Riley Smith
Encyclopedia
Riley Smith is an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 film and television actor and singer for the band The Life of Riley.

Background

Smith's parents are Russ and Roxanne Smith. He was born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Cedar Rapids is the second largest city in Iowa and is the county seat of Linn County. The city lies on both banks of the Cedar River, north of Iowa City and east of Des Moines, the state's capital and largest city...

, and raised in Marion, Iowa
Marion, Iowa
Marion is a city in Linn County, Iowa, United States. The population was 26,294 at the 2000 census and was estimated at 32,172 in 2007. The city is part of the Cedar Rapids Metropolitan Statistical Area.- History :...


on his parents’ horse ranch.
He became an accomplished rider, competing in a horse show for the first time when he was 9 years old.
When he was 15, he placed 4th in 3-Year-Old Mares division at the American Quarter Horse Youth World Championship
American Quarter Horse Association
The American Quarter Horse Association , based in Amarillo, Texas, is an international organization dedicated to the preservation, improvement and record-keeping of the American Quarter Horse. The association sanctions many competitive events and maintains the official registry...

, and at 16 won the American Quarter Horse Youth World Championship. When he was 17, he became president of the 50,000-member youth association, becoming he youngest person to serve as corresponding vice president of American Quarter Horse Youth Association
American Quarter Horse Association
The American Quarter Horse Association , based in Amarillo, Texas, is an international organization dedicated to the preservation, improvement and record-keeping of the American Quarter Horse. The association sanctions many competitive events and maintains the official registry...

.

He graduated from Alburnett Junior-Senior High School
Alburnett Junior-Senior High School
Alburnett Junior-Senior High School is a small school located in Linn County, Iowa. Total enrollment for the district is about 650 students. The district's central office is located in Alburnett, Iowa. The school mascot is the Pirate and the school colors are purple and gold....

 in 1997, and his original intention was to earn a college degree to cover his horse racing, but he was "discovered" at the Westdale Mall
Westdale Mall
Westdale Mall is an enclosed super-regional shopping mall in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The two-level mall on the southwest side of Cedar Rapids is one of the city's two enclosed malls, along with Lindale Mall on the city's northeast side...

 in Cedar Rapids
Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Cedar Rapids is the second largest city in Iowa and is the county seat of Linn County. The city lies on both banks of the Cedar River, north of Iowa City and east of Des Moines, the state's capital and largest city...

 by a local talent scout
and flew to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

 to compete at the International Modeling and Talent Association (IMTA) Convention. There he was signed to a Tommy Hilfiger
Tommy Hilfiger
Thomas Jacob "Tommy" Hilfiger is an American fashion designer and founder of the premium lifestyle brand Tommy Hilfiger.-Early life:...

 modeling campaign.
He used the money he earned to pay for acting classes.

Career

Three months after the Hilfiger campaign, Smith flew to Los Angeles to do a screen test for the 1998 WB
The WB Television Network
The WB Television Network is a former television network in the United States that was launched on January 11, 1995 as a joint venture between Warner Bros. and Tribune Broadcasting. On January 24, 2006, CBS Corporation and Warner Bros...

 pilot Minor Threat
Minor Threat
Minor Threat was an American hardcore punk band formed in Washington, D.C. in 1980 and disbanded in 1983. The band was relatively short-lived, but had a strong influence on the hardcore punk music scene, both stylistically and in establishing a "do it yourself" ethic for music distribution and...

, but the pilot was not picked up. Subsequently, he went on to do eight prime time
Prime time
Prime time or primetime is the block of broadcast programming during the middle of the evening for television programing.The term prime time is often defined in terms of a fixed time period—for example, from 19:00 to 22:00 or 20:00 to 23:00 Prime time or primetime is the block of broadcast...

 network pilots, more than a dozen guest-starring roles, and rescuuring character roles in three television series.

