Hal Smith (actor)
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Harold John "Hal" Smith (August 24, 1916 – January 28, 1994) was an American actor. He is credited in over 300 film and television productions, and was best known for his role as Otis Campbell, the
town drunk The town drunk (also called a tavern fool) is a stock character, almost always male, who is drunk more often than sober. Uses in fiction In fiction, the town drunk character serves a number of functions. The town drunk may serve merely as ...
on
CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...
's ''
The Andy Griffith Show ''The Andy Griffith Show '' is an American situation comedy television series that aired on CBS from October 3, 1960, to April 1, 1968, with a total of 249 half-hour episodes spanning eight seasons—159 in black and white and 90 in color. The ...
'' and for voicing
Owl Owls are birds from the order Strigiformes (), which includes over 200 species of mostly solitary and nocturnal birds of prey typified by an upright stance, a large, broad head, binocular vision, binaural hearing, sharp talons, and feathers a ...
in the first four original ''
Winnie the Pooh Winnie-the-Pooh, also called Pooh Bear and Pooh, is a fictional Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic teddy bear created by English author A. A. Milne and English illustrator E. H. Shepard. The first collection of stories about the character w ...
'' shorts (the first three of which were combined into the feature film '' The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh'') and later ''
The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh ''The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh'' is an American animated television series produced by Walt Disney Television Animation. Based on the '' Winnie-the-Pooh'' books by authors A. A. Milne and E. H. Shepard, ''The New Adventures'' was the ...
.'' He also did a cameo in
The Apartment ''The Apartment'' is a 1960 American romantic comedy-drama film directed and produced by Billy Wilder from a screenplay he co-wrote with I. A. L. Diamond. It stars Jack Lemmon, Shirley MacLaine, Fred MacMurray, Ray Walston, Jack Kruschen, Dav ...
as a drunken Santa Claus.


Early life

Harold John Smith was born on August 24, 1916 in Petoskey, Michigan. He was the son of Jay D. Smith (1875-1969) and Emma Smith (nee Ploof) (1881-1977). He was the third of four children and he had three siblings: two older sisters, Kathleen (1912-2005) and Bernadeen (1914-2002) and one younger brother, Glenford “Glen” (1918-2003). After graduation from high school, Smith worked from 1936 to 1943 as a DJ and voice talent for
WIBX WIBX (950 AM) is a commercial radio station in Utica, New York. It is one of Central New York's oldest radio stations, dating back to 1925. The station airs a talk radio format and is owned by Townsquare Media as part of a cluster with adult c ...
Radio in
Utica, New York Utica () is a city in the Mohawk Valley and the county seat of Oneida County, New York, United States. The tenth-most-populous city in New York State, its population was 65,283 in the 2020 U.S. Census. Located on the Mohawk River at the ...
. Being an avid flyer, Smith enlisted in the
United States Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...
in 1943 and was stationed in the
Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...
with the Army's
Special Services Division Special Services was the entertainment branch of the American military. The unit was created on 22 July 1940 by the War Department as part of the Army Service Forces. Special Services not only used its own specially trained and talented troops b ...
.Hal Smith, Alias Otis Campbell, Massena's Shining Star (Part 3).
Adirondack Almanack. Retrieved June 2, 2021.
The complete biography of Hal Smith AKA Mayberry's Otis (the town drunk) Campbell- A Life Well Lived.
Stories of Classic Hollywood: The Life and Times of Hollywood. Retrieved June 2, 2021.
While in
Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...
, he was made assistant manager of the enlisted men's club at the Far East Air Force (FEAF) headquarters. As such, he was responsible for planning and directing shows for the entertainment of his fellow troops. His own performing skills were utilized as well in a show titled ''Strictly from Hunger''. He was discharged from the service in 1946 as a Sergeant and was awarded the
American Campaign Medal The American Campaign Medal is a military award of the United States Armed Forces which was first created on November 6, 1942, by issued by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The medal was intended to recognize those military members who had perfo ...
, the
Asiatic–Pacific Campaign Medal The Asiatic–Pacific Campaign Medal is a United States military award of the Second World War, which was awarded to any member of the United States Armed Forces who served in the Asiatic-Pacific Theater from 1941 to 1945. The medal was created o ...
, the
World War II Victory Medal The World War II Victory Medal is a service medal of the United States military which was established by an Act of Congress on 6 July 1945 (Public Law 135, 79th Congress) and promulgated by Section V, War Department Bulletin 12, 1945. The Wo ...
and the
Philippine Liberation Medal The Philippine Liberation Medal is a military award of the Republic of the Philippines which was created by an order of Commonwealth Army of the Philippines Headquarters on 20 December 1944, and was issued as the Philippine Liberation Ribbon. The d ...
. After the war, he traveled to Hollywood and appeared on many television series such as ''
I Married Joan ''I Married Joan'' is an American situation comedy that aired on NBC from 1952 to 1955. It starred actress Joan Davis as the manic, scatterbrained wife of a mild-mannered community judge (Jim Backus). Synopsis The show, whose syndicated ope ...
'', '' Fury'', '' The People's Choice'', '' The Texan'', ''
Rescue 8 ''Rescue 8'' is a syndicated American action adventure crime drama series about Los Angeles County Fire Department Rescue Squad 8. It premiered in 1958 and originally ran for two seasons with syndicated reruns continuing for almost a decade th ...
'', '' Dennis the Menace'', ''
The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet ''The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet'' is an American television sitcom that aired on ABC from October 3, 1952, to April 23, 1966, and starred the real-life Nelson family. After a long run on radio, the show was brought to television, where it ...
'', ''
The Donna Reed Show ''The Donna Reed Show'' is an American sitcom starring Donna Reed as the middle-class housewife Donna Stone. Carl Betz co-stars as her pediatrician husband Dr. Alex Stone, and Shelley Fabares and Paul Petersen as their teenage children, Mary ...
'', ''
National Velvet ''National Velvet'' is a novel by Enid Bagnold (1889–1981), first published in 1935. It was illustrated by Laurian Jones, Bagnold's daughter, who was born in 1921. Plot summary ''National Velvet'' is the story of a 14-year-old girl named ...
'' and ''
The Red Skelton Show ''The Red Skelton Show'' is an American television comedy/variety show that aired from 1951 to 1971. In the decade prior to hosting the show, Richard "Red" Skelton had a successful career as a radio and motion pictures star. Although his televi ...
''.


