Robin Beauclerk Smith (February 28, 1955) is a South African actor whose professional career began in theater whilst still in high school in 1970. He attended the University of Cape Town Drama School after school and worked at The Space Theater in Cape Town doing Socio Political shows during

apartheid Apartheid ( , especially South African English: , ; , ) was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. It was characterised by an ...

. He moved to Johannesburg in 1979 to continue his career in theatre, and to get into television, which was based there. He broke into movies during the heyday of the B grade action movies in the 1980s, and was for a short time in 1997, a wrestling manager for the then WWF now

WWE World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is an American professional wrestling promotion. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority-owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. A global integrated media and entertainment company, ...

. He was known in the

World Wrestling Federation World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is an American professional wrestling promotion. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority-owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. A global integrated media and entertainment company, ...

as The Commandant, who managed the South African

Truth Commission A truth commission, also known as a truth and reconciliation commission or truth and justice commission, is an official body tasked with discovering and revealing past wrongdoing by a government (or, depending on the circumstances, non-state ac ...

for 9 months in 1997. Born in South Africa, he is a film and stage actor, as well as a voice artist. He appeared in many South African and international movies throughout the 1980s and 1990s and is still working as an actor, voice artist and director, based in Cape Town South Africa.

Career

Professional wrestling

Smith became a professional wrestling manager in early 1997.

Bret Hart Bret Sergeant Hart (born July 2, 1957) is a Canadian retired professional wrestler. A member of the Hart wrestling family and a second-generation wrestler, he has an amateur wrestling background at Ernest Manning High School and Mount Royal U ...

visited South Africa and met Smith. Hart recommended him for a role as a manager in the

(WWF), however he never fought as a wrestler. Smith made his wrestling debut in Tennessee in the United States Wrestling Association (USWA). He managed under the name Commandant, and managed a stable of paramilitary wrestlers including "Interrogator", "Tank" and "Recon" as the "Truth Commission"; a take on the similarly named

Truth and Reconciliation Commission A truth commission, also known as a truth and reconciliation commission or truth and justice commission, is an official body tasked with discovering and revealing past wrongdoing by a government (or, depending on the circumstances, non-state ac ...

in South Africa. This team won the USWA Tag Team Championship three times. In June 1997, the Truth Commission made their WWF debut. Smith made promos on WWF about the Truth Commission and attacking the United States for not having discipline. He was hated by the fans. "Sniper" replaced "Tank" on the commission. He was interviewed by Sunny, but scared her by yelling at her. During the summer of 1997 the group lost only to

The Legion of Doom The Legion of Doom is a group of supervillains who originated in ''Challenge of the Superfriends'', an animated series from Hanna-Barbera based on DC Comics' Justice League. The Legion of Doom has since been incorporated into the main DC Universe ...

. In September, Smith was replaced by The Jackyl; the reason for Smith's departure was because Smith wasn't trained to wrestle and the WWF needed a manager who could take bumps and take part in the matches. Smith returned to South Africa, ending his wrestling career.

Acting

Robin Smith first appeared professionally in 1970 in the theater production "Hadrian V11" whilst still at high school in Cape Town South Africa. Two more professional appearances onstage before leaving school led to him attending the University of Cape Town Drama school after completing his schooling at St. Georges Grammar School. Two and a half years into the 3-year course, he left Drama School to work at the Space Theater in Cape Town, founded by the author Athol Fugard, actress Yvonne Bryceland, and her photographer husband Brian Asbury to raise public awareness during the dark years of Apartheid. He moved to Johannesburg in 1979 to continue his career in the theater and to try to break into TV, which only first came to South Africa in 1976. He has appeared in more than 100 feature films and TV shows to date, is an accomplished stage performer and a prolific voice artist. He returned to Cape Town, his home town, in 2006, and continues to work in film, TV and theater.

Selected filmography

* ''Die Troudag van Tant Ralie'' (1975) - Darts player (uncredited) * ''My Country My Hat'' (1983) - Policeman * ''Torn Allegiance'' (1984) - Willits * ''Deadly Passion'' (1985) - Hank the Bouncer * ''The Hidden Farms'' (1985, Short) - Koos de Wet * ''Vyfster: Die Slot'' (1986) - Gabba * ''n Wêreld Sonder Grense'' (1987) - Phil * ''Scavengers'' (1987) - Patrick * ''Red Scorpion'' (1987) - Russian Officer * '' Blind Justice'' (1988) - Max * ''Paradise Road'' (1988) - Langert * ''Diamond in the Rough'' (1988) - Connors' Superior * ''The Schoolmaster'' (1988) * ''Merchants of War'' (1989) - Harry Gere * ''Brutal Glory'' (1989) - Bus Driver * ''Jobman'' (1989) - Cop #2 * ''

Screen Two ''Screen Two'' is a British television anthology drama series, produced by the BBC and transmitted on BBC2 from 1985 to 1998 (not to be confused with a run of films shown on BBC2 under the billing ''Screen 2'' between April 1977 and March 1978 ...

'' (1989, TV Series) - Charlie Clarke * ''Accidents'' (1989) - Raymond Oscar * ''Death Force'' (1989) - Robert McCullam - Private Investigator * ''Reason to Die'' (1990) - Otto * '' Any Man's Death'' (1990) - Ulrich * ''Return to Justice'' (1990) - Cheever * ''The Revenger'' (1990) - Chuck * ''The Schoolmaster'' (1990) - van Wyk * ''

The Fourth Reich The term Fourth Reich () is commonly used to refer to a hypothetical successor to Adolf Hitler's Third Reich (1933–1945) and the possible resurgence of Nazi ideas. It has also been used pejoratively by political opponents. Origin The term " ...