Film

Smith has appeared in the film Eight Legged Freaks
Eight Legged Freaks
Eight Legged Freaks is a 2002 comedy horror directed by Ellory Elkayem and stars David Arquette, Kari Wührer and Scott Terra. The plot concerns a collection of spiders that are exposed to toxic waste, causing them to grow to gigantic proportions and begin killing and harvesting...

, Not Another Teen Movie
Not Another Teen Movie
Not Another Teen Movie is a 2001 American comedy film directed by Joel Gallen, released on December 14, 2001 by Columbia Pictures. It is a parody of teen movies which have accumulated in Hollywood over the last few decades...

, Radio, New York Minute
New York Minute (film)
New York Minute is a 2004 American teen comedy film starring Mary-Kate Olsen, Ashley Olsen and Eugene Levy. It was directed by Dennie Gordon and released on May 7, 2004. In the film Mary-Kate and Ashley play twins with opposing personalities who have a series of misadventures around New York City...

and the Sundance Film Festival
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...

 Grand Jury nominee Weapons
Weapons (film)
Weapons is a 2007 American, teenage crime drama directed and written by Adam Bhala Lough.The film premiered in competition at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival and was released straight-to-DVD by Lionsgate in 2009.-Cast:...

.

For the film New York Minute, he and co-star Jared Padelecki were hand picked for their roles by stars Ashley
Ashley Olsen
Ashley Fuller Olsen is an American actress, fashion designer, producer, and author. She co-founded luxury fashion brand The Row and the more affordable line Olsenboye with her twin sister Mary-Kate Olsen and started her own fashion company called Elizabeth and James...

 and Mary Kate Olsen. After his role as Jim, the love interest for Ashley's character of Jane, he admitted that he could not tell the sisters apart.

In Radio, Smith had the role of Johnny Clay, team star and ringleader of the group pulling nasty pranks on Cuba Gooding, Jr.
Cuba Gooding, Jr.
Cuba M. Gooding, Jr. is an American actor. He is perhaps best known for his Academy Award-winning portrayal of Rod Tidwell in Cameron Crowe's 1996 film Jerry Maguire, and his critically acclaimed performance as Tré Styles in John Singleton's 1991 film Boyz n the Hood.-Early life:Gooding was born...

's character of Radio. For their work in the film, key production members were awarded a 2005 CAMIE Award; These included executive producer Todd Garner, director Michael Tollin, screenwriter Mike Rich
Mike Rich
Mike Rich is an American screenwriter best known for his writing on sports-related films.-Early life:A graduate of Oregon State University's College of Business, Rich began his media career as a news reporter for a Portland radio station, KINK...

, and actors Cuba Gooding Jr., Ed Harris
Ed Harris
Edward Allen "Ed" Harris is an American actor, writer, and director, known for his performances in Appaloosa, Radio, The Rock, The Abyss, Apollo 13, A Beautiful Mind, A History of Violence, and The Truman Show. Harris has also narrated commercials for The Home Depot and other companies...

, Riley Smith, Alfre Woodard
Alfre Woodard
Alfre Ette Woodard is an American film, stage, and television actress. She has been nominated once for an Academy Award and Grammy Awards, 17 times for Emmy Awards , and has also won a Golden Globe and three Screen Actors Guild Awards.She is known for her role in films such as Cross Creek, Miss...

, Brent Sexton, S. Epatha Merkerson
S. Epatha Merkerson
S. Epatha Merkerson is an American film, stage, and television actress. She has won a Golden Globe, Emmy Awards, Screen Actors Guild Awards, Obie Award and four NAACP Image Awards. She has also received two Tony Award nominations...

 and Sarah Drew
Sarah Drew
Sarah Drew is an American actress. She is known for her role as Hannah Rogers in Everwood and for her role as Dr. April Kepner on Grey's Anatomy .-Personal life:...

.

Television

Smith had recurring roles in the Emmy-nominated CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...

 series Joan of Arcadia
Joan of Arcadia
Joan of Arcadia is an American television fantasy/family drama telling the story of teenager Joan Girardi , who sees and speaks with God and performs tasks she is given. The series originally aired on Fridays, 8-9 p.m...

