Constance Smith (7 February 1929 – 30 June 2003) was an Irish film actress, and contract player of

20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc., formerly 20th Century Fox, is an American film studio, film production and Film distributor, distribution company owned by the Walt Disney Studios (division), Walt Disney Studios, the film studios division of the ...

in the 1950s.

Early life

Smith was born into a family as the first of 11 children.'' The Oakland Tribune'', 18 March 1962, Oakland, California. p.25: ''Do You Remember Constance Smith?'' Her father was an

infantry Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...

man, working for the

Irish Army The Irish Army () is the land component of the Defence Forces (Ireland), Defence Forces of Republic of Ireland, Ireland.The Defence Forces are made up of the Permanent Defence Forces – the standing branches – and the Reserve Defence Forces. ...

, and he died when Constance was a child. Her mother was not able to support all her children and Constance was sent to a

convent A convent is an enclosed community of monks, nuns, friars or religious sisters. Alternatively, ''convent'' means the building used by the community. The term is particularly used in the Catholic Church, Lutheran churches, and the Anglican ...

. When Smith won a

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

beauty contest A beauty pageant is a competition in which the contestants are judged and ranked based on various physical and mental attributes. Per its name, beauty pageants traditionally focus on judging the contestants' physical attractiveness, sometimes so ...

at age 16 to find the girl who looked most like Hedy Lamarr, Smith's mother sent the photo to a film studio. As a result, Smith won a

screen test A screen test is a method of determining the suitability of an actor or actress for performing on film or in a particular role. It is typically a secondary or later stage in the audition process. The performer is generally given a scene, or sel ...

, and although reluctant to seize the opportunity, she was pushed into the film industry by her mother, according to the actress.

Career

Smith moved to

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, where she briefly joined the

Rank Organisation The Rank Organisation (founded as the J. Arthur Rank Organisation) is a British entertainment conglomerate founded in 1937 by industrialist J. Arthur Rank. It quickly became the largest and most vertically integrated film company in the Uni ...

. Studio executives were unamused by Smith's attitude, and she was eventually sacked before she made her breakthrough. She moved back to London, studied acting and played bit parts in several British

B film A B movie, or B film, is a type of cheap, low-budget commercial motion picture. Originally, during the Classical Hollywood cinema, Golden Age of Hollywood, this term specifically referred to films meant to be shown as the lesser-known second ...

s. She had an uncredited role as a singer in the 1948 film noir '' Brighton Rock''. In 1950, she was first noticed after playing an Irish maid in ''

The Mudlark ''The Mudlark'' is a 1950 film made in United Kingdom, Britain by 20th Century Fox. It is a fictional account of how Queen Victoria was eventually brought out of her mourning for her dead husband, Albert, Prince Consort, Prince Albert. It was di ...

''. Impressed with her performance,

offered her a contract. Upon her arrival in

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...

, producer

Darryl F. Zanuck Darryl Francis Zanuck (; September 5, 1902December 22, 1979) was an American film producer and studio executive; he earlier contributed stories for films starting in the silent era. Best known as a co-founder of 20th Century Fox, he played a ...

cast her opposite

Tyrone Power Tyrone Edmund Power III (May 5, 1914 – November 15, 1958) was an American actor. From the 1930s to the 1950s, Power appeared in dozens of films, often in swashbuckler roles or romantic leads. His better-known films include ''Jesse James (193 ...

in '' I'll Never Forget You'' (1951). However, he soon decided Smith was not experienced enough and replaced her with

Ann Blyth Ann Blyth (born Anne Marie Blythe; August 16, 1928) is an American retired actress and singer. She began her career in radio as a child before transitioning to Broadway, where she appeared in Lillian Hellman, Lillian Hellman’s ''Watch on the R ...

