Roger LaVerne Smith (December 18, 1932 – June 4, 2017) was an American television and film actor, producer, and screenwriter. He starred in the television detective series ''

77 Sunset Strip ''77 Sunset Strip'' is an American television private detective drama series created by Roy Huggins and starring Efrem Zimbalist Jr., Roger Smith, Richard Long (from 1960 to 1961) and Edd Byrnes (billed as Edward Byrnes). Each episode was on ...

'' and in the comedy series '' Mister Roberts''. Smith went on to manage the career of

Ann-Margret Ann-Margret Olsson (born April 28, 1941) is a Swedish–American actress, singer, and dancer. As an actress and singer, she is credited as Ann-Margret. She is known for her roles in '' Pocketful of Miracles'' (1961), '' State Fair'' (1962), ' ...

, his wife of 50 years.

Early life

Smith was born in

South Gate, California South Gate is the 19th largest city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, with . South Gate is located southeast of Downtown Los Angeles. It is part of the Gateway Cities region of southeastern Los Angeles County. The city was in ...

, the son of Leone Irene (Adams) and Dallas L. Smith. When he was six, his parents enrolled him into a stage school, where he took singing, dancing, and elocution lessons. He grew up in

Nogales, Arizona Nogales (English: or , ; ) is a city in Santa Cruz County, Arizona. The population was 20,837 at the 2010 census and estimated 20,103 in 2019. Nogales forms part of the larger Tucson–Nogales combined statistical area, with a total populati ...

, where his family moved when he was 12. He was educated at the

University of Arizona The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it was the first university in the Arizona Territory. ...

Tucson , "(at the) base of the black ill , nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town" , image_map = , mapsize = 260px , map_caption = Interactive map ...

on a football scholarship. He won several amateur talent prizes as a singer and guitarist.

Career

Smith served with the Naval Reserve and was stationed in

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only ...

with the Fleet All-Weather Training Unit-Pacific, a flight-training unit near Honolulu. After a chance meeting with

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), l ...

James Cagney James Francis Cagney Jr. (; July 17, 1899March 30, 1986) was an American actor, dancer and film director. On stage and in film, Cagney was known for his consistently energetic performances, distinctive vocal style, and deadpan comic timing. He ...

, he was encouraged to try a career in Hollywood. (Cagney had also encouraged other young actors for whom he found roles in two 1956 films.) He later played Cagney's character's son in '' Man of a Thousand Faces''. Roger Smith actor

Smith signed with

Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production studio that is a member of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which is one of the Big Five studios and a subsidiary of the multi ...

in 1957 and made several films, then moved to Warner Bros. in 1958. On April 16, 1958, Smith appeared with

Charles Bickford Charles Ambrose Bickford (January 1, 1891 – November 9, 1967) was an American actor known for supporting roles. He was nominated three times for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, for '' The Song of Bernadette'' (1943), '' The F ...

in "The Daniel Barrister Story" on

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters ...

's ''

Wagon Train ''Wagon Train'' is an American Western series that aired 8 seasons: first on the NBC television network (1957–1962), and then on ABC (1962–1965). ''Wagon Train'' debuted on September 18, 1957, and became number one in the Nielsen ratings ...

''. His greatest film exposure was the role of the adult

Patrick Dennis Edward Everett Tanner III (18 May 1921 – 6 November 1976), known by the pseudonym Patrick Dennis, was an American author. His novel '' Auntie Mame: An irreverent escapade'' (1955) was one of the bestselling American books of the 20 ...

in ''

Auntie Mame ''Auntie Mame: An Irreverent Escapade'' is a 1955 novel by American author Patrick Dennis chronicling the madcap adventures of a boy, Patrick, growing up as the ward of his Aunt Mame Dennis, the sister of his dead father. The book is often de ...

'', with

Rosalind Russell Catherine Rosalind Russell (June 4, 1907November 28, 1976) was an American actress, comedienne, screenwriter, and singer,Obituary '' Variety'', December 1, 1976, p. 79. known for her role as fast-talking newspaper reporter Hildy Johnson in the H ...

. His signature television role was private detective Jeff Spencer in '' 77 Sunset Strip''. Smith appeared in 74 episodes of the Warner Bros. Television series. Due to his popularity on the show, Warner Bros. Records released one LP album by Smith titled, ''Beach Romance'' on Warner Bros. Records WS 1305, in June 1959. He left the popular ABC program in 1962 because of a blood clot in his brain. He recovered from this after surgery. Before he obtained a role in another television series, Smith said he had to "fight my way back from a point where I had almost decided to give up acting." He then starred as Lt. Douglas Roberts in the Warner Bros. Television series '' Mister Roberts'', a comedy-drama series on

-TV in 1965–1966. He produced two films with

Allan Carr Allan Carr (born Allan Solomon; May 27, 1937 – June 29, 1999) was an American producer and manager of stage for the screen. Carr was nominated for numerous awards, winning a Tony Award and two People's Choice Awards, and was named Producer o ...