Career


''The Andy Griffith Show''

Smith's best-remembered on-screen character was Otis Campbell, the town drunk on ''
The Andy Griffith Show ''The Andy Griffith Show '' is an American situation comedy television series that aired on CBS from October 3, 1960, to April 1, 1968, with a total of 249 half-hour episodes spanning eight seasons—159 in black and white and 90 in color. The ...
'', during most of the series' run from 1960 to 1967. When intoxicated, he would often comically let himself into his regular jail cell—using the key which was stored within reach of the two comfortable jail rooms— and "sleep off" the effects of alcohol. Deputy
Barney Fife Bernard "Barney" Fife is a fictional character in the American television program ''The Andy Griffith Show'', portrayed by comic actor Don Knotts. Barney Fife is a deputy sheriff in the slow-paced, sleepy southern community of Mayberry, North Car ...
would often become irritated with Otis and would attempt to either sober him up or rehabilitate him in several episodes. Hal Smith was the opposite of his character. According to longtime friends
Andy Griffith Andy Samuel Griffith (June 1, 1926 – July 3, 2012) was an American actor, comedian, television producer, southern gospel singer and writer whose career spanned seven decades in music and television. Known for his Southern drawl, his character ...
and Don Knotts, he did not drink in real life. The Otis character stopped appearing in the sitcom towards the end of the series because of sponsor concerns regarding the comic portrayal of excessive drinking. Smith appeared as Calver Weems in the Don Knotts comedy '' The Ghost and Mr. Chicken'' (1966), playing essentially the same town drunk character. Smith would play Otis one more time in the television movie ''
Return to Mayberry ''Return to Mayberry'' is a 1986 American made-for-television romantic comedy film based on the 1960s sitcoms ''The Andy Griffith Show'' and '' Mayberry R.F.D.''. The film premiered on April 13, 1986, on NBC, and was the highest- rated televis ...
'' (1986). In the television movie, Otis is the town's ice cream truck driver and is reported to have been "sober for years". Smith later used his Otis Campbell character in commercial spots for the
Mothers Against Drunk Driving Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) is a non-profit organization in the United States, Canada and Brazil that seeks to stop drunk driving, support those affected by drunk driving, prevent underage drinking, and strive for stricter impaired drivi ...
organization, and he appeared as Otis in
Alan Jackson Alan Eugene Jackson (born October 17, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter. He is known for blending traditional honky-tonk and mainstream country pop sounds (for a style widely regarded as "neotraditional country"), as well as penning many ...
's music video " Don't Rock the Juke Box".