, the highly acclaimed Emmy Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...

 show 24
24 (TV series)
24 is an American television series produced for the Fox Network and syndicated worldwide, starring Kiefer Sutherland as Counter Terrorist Unit agent Jack Bauer. Each 24-episode season covers 24 hours in the life of Bauer, using the real time method of narration...

 season 3 as Kyle Singer, the short-lived WB
The WB Television Network
The WB Television Network is a former television network in the United States that was launched on January 11, 1995 as a joint venture between Warner Bros. and Tribune Broadcasting. On January 24, 2006, CBS Corporation and Warner Bros...

 series Summerland
Summerland (TV series)
Summerland is an American drama television series created by Stephen Tolkin and Lori Loughlin. It is centered on a clothing designer in her 30s, Ava Gregory , raising her niece and nephews after their parents die in a tragic accident...

and the acclaimed Judd Apatow creation for NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...

 Freaks and Geeks
Freaks and Geeks
Freaks and Geeks is an American teen comedy-drama television series, created by Paul Feig and executive produced by Judd Apatow, that aired on NBC during the 1999–2000 television season...

. He was also a main cast member in the short lived Fox
Fox
Fox is a common name for many species of omnivorous mammals belonging to the Canidae family. Foxes are small to medium-sized canids , characterized by possessing a long narrow snout, and a bushy tail .Members of about 37 species are referred to as foxes, of which only 12 species actually belong to...

 show Drive
Drive (TV series)
Drive is a short-lived American action drama television series created by Tim Minear and Ben Queen, produced by Minear, Queen, and Greg Yaitanes, and starring Nathan Fillion, four episodes of which aired on the Fox network in April 2007...

. Riley also played Dean Talon in the Disney Channel movie Motocrossed
Motocrossed
Motocrossed! is a 2001 Disney Channel Original Movie , about a girl named Andrea Carson who loves motocross, despite the fact that her father finds her unsuited for the sport, being that she is "just a girl"...

. He played a love interest and mentor to Andy Carson on the race track.

He played Russ, the love interest of Mary Elizabeth Winstead
Mary Elizabeth Winstead
Mary Elizabeth Winstead is an American actress. She is best known for her scream queen roles in the horror films Final Destination 3, Black Christmas, Death Proof, and The Thing...

's character in the dancing film
Dance in film
This is a list of movies featuring recognizable dance forms, demonstrating them, shedding light on their origin, or being the base of a plot.This article is not about Dance film or Dance for camera which are separate genres. It is also not about Musical films, although they often contain a...

 Make it Happen
Make It Happen (film)
Make It Happen is a 2008 dance film directed by Darren Grant and starring Mary Elizabeth Winstead. The screenplay was co-written by Duane Adler, who was a screenwriter for Save the Last Dance and Step Up, films that also involved dancing.-Plot:...

.

In 2008 Smith joined in collaboration with The Academy of Cinema and Television to create an online educational series for children and teens interested in the entertainment industry, and in 2009 he appeared in one episode of Ghost Whisperer
Ghost Whisperer
Ghost Whisperer is an American television supernatural drama, which ran on CBS from September 23, 2005 to May 21, 2010.The series follows the life of Melinda Gordon , who has the ability to see and communicate with ghosts...

, a paranormal TV series starring Jennifer Love Hewitt
Jennifer Love Hewitt
Jennifer Love Hewitt is an American actress, producer, television director and former singer-songwriter. Hewitt began her acting career as a child by appearing in television commercials and the Disney Channel series Kids Incorporated...

.

Music

Smith took up the guitar to fill downtime while on film sets, and in 2006, he and Henri O'Connor formed the band "The Life of Riley", of which he is guitarist and lead singer. His original idead was to write music that could be used in his films, but when he and his bandmates had written 16 songs, they picked 11 and cut an album. The song most important to Riley is "Forget about me". He describes the lyrics as clear and simple and yet very deep and emotional. As of August 2010, the Los Angeles based group has released 3 CDs: The Life of Riley (2007), Long Way Home EP (2009) and Live In Hollywood At The Hotel Cafe (2010).
They have also performed at such music festivals as the New Bohemia Music Festival.