'' (1990) - Sgt Meintjes * '' American Ninja 4: The Annihilation'' (1990) - Schultz * ''Deadly Hunter'' (aka: ''Pursuit'') (1991) - Crazy Ezra * ''Die Prince van Pretoria'' (1992) - Cragge * ''

Bopha! ''Bopha!'' is a 1993 American drama film directed by Morgan Freeman and starring Danny Glover. It is Freeman's directorial debut. It was adapted from a 1986 play of the same name. Story Micah Mangena is a black police officer in South Africa ...

'' (1993) - Retleif * ''Orkney Snork Nie! 2 (nog 'n movie)'' (1993) - Arri * ''Project Shadowchaser 2'' (1993) - Prine * ''

Cyborg Cop II ''Cyborg Cop II'' is a 1994 American direct-to-video action film directed by Sam Firstenberg and written by Jon Stevens and Firstenberg. It is a sequel to the 1993 film '' Cyborg Cop'', and stars David Bradley, Morgan Hunter, Jill Pierce, and V ...

'' (1994) - Fats * ''Guns of Honour'' (1994, TV Movie) - Le Blanc * ''Never say Die'' (1994) - Angel * ''Lipstiek Dipstiek'' (1994) - Frikkie, security guard * ''the Redemption'' (1994) * ''Lunar Cop'' (1995) - Stopper * ''Hearts & Minds'' (1995) - Willem * '' Dangerous Ground'' (1997) - Iron Guard * ''Fools'' (1997) - Whiteman * ''Black Velvet Band'' (1997, TV Movie) - Vermeer * ''

Tarzan and the Lost City ''Tarzan and the Lost City'' is a 1998 American adventure film directed by Carl Schenkel, written by Bayard Johnson and J. Anderson Black, and starring Casper Van Dien, Jane March, and Steven Waddington. The screenplay by Bayard Johnson and J. An ...

'' (1998) - High Priest (uncredited) * ''An Old Womans Tale'' (1998, TV Movie) - Neels * ''Running Free'' (1998) - Blacksmith * ''Africa'' (1999) - Garage Owner * ''The Meeksville Ghost'' (2001) - Ox * ''Glory, Glory'' (aka: ''Hooded Angels'') (2002) - Silus * '' Stander'' (2003) - Loud Speaker Cop * ''

Proteus In Greek mythology, Proteus ( ; ) is an early prophetic sea god or god of rivers and oceanic bodies of water, one of several deities whom Homer calls the "Old Man of the Sea" (''hálios gérôn''). Some who ascribe a specific domain to Prote ...

'' (2003) - Munster * '' Berserker - Hell's Warrior'' (2004) - Bystander * '' Red Dust'' (2004) - Duty Officer * '' Man to Man'' (2005) - Douglas * ''Coup'' (2006, TV Movie) - Horn * '' The Fall'' (2006) - Luigi / One Legged Actor * '' Running Riot'' (2006) - Vladimir Brutonov * ''Forestry in Africa'' (2006) * ''Poena Is Koning'' (2007) - Security guard * ''The Scorpion King 2'' (2008) - High Priest * ''The Seven of Daran'' (2008) - Van Pelt * ''Deadly Harvest'' (2008, TV Movie) - Sailor * ''

Invictus "Invictus" is a short poem by the Victorian era British poet William Ernest Henley (1849–1903). Henley wrote it in 1875, and in 1888 he published it in his first volume of poems, ''Book of Verses'', in the section titled "Life and Death (Echoe ...

'' (2009) - Johan De Villiers * '' Master Harold...and the Boys'' (2010) - Man in Bar / Radio news reader * ''

Beauty Beauty is commonly described as a feature of objects that makes them pleasure, pleasurable to perceive. Such objects include landscapes, sunsets, humans and works of art. Beauty, art and taste are the main subjects of aesthetics, one of the fie ...

'' (2011) - Gideon * ''Il console italiano'' (2011) - Police Captain * ''

Angus Buchan's Ordinary People ''Angus Buchan's Ordinary People'' is a 2012 South African drama film that tells the story of South African preacher Angus Buchan and the intertwining stories of three men en route to one of Buchan's Mighty Men's Conferences. It is not a seque ...

'' (2012) - Herman Visser * '' Leonardo'' (2012, TV Series) * '' Bordering on Bad Behavior'' (2014) - Australian Minister * ''Strikdas'' (2015) - Adriaan Blignaut * ''Snaaks Genoeg'' (2016) - Dawid van der Merwe * ''

The Kissing Booth ''The Kissing Booth'' is a 2018 American teen romantic comedy film written and directed by Vince Marcello, based on the 2012 novel of the same name by Beth Reekles. It stars Joey King, Jacob Elordi, and Joel Courtney. The film follows Elle (K ...

'' (2018) - Pavilion Security * '' Fried Barry'' (2020) - Alien preacher

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Robin B. South African male professional wrestlers South African male actors Living people Professional wrestling managers and valets 1955 births Male actors from Cape Town Sportspeople from Cape Town 20th-century South African sportsmen