Other performances

In 1957, Smith played Rollin Daggett in the role of a newspaper man in the early days of Mark Twain in the "Fifteen Paces to Fame" episode of Death Valley Days. He made at least one appearance in the TV series ''
Perry Mason Perry Mason is a fictional character, an American criminal defense lawyer who is the main character in works of detective fiction written by Erle Stanley Gardner. Perry Mason features in 82 novels and 4 short stories, all of which involve a c ...
'', the episode titled "The Case of the Treacherous Toupee", (season 4, episode 1), in 1960. He had a small role as a restaurant manager in the 10/01/1960 '' Leave It to Beaver'' episode "Beaver Won't Eat". Smith had a cameo role as the Mayor of Boracho in ''
The Great Race ''The Great Race'' is a 1965 American Technicolor slapstick comedy film starring Jack Lemmon, Tony Curtis, and Natalie Wood, directed by Blake Edwards, written by Arthur A. Ross (from a story by Edwards and Ross), and with music by Henry Manci ...
'' in 1965. He played the industrialist Hans Spear on CBS's sitcom '' Hogan's Heroes'' ( "The Swing Shift", season 2, episode 21). He portrayed King Theseus of Rhodes in ''
The Three Stooges Meet Hercules ''The Three Stooges Meet Hercules'' is a 1962 American comedy fantasy film directed by Edward Bernds. It is the third feature film to star the Three Stooges after their 1959 resurgence in popularity. By this time, the trio consisted of Moe Howar ...
'' (1965) and later provided various voices for the cartoon series ''
The New 3 Stooges ''The New 3 Stooges'' is an American animated television series that ran during the 1965–66 television season starring the Three Stooges. The show follows the trio's antics both in live-action and animated segments. The cast consisted of Moe H ...
''. In 1967, he played John Wilson in the 1967 episode "The Man Who Didn't Want Gold" of the syndicated Western series ''
Death Valley Days ''Death Valley Days'' is an American old-time radio and television anthology series featuring true accounts of the American Old West, particularly the Death Valley country of southeastern California. Created in 1930 by Ruth Woodman, the program ...
'' and Mr. Weber in ''The Lucy Show''. In 1969, Smith had a cameo role as a drunk driver in the '' Adam-12'' episode "Log 51: A Jumper – Code Two". Also in 1969, he appeared in the ''
Petticoat Junction ''Petticoat Junction'' is an American television sitcom that originally aired on CBS from September 1963 to April 1970. The series takes place at the Shady Rest Hotel, which is run by Kate Bradley; her three daughters Billie Jo, Bobbie Jo, and ...
'' episode "The Great Race". He played Jug Gunderson, a moonshiner that helped the Cannonball train win the aforementioned race. Though his character was never seen drinking or drunk, by the end of the episode, he makes an oath to himself to stop drinking and reform. In the mid-1960s, Smith also had a morning children's show on the Los Angeles television station KHJ called ''The Pancake Man'', sponsored by the International House of Pancakes (IHOP) restaurant chain. He reprised the role of the Pancake Man as "Kartoon King" in the 1971 episode of ''
The Brady Bunch ''The Brady Bunch'' is an American sitcom created by Sherwood Schwartz that aired from September 26, 1969, to March 8, 1974, on ABC. The series revolves around a large blended family with six children. The show aired for five seasons and, afte ...
'', titled "The Winner". He also played
Mother Goose The figure of Mother Goose is the imaginary author of a collection of French fairy tales and later of English nursery rhymes. As a character, she appeared in a song, the first stanza of which often functions now as a nursery rhyme. This, howeve ...
in the X-rated animated feature film ''
Once Upon a Girl ''Once Upon a Girl'' is a 1976 American live-action/adult animated fantasy comedy pornographic film written, produced, and directed by Don Jurwich. It was animated by a group of animators who had worked for Walt Disney Productions and Hanna-Barbera ...
'' in 1976.