Television

  • One World
    One World (TV series)
    One World is a half-hour comedy series on TNBC about the everyday issues of a large family. The show focuses on the Blakes, a household living in Miami with six teens of various ethnic and racial backgrounds, who are adopted by ex-baseball player Dave Blake and his artist wife, Karen. The show was...

    (1 episode, 1998) as Riley
  • Wild Grizzly (1999) as Josh Harding
  • Alien Arsenal
    Alien Arsenal
    Alien Arsenal is a science fiction movie, released in 1999, directed by David DeCoteau. It is a loose remake of an earlier Charles Band production, Laserblast.-Plot:...

    (1999) as Chad
  • 7th Heaven
    7th Heaven
    7th Heaven is an American family drama television series, created and produced by Brenda Hampton. The series premiered on August 26, 1996, on the WB, the first time that the network aired Monday night programming, and was originally broadcast from August 26, 1996 to May 13, 2007...

    (1 episode, 1999) as Tyler
  • Freaks and Geeks
    Freaks and Geeks
    Freaks and Geeks is an American teen comedy-drama television series, created by Paul Feig and executive produced by Judd Apatow, that aired on NBC during the 1999–2000 television season...

    (5 episodes, 2000) as Todd Schellinger
  • Hang Time
    Hang Time (TV series)
    Hang Time is an American teen sitcom that aired from 1995–2000. The teen-oriented program aired on Saturday mornings on NBC as part of the network's TNBC morning block. It was created by Troy Searer, Robert Tarlow, and Mark Fink. Producer Peter Engel took over Fink's duties at the start of Season 2...

    (1 episode, 2000) as Dave Carter
  • Chestnut Hill (2001) as Jamie Eastman
  • Once and Again
    Once and Again
    Once and Again is an American television series that aired on ABC from September 21, 1999 to April 15, 2002. It depicts the family of a single mother and her romance with a single father...

    (2 episodes, 2000–2001) as Pace
  • Motocrossed
    Motocrossed
    Motocrossed! is a 2001 Disney Channel Original Movie , about a girl named Andrea Carson who loves motocross, despite the fact that her father finds her unsuited for the sport, being that she is "just a girl"...

    (2001) as Dean Talon
  • Gideon's Crossing
    Gideon's Crossing
    Gideon's Crossing is a US medical drama starring Andre Braugher. The series was loosely based on the experience of real-life physician Jerome Groopman and his book The Measure of Our Days. It premiered on October 10, 2000, and ran for one season, with its last episode airing on April 9, 2001, with...

    (3 episodes, 2001) as Derek Fitzhugh
  • All About Us
    All About Us
    "All About Us" is the first single released from Russian band t.A.T.u.'s second English studio album, Dangerous and Moving, and its Russian counterpart, Lyudi Invalidy ....

    (1 episode, 2001) as Jeremy
  • Eastwick (2002) as Dakota
  • Raising Dad
    Raising Dad
    Raising Dad is an American television series that aired on the WB from September 2001 until May 2002. The series starred Bob Saget, Kat Dennings, Brie Larson, Riley Smith, Beau Wirick, and Jerry Adler.-Premise:...

    (9 episodes, 2002) as Jared Ashby
  • Boston Public
    Boston Public
    Boston Public is an American drama television series created by David E. Kelley and broadcast on Fox. It centered on Winslow High School, a fictional public high school located in Boston, Massachusetts. The show was named for the real public school district in which it takes place...

    (1 episode, 2002) as Mark
  • CSI: Miami
    CSI: Miami
    CSI: Miami is an American police procedural television series, which premiered on September 23, 2002 on CBS. The series is a spin-off of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation....

