The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane (1976) as Mrs. Hallet
The Age of Innocence (1993) as Louisa van der Luyden
Night and Day (1946) as Linda Lee Porter
The Young Philadelphians (1959) as Carol Wharton
Short Info
Died
June 9, 1993, Los Angeles, California, United States
Spouse
Craig Stevens
Fact
Even after becoming an American citizen, she remained completely apolitical and never registered to vote.
Alexis Smith (born June 8, 1921) is a Canadian-born American actress and singer. She appeared in several major Hollywood films in the 1940s and 1950s, including The Adventures of Don Juan (1948), All About Eve (1950), and The Bad and the Beautiful (1952). She also had a successful career on Broadway, appearing in such productions as Annie Get Your Gun (1946), Bells Are Ringing (1956), and Gypsy (1959).
Smith was born in Penticton, British Columbia, the daughter of Agnes Mary (née Struthers) and George Thomas Smith. She had one sister, Dorothy, who was also an actress. Her father was a lawyer and her mother was a homemaker.
Smith began her acting career in the 1940s, appearing in such films as The Adventures of Don Juan (1948), All About Eve (1950), and The Bad and the Beautiful (1952). She also had a successful career on Broadway, appearing in such productions as Annie Get Your Gun (1946), Bells Are Ringing (1956), and Gypsy (1959).
In the 1960s, Smith began appearing on television, guest-starring on such shows as The Love Boat, Fantasy Island, Hart to Hart, and Magnum, P.I. She also appeared in a number of made-for-TV movies.
Smith married actor Craig Stevens in 1943. The couple had two children: Christopher and Jennifer. They divorced in 1966.
Smith died of congestive heart failure on June 9, 1993, at her home in Malibu, California. She was 72 years old.
General Info
Full Name
Alexis Smith
Died
June 9, 1993, Los Angeles, California, United States
Height
1.75 m
Profession
Actor
Education
Bachelor of Arts
Nationality
Canadian
Family
Spouse
Craig Stevens
Parents
Alexander Smith, Gladys Mabel Fitz-Simmons
Accomplishments
Awards
Tony Award for Best Lead Actress in a Musical, Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Performance
Nominations
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress - Comedy Series
Movies
The Constant Nymph, The Two Mrs. Carrolls, Gentleman Jim, Night and Day, Here Comes the Groom, The Young Philadelphians, The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane, Any Number Can Play, Dive Bomber, Stallion Road, Once Is Not Enough, The Age of Innocence, Of Human Bondage, The Horn Blows at Midnight, T...
[About her first decade in films] In those days I was fresh out of school and delighted to be a movie star. Films were pretty much escapist entertainment, as opposed to the realism you see on screen today. Besides I was pretty much a utility girl at Warners. Anything Ann Sheridan or Ida Lupino or Jane Wyman didn't want to do, I sort of fell heir to. You know people frequently feel it was a shame Warner typecast me, but I don't believe that. I believe I typecast myself. I wasn't creative. Certain creative people - John Garfield, Bette Davis, Olivia de Havilland - didn't allow Warners to do that to them. So I don't blame the studio at all.
2
When they tell me one of my old movies is on TV, I don't look at it.
3
There are so many more interesting things to think about than whether Ida Lupino or Jane Wyman got the roles I should have gotten.
Facts
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Fact
1
Even after becoming an American citizen, she remained completely apolitical and never registered to vote.
2
Smith lost the leading role in the Hollywood High School production of "Who Killed Cock Robin?" schoolmate Nanette Fabray, who was a year older.
3
Dirk Bogarde referred to her as "Fun, professional, loyal, and courageous" and "The days are brighter for knowing her.".
4
A star of Hollywood's Golden Age, neither she nor husband Craig Stevens were ever awarded a "star" on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
5
In her final years she and husband Craig Stevens lived in the West Hollywood house formerly owned by Loretta Young. The living room still had the big white doors that Young had used for her entrances on her TV series.
6
Lifelong friend of Frances Rafferty. They met as dance students when they were kids.
7
Signed by Warner Brothers after being seen in a college drama production, she was subsequently billed as "The Dynamite Girl" and "The Flame Girl" in promotional articles.
8
Had her own nightclub act in the 1970s, which she took to Los Angeles and Canada.