Voice acting

Smith also worked extensively as a voice actor in animated films and television series. His first voice credit was as "Pepe", a boxing rooster, in
Walter Lantz Walter Lantz (April 27, 1899 – March 22, 1994) was an American cartoonist, animator, producer and director best known for founding Walter Lantz Productions and creating Woody Woodpecker. Biography Early years and start in animation Lant ...
's cartoon "The Bongo Punch" in 1957. Beginning in the late 1950s with such shows as ''
The Huckleberry Hound Show ''The Huckleberry Hound Show'' is an American animated television series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions, and the second series produced by the studio following '' The Ruff and Reddy Show''. The show first aired in syndication on September ...
'' and ''
Quick Draw McGraw Quick Draw McGraw is a fictional anthropomorphic horse and the protagonist and title character of '' The Quick Draw McGraw Show''. He is a white horse, wearing a red Stetson cowboy hat, a red holster belt, a light blue bandana, and occasion ...
'', Smith became one of the most prolific voice actors in Hollywood, eventually working with most of the major studios and production companies, such as Hanna-Barbera,
Walt Disney Walter Elias Disney (; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the American animation industry, he introduced several developments in the production of cartoons. As a film p ...
,
Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...
, the Mirisch Corporation, and
Sid and Marty Krofft Sid Krofft (born July 30, 1929) and Marty Krofft (born April 9, 1937) are a Canadian sibling team of television creators and puppeteers. Through their production company, Sid & Marty Krofft Pictures, they have made numerous children's television a ...
, with voice roles on such series as ''
The Flintstones ''The Flintstones'' is an American animated sitcom produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions. The series takes place in a romanticized Stone Age setting and follows the activities of the titular family, the Flintstones, and their next-door neighb ...
'' in which he mostly did the voices of Texas millionaires such as Fred's rich uncle Tex, ''
Pink Panther ''The Pink Panther'' is an American media franchise primarily focusing on a series of comedy-mystery films featuring an inept French police detective, Inspector Jacques Clouseau. The franchise began with the release of the classic film ''The Pin ...
'', '' The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh'', '' Mickey Mouse'', ''
Yogi Bear Yogi Bear is an anthropomorphic animal character who has appeared in numerous comic books, animated television shows and films. He made his debut in 1958 as a supporting character in '' The Huckleberry Hound Show''. Yogi Bear was the first ...
'' and '' Looney Tunes''. In 1962, he voiced Taurus, the Scots-accented mechanic of the spaceship ''Starduster'' for the series '' Space Angel''. According to the book: ''Space Patrol, missions of daring in the name of early television'', "It's rumored that Gene Roddenberry was a huge fan of the show and patterned ''Star Trek's'' engineer, Mr. Scott, after McCloud's Scottish sidekick, Taurus". He also did voices for the ''
Hong Kong Phooey ''Hong Kong Phooey'' is an American animated television series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions and originally broadcast on ABC. The original episodes aired from September 7 to December 21, 1974, and then in repeats until 1976. The show w ...
'' series. In 1977, he was the voice of Grandpa Josiah in the cartoon special, ''
Halloween Is Grinch Night ''Halloween Is Grinch Night'' (titled ''It's Grinch Night'' for the 1992 videocassette release and ''Grinch Night'' for the sing-a-long videocassette release) is a 1977 children's animated Halloween television special and is the prequel to the 1966 ...
''. He was also very active with doing voices in 1980s; he was Sludge in ''
The Smurfs ''The Smurfs'' (french: Les Schtroumpfs; nl, De Smurfen) is a Belgian comic franchise centered on a fictional colony of small, blue, humanoid creatures who live in mushroom-shaped houses in the forest. ''The Smurfs'' was first created and int ...
'', Goofy in ''
Mickey's Christmas Carol ''Mickey's Christmas Carol'' is a 1983 American animated family comedy-drama featurette directed and produced by Burny Mattinson. The cartoon is an adaptation of Charles Dickens's 1843 novella ''A Christmas Carol'', and stars Scrooge McDuck as ...
'', in Disney's ''
DuckTales ''DuckTales'' is an American animated television series produced by Disney Television Animation. The original cartoon series premiered on syndication and on Disney Channel on September 18, 1987 and ran for a total of 100 episodes over four sea ...