    (1 episode, 2003) as Jack
  • Peacemakers
    Peacemakers
    Peacemakers, was an American pacifist organization. The name of the group is taken from a section of the Beatitudes: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.”...

    (1 episode, 2003) as Eric Soper
  • 24
    24 (TV series)
    24 is an American television series produced for the Fox Network and syndicated worldwide, starring Kiefer Sutherland as Counter Terrorist Unit agent Jack Bauer. Each 24-episode season covers 24 hours in the life of Bauer, using the real time method of narration...

    (6 episodes, 2003) as Kyle Singer
  • Summerland
    Summerland (TV series)
    Summerland is an American drama television series created by Stephen Tolkin and Lori Loughlin. It is centered on a clothing designer in her 30s, Ava Gregory , raising her niece and nephews after their parents die in a tragic accident...

    (2 episodes, 2004) as Tanner
  • Hawaii
    Hawaii (TV series)
    Hawaii is a United States television series produced and distributed by NBC Universal Television for the NBC television network. Originally titled Pearl City, this police drama was produced with the series Hawaii Five-O in mind, and debuted on August 31, 2004...

    (1 episode, 2004) as Sheldon
  • Joan of Arcadia
    Joan of Arcadia
    Joan of Arcadia is an American television fantasy/family drama telling the story of teenager Joan Girardi , who sees and speaks with God and performs tasks she is given. The series originally aired on Fridays, 8-9 p.m...

    (5 episodes, 2004–2005) as Andy Baker
  • The Way (2006) as Karl
  • Spring Break Shark Attack as Shane Jones
  • Drive
    Drive (TV series)
    Drive is a short-lived American action drama television series created by Tim Minear and Ben Queen, produced by Minear, Queen, and Greg Yaitanes, and starring Nathan Fillion, four episodes of which aired on the Fox network in April 2007...

    (6 episodes, 2007) as Rob Laird
  • CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
    CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
    CSI: Crime Scene Investigation is an American crime drama television series, which premiered on CBS on October 6, 2000. The show was created by Anthony E. Zuiker and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer...

    (1 episode, 2007) as Jordan Rockwell
  • Women's Murder Club
    Women's Murder Club
    Women's Murder Club is an American police procedural and legal drama, which ran on ABC from October 12, 2007, to May 13, 2008. The series is set in San Francisco, California and is based on the 'Women's Murder Club' series of novels written by James Patterson...

    (1 episode, 2007) as Jamie Galvan
  • Criminal Minds
    Criminal Minds
    Criminal Minds is an American police procedural drama that premiered September 22, 2005, on CBS. The series follows a team of profilers from the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit based in Quantico, Virginia. The BAU is part of the FBI National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime...

    (1 episode, 2008) as Ryan Phillips
  • Ghost Whisperer
    Ghost Whisperer
    Ghost Whisperer is an American television supernatural drama, which ran on CBS from September 23, 2005 to May 21, 2010.The series follows the life of Melinda Gordon , who has the ability to see and communicate with ghosts...

    (1 episode, 2009) as Sean Flannery
  • Knight and Day (2010) as Jim Pollard
  • Leverage
    Leverage (TV series)
    Leverage is an American television drama series on TNT that premiered in December 2008. The series is produced by director/executive producer Dean Devlin's production company Electric Television...

    (1 episode, 2010) as Dr. Wes Abernathy
  • 10,000 Days
    10,000 Days
    10,000 Days is the Grammy Award-winning fourth studio album by American rock band Tool. The album was released on April 28, 2006 in parts of Europe, April 29 in Australia, May 1 in the United Kingdom, and May 2 in North America...

    (2010) as Sam Beck

Film

  • Lovers Lane
    Lovers Lane (1999 film)
    Lovers Lane is a 1999 American slasher film starring Erin J. Dean, Riley Smith, Sarah Lancaster and Anna Faris.-Plot:Thirteen years ago, on Valentine's Day at the local lovers lane, Dee-Dee and Jimmy are making out in their car when a maniac wielding a steel hook attacks them...

