animated short film produced by Walt Disney and released on January 15, 1943 by RKO Radio Pictures. Based on the anti-Nazi propaganda book by Gregor Ziemer, directed by Clyde Geronimi and principally animated by Ward Kimball...
(1943) (narrator of animated short) - Edge of Darkness (1943)
- None Shall EscapeNone Shall EscapeNone Shall Escape is a 1944 war film. Even though the film was made during World War II, the setting is a post-war Nuremberg-style war crimes trial...
(1944) - Mr. Winkle Goes to WarMr. Winkle Goes to WarMr. Winkle Goes to War is a 1944 war comedy film starring Edward G. Robinson and Ruth Warrick, based on a novel by Theodore Pratt.-Plot:On June 1, 1942, after fourteen years, mild-mannered 44-year-old Wilbert G. Winkle quits his boring bank job to follow his dream, to open a repair shop...
(1944) (uncredited) - Brute ForceBrute Force (1947 film)Brute Force is a brooding, brutal film noir, starring Burt Lancaster, Hume Cronyn and Charles Bickford. It was directed by Jules Dassin, with a screenplay by Richard Brooks and the cinematography by William H. Daniels....
(1947) - Body and SoulBody and Soul (1947 film)Body and Soul is a 1947 film noir which tells the story of a boxer who becomes involved with crooked promoters. It stars John Garfield, Lilli Palmer, Hazel Brooks, Anne Revere and William Conrad....
(1947) - Ride the Pink HorseRide the Pink HorseRide the Pink Horse is a 1947 American crime film noir produced by Universal Studios. It was directed by the actor Robert Montgomery from a screenplay by Ben Hecht, which was based on a novel of the same name by Dorothy B. Hughes. The drama features Robert Montgomery, Wanda Hendrix, Andrea King,...
(1947) - T-MenT-MenT-Men is a semidocumentary style 1947 film noir shot in black-and-white. The film was directed by Anthony Mann with cinematography by noted noir cameraman John Alton....
(1947) (uncredited) - A Double LifeA Double LifeA Double Life is a 1947 film noir which tells the story of an actor whose mind becomes affected by the character he portrays. The movie starred Ronald Colman and Signe Hasso...
(1947) - Arch of TriumphArch of Triumph (1948 film)Arch of Triumph is a 1948 American war romance film made by Enterprise Productions. The film was directed by Lewis Milestone and adapted from the 1945 Erich Maria Remarque novel Arch of Triumph....
(1948) - Letter from an Unknown WomanLetter from an Unknown Woman (1948 film)Letter from an Unknown Woman is a film directed by Max Ophüls. It was based on the novella of the same name, which was written by Stefan Zweig...
(1948) - Mr. Peabody and the MermaidMr. Peabody and the MermaidMr. Peabody and the Mermaid is a 1948 fantasy film starring William Powell and Ann Blyth in the title roles. Irene Hervey played Mr. Peabody's wife.- Plot :...
(1948) - CaughtCaught (film)Caught is an American dramatic film starring James Mason, Barbara Bel Geddes, and Robert Ryan, directed by Max Ophuls, and based on a novel by Libbie Block. Caught has been released on DVD in France and the UK....
(1949) - ManhandledManhandledManhandled is a 1949 film noir produced by Paramount Pictures and its B-unit Pine-Thomas. The film stars Dorothy Lamour, Dan Duryea, and Sterling Hayden and is based on the novel The Man Who Stole a Dream by L. S. Goldsmith.-Featured cast:...
(1949) - Red, Hot and BlueRed, Hot and Blue (film)Red, Hot and Blue is a 1949 musical comedy film starring Betty Hutton as an actress who gets mixed up with gangsters and murder. It has no connection to Cole Porter's play of the same name...
(1949) - QuicksandQuicksand (1950 film)Quicksand is a United Artists film noir starring Mickey Rooney and Peter Lorre in a story about a garage mechanic's descent into crime. The film has been described as "film noir in a teacup.....
(1950) - In a Lonely PlaceIn a Lonely PlaceIn a Lonely Place is a film noir directed by Nicholas Ray, and starring Humphrey Bogart and Gloria Grahame, produced for Bogart's Santana Productions. The script was adapted by Edmund North from the 1947 novel In a Lonely Place by Dorothy B. Hughes.Bogart stars in the film as Dixon Steele, a...
(1950) - The Next Voice You HearThe Next Voice You Hear...The Next Voice You Hear... is a drama film in which a voice claiming to be that of God preempts all radio programs for days all over the world. It stars James Whitmore and Nancy Davis as Joe and Mary Smith, a typical American couple. It was based on a short story of the same name by George Sumner...
(1950) - The Killer That Stalked New YorkThe Killer That Stalked New YorkThe Killer That Stalked New York is a 1950 film noir starring Evelyn Keyes. The film, shot on location and in a semi-documentary style, is about diamond smugglers who unknowingly start a smallpox outbreak in the New York City of 1947. It is based on the real threat of a smallpox epidemic in the...
(1950) - The Sound of Fury (1950)
- The Painted HillsThe Painted HillsThe Painted Hills, also known as Lassie's Adventures in the Goldrush, is a 1951 action film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and directed by Harold F. Kress...
(1951) - The HustlerThe Hustler (film)The Hustler is a 1961 American drama film directed by Robert Rossen from the 1959 novel of the same name he and Sidney Carroll adapted for the screen...
(1961) (uncredited)