'' he did the voices of Scrooge McDuck's rival
Flintheart Glomgold Flintheart Glomgold is a cartoon character created in 1956 by Carl Barks. He is a South African American Pekin Duck and the business rival of Scrooge McDuck, usually portrayed as an ambitious, ruthless, and manipulative businessman who shar ...
and the absent-minded scientist
Gyro Gearloose Gyro Gearloose is a cartoon character created in 1952 by Carl Barks for Disney comics. An anthropomorphic chicken, he is part of the Donald Duck universe, appearing in comic book stories as a friend of Donald Duck, Scrooge McDuck, and anyone who ...
and in ''Frog And Toad are Friends'' and ''Frog And Toad Together'' he also did the voice of Toad. Smith also voiced the Disney cartoon character Goofy after
Pinto Colvig Vance DeBar Colvig Sr. (September 11, 1892 – October 3, 1967), professionally Pinto Colvig, was an American voice actor, newspaper cartoonist, and circus and vaudeville performer whose schtick was playing the clarinet off-key while mugging. C ...
died in 1967. Additionally, he provided the voice of
Owl Owls are birds from the order Strigiformes (), which includes over 200 species of mostly solitary and nocturnal birds of prey typified by an upright stance, a large, broad head, binocular vision, binaural hearing, sharp talons, and feathers a ...
in the three original ''
Winnie the Pooh Winnie-the-Pooh, also called Pooh Bear and Pooh, is a fictional Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic teddy bear created by English author A. A. Milne and English illustrator E. H. Shepard. The first collection of stories about the character w ...
'' featurettes (''
Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree ''Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree'' is a 1966 animated featurette based on the first two chapters of ''Winnie-the-Pooh'' by A. A. Milne. The film was produced by Walt Disney Productions, and distributed by Buena Vista Distribution on February ...
'', ''
Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day ''Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day'' is a 1968 American animated featurette based on the third, fifth, ninth, and tenth chapters of ''Winnie-the-Pooh'' and the second, eighth, and ninth chapters from ''The House at Pooh Corner'' by A. A. Milne ...
'' and ''
Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too ''Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too'' is a 1974 animated featurette based on the third chapter of ''Winnie-the-Pooh'' and the fourth and seventh chapters of ''The House at Pooh Corner'' by A. A. Milne. The featurette was directed by John Lounsbery, p ...
'') and '' The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh'' in 1977. In the 1960s, he was one of the most sought after voice actors in Hollywood. From 1959 till 1975, he provided the voices for Goliath, Davey's dad and many other characters in ''
Davey and Goliath ''Davey and Goliath'' is a Christian clay-animated children's television series, whose central characters were created by Art Clokey, Ruth Clokey, and Dick Sutcliffe, and which was produced first by the United Lutheran Church in America and la ...
''. From 1960 to 1961, he was the voice of Elmer Fudd after Arthur Q. Bryan died. In 1963, he voiced Dr. Todd Goodheart, Belly Laguna, and Dr. Von Upp in The Funny Company cartoon series. From 1964 to 1966, he was the voice of Yappee in the Hanna-Barbera cartoon shorts ''
Yippee, Yappee and Yahooey ''Yippee, Yappee and Yahooey'' is a Hanna-Barbera animated television series that premiered September 16, 1964. It was presented as a segment of '' The Peter Potamus Show'', along with '' Breezly and Sneezly'' and '' Peter Potamus''. Plot Yippee ...
''. He was also the voice of Cosgoode Creeps, Asa Shanks, the Farmer and Mr. Greenway, on ''
Scooby-Doo, Where are You! ''Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!'' is an American animated comedy television series created by Joe Ruby and Ken Spears and produced by Hanna-Barbera for CBS. The series premiered as part of the network's Saturday morning cartoon schedule on Septem ...
''. In 1981, he reprised his role as Owl and voiced Winnie-the-Pooh in the short ''
Winnie the Pooh Discovers the Seasons ''Winnie the Pooh Discovers the Seasons'' is a short film made by Walt Disney Productions' educational media division, released on September 6, 1981. Plot Christopher Robin presents Pooh with an interesting new gift—a calendar. Pooh has nev ...
'', replacing