    (1999) as Michael Lamson
  • Voodoo Academy
    Voodoo Academy
    Voodoo Academy is a Horror/Fantasy movie, released in 2000, directed by David DeCoteau.It is considered to be homoerotic for containing muscular young adult males in their underwear, rubbing themselves...

    (2000) as Christopher Sawyer
  • Bring It On
    Bring It On
    Bring It On may refer to:In film and television:*Bring It On , a 2000 film about a high school cheerleading squad**Bring It On Again, a 2004 sequel**Bring It On: All or Nothing, a 2006 sequel...

    (2000) as Tim
  • Motocrossed
    Motocrossed
    Motocrossed! is a 2001 Disney Channel Original Movie , about a girl named Andrea Carson who loves motocross, despite the fact that her father finds her unsuited for the sport, being that she is "just a girl"...

    (2001) as Dean Talon
  • Not Another Teen Movie
    Not Another Teen Movie
    Not Another Teen Movie is a 2001 American comedy film directed by Joel Gallen, released on December 14, 2001 by Columbia Pictures. It is a parody of teen movies which have accumulated in Hollywood over the last few decades...

    (2001) as Les
  • Eight Legged Freaks
    Eight Legged Freaks
    Eight Legged Freaks is a 2002 comedy horror directed by Ellory Elkayem and stars David Arquette, Kari Wührer and Scott Terra. The plot concerns a collection of spiders that are exposed to toxic waste, causing them to grow to gigantic proportions and begin killing and harvesting...

    (2002) as Randy
  • Full Ride (2002) as Matt Sabo
  • National Lampoon's Barely Legal
    National Lampoon's Barely Legal
    __FORCETOC__National Lampoon's Barely Legal is a 2003 comedy film about three male high school students who decide to make money by selling pornographic videos, in the hopes of gaining both women and standing among their peers...

    (2003) as Jake
  • Radio (2003) as Johnny
  • New York Minute
    New York Minute (film)
    New York Minute is a 2004 American teen comedy film starring Mary-Kate Olsen, Ashley Olsen and Eugene Levy. It was directed by Dennie Gordon and released on May 7, 2004. In the film Mary-Kate and Ashley play twins with opposing personalities who have a series of misadventures around New York City...

    (2004)
  • The Plight of Clownana (2004) as Riley
  • Weapons
    Weapons (film)
    Weapons is a 2007 American, teenage crime drama directed and written by Adam Bhala Lough.The film premiered in competition at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival and was released straight-to-DVD by Lionsgate in 2009.-Cast:...

    (2007) as Jason
  • White Air
    White air
    White Air can refer to:* White Air , an extreme sports festival held annually in Yaverland on the Isle of Wight.* White Airways, a charter airline based in Lisbon, Portugal....

    (2007) as Alex
  • Graduation
    Graduation
    Graduation is the action of receiving or conferring an academic degree or the ceremony that is sometimes associated, where students become Graduates. Before the graduation, candidates are referred to as Graduands. The date of graduation is often called degree day. The graduation itself is also...

    (2007) as Chauncey Boyd
  • Make It Happen
    Make It Happen (film)
    Make It Happen is a 2008 dance film directed by Darren Grant and starring Mary Elizabeth Winstead. The screenplay was co-written by Duane Adler, who was a screenwriter for Save the Last Dance and Step Up, films that also involved dancing.-Plot:...

    (2008) as Russ
  • Gallowwalker
    Gallowwalker
    Gallowwalker is an horror western film directed by Andrew Goth and starring Wesley Snipes, Riley Smith and Tanit Phoenix. Co-stars include wrestler Diamond Dallas Page. Shooting has been completed, but the release date is still unknown.- Plot :...

    (2010) as Fabulos
  • Minuteman (2010) as Lance Deakin
  • The Closer
    The Closer
    The Closer is an American crime drama, starring Kyra Sedgwick as Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson, a Georgia police detective who often closes her cases using sometimes-questionable methods...

    (2011) as Trey Gavin

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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