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| Birth Name(s) : Gladys Smith |
Date of Birth: June 8, 1921 |
| Status:
Married
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Partner:
Craig Stevens |
| Profession:
Actor |
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Full Alexis Smith Biography
Reliable, ravishing redhead best remembered for her long ten ure at Warner Bros., though she found more fulfilling work later. Bitten by the acting bug while in her teens, Smith briefly worked in Canadian summer stock before heading south to Los Angeles where, spotted in a local stage production, she inked a contract with Warners before reaching her twentieth birthday.
She started out with a supporting role in The Lady With Red Hair (1940) and was kept busy throughout 1941 in the likes of Affectionately Yours, Singapore Woman, She Couldn't Say No and Flight From Destiny She won the female lead in an A picture that same year Dive Bomber and a year later was working opposite Errol Flynn in Gentleman Jim (1942). She was set from that point on, though Warners alternated leading-lady parts with those of the "other woman," at which she excelled. Her Warners films include Thank Your Lucky Stars, The Constant Nymph (both 1943), The Adventures of Mark Twain (as Twain's wife), Hollywood Canteen, The Doughgirls (all 1944), The Horn Blows at Midnight, Conflict, Rhapsody in Blue, San Antonio (all 1945), Night and Day (as the wife of songwriter Cole Porter), Of Human Bondage (both 1946), Stallion Road, The Two Mrs. Carrolls (both 1947), The Woman in White, The Decision of Christopher Blake, Whiplash (all 1948), South of St. Louis (1949), Any Number Can Play (also 1949, on loan to MGM), and Montana (1950).
Her favorite experience was playing the other woman for Frank Capra in Here Comes the Groom (1951), and indeed, she seemed looser, more natural than in almost any of her previous films. But such opportunities were rare; her freelance credits include Undercover Girl (1950), The Turning Point (1952), Split Second (1953), The Sleeping Tiger (1954), The Eternal Sea (1955), Beau James (1957), This Happy Feeling (1958), and The Young Philadelphians (1959), her last for many years.
In 1971 Smith astonished fans when she kicked up her heels (literally) as the vivacious and seemingly ageless singing star in Stephen Sondheim's Broadway musical "Follies" (for which she won a Tony Award.) It led to new offers for films, TV appearances, and stage work. Her later movies include Once Is Not Enough (1975), The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane (1976), Casey's Shadow (1978), The Trout (1982), and Tough Guys (1986).
Smith was a regular on the nighttime soaps "Dallas" (1984) and "Hothouse" (1988). She was married to actor Craig Stevens, whom she met when both were under contract to Warner Bros., from 1944 till her death. Her last film, The Age of Innocence (1993), in which she played an influential New York society matron, was released posthumously. |
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Additional Alexis Smith Biography
Born Gladys Smith in Penticton, British Columbia, Canada, she was the second Canadian with the name (following Mary Pickford) to achieve New York City and Hollywood stardom. Later in life she would say she preferred New York, while her husband of 49 years, actor Craig Stevens, favored California. She was quite tall, standing at least 5'9", and to fit her, the long, stylish dresses that former Warners' star Kay Francis had worn were allotted to her.
Some of Smith's other films include Rhapsody In Blue (1945), Of Human Bondage (1946), and The Young Philadelphians (1959).
Smith appeared on the cover of the May 3, 1971 issue of Time with the announcement that she would be starring in the Hal Prince's Broadway production of Stephen Sondheim's Follies. In 1972 she won the Tony for Best Actress in a Musical for her performance. She followed this with the 1973 all-star revival of The Women, the short-lived 1975 comedy Summer Brave, and the ill-fated 1978 musical Platinum, which drew decent notices only for her performance and quickly closed.
Smith was nominated for an Emmy Award for a guest appearance in the television sitcom Cheers in 1990.
Smith died in Los Angeles, California from brain cancer on the day after her 72nd birthday. She had no children and her husband was her only survivor.
Rumors about her sexuality were prompted by lesbian author Rita Mae Brown's dedication of her book, Rubyfruit Jungle, to Smith. |
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Alexis Smith Quote(s)
| There are so many more interesting things to think about than whether Ida Lupino or Jane Wyman got the roles I should have gotten. |
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