Sterling Holloway Sterling Price Holloway Jr. (January 4, 1905 – November 22, 1992) was an American actor and voice actor who appeared in over 100 films and 40 television shows. He did voice acting for The Walt Disney Company, playing Mr. Stork in '' Dumbo'', A ...
, who had provided the voice of the character for many years. He then voiced the two characters in ''
Winnie the Pooh and a Day for Eeyore ''Winnie the Pooh and a Day for Eeyore'' is a 1983 American animated featurette based on the sixth chapter of both books ''Winnie-the-Pooh'' and '' The House at Pooh Corner'' by A.A. Milne. Produced by Walt Disney Productions and distributed by B ...
'' in 1983, as well as Disney Channel's television series ''
Welcome to Pooh Corner ''Welcome to Pooh Corner'' is a live-action/puppet television series that aired on Disney Channel, featuring the characters from the Winnie the Pooh universe portrayed by actors in human-sized puppet suits, except Roo, who was originally a traditio ...
''. On the television series ''
The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh ''The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh'' is an American animated television series produced by Walt Disney Television Animation. Based on the '' Winnie-the-Pooh'' books by authors A. A. Milne and E. H. Shepard, ''The New Adventures'' was the ...
'' in 1988, Jim Cummings took over as Pooh while Smith continued playing Owl. The two voice actors sometimes rotated the voice of Winnie the Pooh. In 1991, Smith provided the voice of Philippe the Horse in the Disney film ''
Beauty and the Beast ''Beauty and the Beast'' (french: La Belle et la Bête) is a fairy tale written by French novelist Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve and published in 1740 in ''La Jeune Américaine et les contes marins'' (''The Young American and Marine ...
'' before his death in 1994. In 1985, Hal voiced Norman Harper, a sick father of wife Jennifer Walters (voiced by D.J. Harner), in a radio drama entitled "House Guest". It aired on the Focus on the Family daily broadcast on November 23 (the day before Thanksgiving) of that year. He went to voice other roles for other Focus audio presentations, and starting in 1987, Smith was the voice of the main character John Avery Whittaker on Focus on the Family's longest-running radio drama ''
Adventures in Odyssey ''Adventures in Odyssey'' (AIO), or simply ''Odyssey'', is an Evangelical Christian radio drama and comedy series created and produced by Focus on the Family. Aimed at families with children age 12 and younger, the series first aired in 1987 as ...
'', which debuted that year. He was responsible for much of the cast joining the show after he signed on (including
Katie Leigh Katherine Elizabeth "Katie" Leigh Joseph (born December 16, 1958) is an American voice actress, best known for her roles as Sunni Gummi in ''Disney's Adventures of the Gummi Bears'', Zuzu in ''Poppy Cat'', Alex in the first two seasons of '' To ...
,
Will Ryan William Frank Ryan (May 21, 1949 – November 19, 2021) was an American voice actor, musician and singer. He provided the voice of Petrie in the 1988 animated film ''The Land Before Time''. He was also known for his voice work as Eugene Meltsner ...
,
Walker Edmiston Walker Edmiston (February 6, 1926 – February 15, 2007) was an American radio, television and voice actor. Early years Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Edmiston participated in local theater productions during his high school years. He later stu ...
,
Earl Boen Earl Boen () is an American retired film, television and voice actor, best known as criminal psychologist Dr. Peter Silberman in ''The Terminator'' (1984), '' Terminator 2: Judgment Day'' (1991), '' Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines'' (2003) and ...
,
Dave Madden David Joseph Madden (December 17, 1931 – January 16, 2014) was a Canadian-born American actor. His most famous role came on the 1970s sitcom ''The Partridge Family'', in which he played the group's manager, Reuben Kincaid, opposite Shirley Jo ...
and others), and he continued recording episodes until a few weeks before his death, even while his health deteriorated. In an Andy Griffith Fan Interview, published after he died, Smith said that ''Adventures in Odyssey'' was one of the most gratifying things he had done in his life. Additionally, he voiced dozens of other characters during the 253 episodes in which he participated. His role of Whit was later filled by Paul Herlinger in 1996 and then
Andre Stojka Andre Stojka is an American voice actor. He is best known for his role as the voice of Owl in the Winnie-the-Pooh franchises starting with ''Pooh’s Grand Adventure: The Search for Christopher Robin'' inheriting the role from Hal Smith after hi ...