. She was most active in the 1950s, appearing in

features such as '' Man in the Attic'' and '' Treasure of the Golden Condor'' (1953) and '' Impulse'' (1954). Smith was a presenter at the

Academy Awards The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence in ...

ceremony in 1952. By the time her contract expired in 1953, Smith had undergone an abortion and the first of her three marriages was on the ropes. As the years went on and Smith failed to get the parts she felt were commensurate with her abilities, she began an embittered descent into a life of drugs and alcohol. Constance last acted in a run of minor films made in Italy between 1955 and 1959, including a role as Lucretia Borgia in '' La congiura dei Borgia'' (1959). None of these did anything to resuscitate her failing career. During her time in Rome, she first attempted suicide by overdosing on barbiturates. She made her last film appearance in 1959.

Personal life

Smith married English film director

Bryan Forbes Bryan Forbes Order of the British Empire, CBE (; born John Theobald Clarke; 22 July 1926 – 8 May 2013) was an English film director, screenwriter, film producer, actor and novelist described as a "Renaissance man"Falk Q. . BAFTA. 17 October 2 ...

in 1951; they divorced in 1955. In 1962 she was sentenced to three months in prison for stabbing her boyfriend, the documentary maker and film historian Paul Rotha. On 4 February 1968, she stabbed Rotha for the second time and was charged with attempted murder. She and Rotha married in 1974, and broke up in 1978. Smith tried several times again to kill herself. Her last decades were spent, dissipated, in and out of hospitals. During intermittent periods of recovery, she worked as a cleaner.

Death

Smith died of natural causes on 30 June 2003 in

Islington Islington ( ) is an inner-city area of north London, England, within the wider London Borough of Islington. It is a mainly residential district of Inner London, extending from Islington's #Islington High Street, High Street to Highbury Fields ...

, London. She was 74.

Partial filmography

* '' Jassy'' (1947) – Young Lady (uncredited) * '' Brighton Rock'' (1947) – Singer (uncredited) * '' Easy Money'' (1948) – Wilson's Secretary (segment The Atkins Story) (uncredited) * '' The Calendar'' (1948) – Airport Attendant (uncredited) * '' To the Public Danger'' (1948, Short) – Girl in pub watching billiards game (uncredited) * '' Murder at the Windmill'' (1949) – Cloakroom Girl * '' The Perfect Woman'' (1949) – Receptionist * '' Now Barabbas'' (1949) – Jean * '' Trottie True'' (1949) – Gaiety Girl (uncredited) * '' Room to Let'' (1950) – Molly Nusgrave * ''

'' (1950) – Kate Noonan * ''

Don't Say Die ''Don't Say Die'' is a 1950 British comedy film directed by Vivian Milroy and starring Charles Heslop, Sandra Dorne and Constance Smith.Quinlan p.168 It is also known by the alternative title of ''Never Say Die''. Cast * Charles Heslop as ...

'' (1950) – Red Biddy * '' The 13th Letter'' (1951) – Cora Laurent * '' Blackmailed'' (1951) – Nurse Anne * '' I'll Get You for This'' (1951) – Nina * '' Red Skies of Montana'' (1952) – Peg Mason * '' Lure of the Wilderness'' (1952) – Noreen McGowan * ''

Taxi A taxi, also known as a taxicab or simply a cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a Driving, driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of thei ...

'' (1953) – Mary Turner * '' Treasure of the Golden Condor'' (1953) – Clara MacDougal * '' Man in the Attic'' (1953) – Lily Bonner * '' Tiger by the Tail'' (1954) – Jane Claymore * '' Impulse'' (1954) – Lila * '' The Big Tip Off'' (1955) – Penny Conroy * '' Un po' di cielo'' (1955) – Nora * '' The Violent Patriot'' (1956) – Emma Caldana * '' Addio per sempre!'' (1958) – Lucia * '' Conspiracy of the Borgias'' (1959) – Lucrezia Borgia * '' Knight Without a Country'' (1959) – Laura (final film role)

Radio appearances

References

External links

*
Constance Smith in 'Actors' file at Limerick City Library, Ireland
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Constance 1929 births 2003 deaths 20th Century Studios contract players Irish expatriate actresses in the United States Irish film actresses Actresses from Limerick (city)