in 2009, after his death. Hal voiced Joe McGee in "The Old Man and the Sea Duck" episode of ''
TaleSpin ''TaleSpin'' is an American animated television series first aired in 1990 as a preview on Disney Channel and later that year as part of '' The Disney Afternoon''. It features characters adapted from Disney's 1967 animated feature ''The Jungle Bo ...
''. Smith was also very active working in television commercials as various characters. He provided on-screen promotion for 3 Musketeers, United Van Lines,
Hickory Farms Hickory Farms, LLC is an American food gift retailer with headquarters in Chicago. Richard Ransom established the company in 1951 when he began selling handcrafted cheese at local fairs. By 1959, the company added summer sausage and opened its f ...
,
Toyota is a Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Toyota City, Aichi, Japan. It was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda and incorporated on . Toyota is one of the largest automobile manufacturers in the world, producing about 10 ...
,
Green Giant Green Giant and Le Sueur (spelled Le Sieur in Canada) are brands of frozen and canned vegetables owned by B&G Foods. The company's mascot is the Jolly Green Giant. Company and brand history The Minnesota Valley Canning Company was founded in ...
,
General Mills General Mills, Inc., is an American multinational manufacturer and marketer of branded processed consumer foods sold through retail stores. Founded on the banks of the Mississippi River at Saint Anthony Falls in Minneapolis, the company orig ...
,
Mattel Mattel, Inc. ( ) is an American multinational toy manufacturing and entertainment company founded in January 1945 and headquartered in El Segundo, California. The company has presence in 35 countries and territories and sells products in more ...
, Kellogg's,
Pizza Hut Pizza Hut is an American multinational restaurant chain and international franchise founded in 1958 in Wichita, Kansas by Dan and Frank Carney. They serve their signature pan pizza and other dishes including pasta, breadsticks and dessert a ...
,
Chicken of the Sea Chicken of the Sea is a packager and provider of seafood, owned by the Thai Union Group in Samut Sakhon, Thailand. The brand is attached to tuna, salmon, clams, crab, shrimp, mackerel, oysters, kippers and sardines in cans, pouches and cups, as a ...
, Ivory soap, Doctor Ross Dog Food,
Pioneer Chicken Pioneer Chicken (or Pioneer Take Out, as it is officially named) is an American fried chicken restaurant chain which was founded in Echo Park, Los Angeles in 1961 by H. R. Kaufman. When Kaufman sold the chain in 1987, there were 270 restaurants o ...
, Bell Telephone Company,
Coca-Cola Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. Originally marketed as a temperance drink and intended as a patent medicine, it was invented in the late 19th century by John Stith Pemberton in Atlant ...
,
Chef Boyardee Chef Boyardee is an American brand of canned pasta products sold internationally by Conagra Brands. The company was founded by Italian immigrant Ettore Boiardi in Milton, Pennsylvania, U.S., in 1928. History After leaving his position as head ...
and hundreds of other advertising sponsors.


Personal life

Smith was married to Louise C. Smith from 1936 until her death in 1992. They had a son named Terry.


Death

After his wife died in 1992, Smith's own health began to deteriorate rapidly. On January 28, 1994, at the age of 77, Smith died from an apparent
heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which ma ...
. Don Pitts, his longtime agent, said that Smith died at his home in
Santa Monica, California Santa Monica (; Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 U.S. Census population was 93,076. Santa Monica is a popular resort town, owing t ...
, while he was listening to a nightly drama hour on radio. He is interred in the mausoleum at Woodlawn Cemetery in Santa Monica.


Partial filmography


Film


Television


Animated film


Animation


Video games


Radio


References


External links

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Hal 1910s births 1994 deaths American Congregationalists American radio DJs American male film actors American male radio actors American male television actors American male voice actors Audiobook narrators Warner Bros. Cartoons voice actors Hanna-Barbera people Burials at Woodlawn Memorial Cemetery, Santa Monica Male actors from Los Angeles United States Army personnel of World War II United States Army soldiers 20th-century American male actors 20th-century American musicians