, '' The First Time'' (1969) and '' C.C. and Company'' (1970), which he also wrote. His health declined, and in 1980, according to wife Ann-Margret, he was diagnosed with

myasthenia gravis Myasthenia gravis (MG) is a long-term neuromuscular junction disease that leads to varying degrees of skeletal muscle weakness. The most commonly affected muscles are those of the eyes, face, and swallowing. It can result in double vision, ...

, a neuromuscular disease. His condition went into remission in 1985. Following his retirement from performing, he managed his wife's career and produced her popular

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish language, Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the List of United States cities by population, 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the U.S. state, state of Neva ...

stage shows. In an interview with the ''

New York Post The ''New York Post'' (''NY Post'') is a conservative daily tabloid newspaper published in New York City. The ''Post'' also operates NYPost.com, the celebrity gossip site PageSix.com, and the entertainment site Decider.com. It was established ...

'', Ann-Margret said that he had

Parkinson's disease Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a long-term degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that mainly affects the motor system. The symptoms usually emerge slowly, and as the disease worsens, non-motor symptoms becom ...

. He appeared rarely on television after his health deteriorated, although he participated on '' This Is Your Life'', when host

Ralph Edwards Ralph Livingstone Edwards (June 13, 1913DeLong, Thomas A. (1996). ''Radio Stars: An Illustrated Biographical Dictionary of 953 Performers, 1920 through 1960''. McFarland & Company, Inc. . Pp. 86-87. – November 16, 2005) was an American radio ...

devoted an episode to Ann-Margret. In addition to the appearances credited below, Smith appeared on several game shows.

Personal life

Smith married twice. His first wife (1956–1965) was Australian-born actress Victoria Shaw with whom he had three children: daughter Tracey (b. 1957), and sons Jordan (b. 1958) and Dallas (b. 1961). Smith and Shaw divorced in 1965. He married Ann-Margret on May 8, 1967. He became her manager, but he largely retired due to his myasthenia gravis.

Death

Smith died at age 84 on June 4, 2017, at Sherman Oaks Hospital in

Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles Sherman Oaks is a neighborhood in the city of Los Angeles, California located in the San Fernando Valley, founded in 1927. The neighborhood includes a portion of the Santa Monica Mountains, which gives Sherman Oaks a lower population density than ...

, of complications from

. He is interred in the

Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills) Forest Lawn Memorial Park – Hollywood Hills is one of the six Forest Lawn cemeteries in Southern California. It is located at 6300 Forest Lawn Drive, Los Angeles, California 90068, in the Hollywood Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles. Hist ...

Filmography

Film

*'' Over-Exposed'' (1956) — Reporter (uncredited) *'' Man of a Thousand Faces'' (1957) — Creighton Chaney at 21 *'' Operation Mad Ball'' (1957) — Cpl. Berryman *'' No Time to Be Young'' (1957) — Bob Miller *''

Crash Landing An emergency landing is a premature landing made by an aircraft in response to an emergency involving an imminent or ongoing threat to the safety and operation of the aircraft, or involving a sudden need for a passenger or crew on board to term ...

'' (1958) — John Smithback *''

'' (1958) — Patrick Dennis (older) *'' Never Steal Anything Small'' (1959) — Dan Cabot *'' For Those Who Think Young'' (1964) — Detective (uncredited) *'' Sette uomini e un cervello'' (1968) — Un giocatore *'' Rogues' Gallery'' (1968) — John Rogue (final film role)

Television

*''

The Original Amateur Hour ''The Original Amateur Hour'' is an American radio and television program. The show was a continuation of '' Major Bowes Amateur Hour'' which had been a radio staple from 1934 to 1945. Major Edward Bowes, the originator of the program and its ...

'' (1948) — as a

singer Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or witho ...

and

guitarist A guitarist (or a guitar player) is a person who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of guitar family instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselve ...

with Ted Mack *'' Damon Runyon Theater'' (1956, Episode: "Hot Oil") — Richard *'' Celebrity Playhouse'' (1956, Episode: "Faith") — Eddie Mason *'' Ford Theatre'' (1956) — Skee Langford / Jug Jensen / Carter *''

Father Knows Best ''Father Knows Best'' is an American sitcom starring Robert Young, Jane Wyatt, Elinor Donahue, Billy Gray and Lauren Chapin. The series, which began on radio in 1949, aired as a television show for six seasons and 203 episodes. Created by ...

'' (1956–1958) — Doyle Hobbs *''

Sheriff of Cochise ''The Sheriff of Cochise'' is an American police crime drama television series of 79 black-and-white episodes broadcast from 1956 to 1958. The show has two seasons of 39 episodes, and there is an additional standalone episode. Each episode runs ...

'' (1957, Episode: "The Kidnapper") — Jim *''West Point'' (1957, Episode: "M-24") *'' The George Sanders Mystery Theater'' (1957, Episode: "Round Trip") *''

'' (1958, Episode: "The Daniel Barrister Story") — Dr. Peter Culver *''

Sugarfoot ''Sugarfoot'' is an American Western television series that aired for 69 episodes on ABC from 1957-1961 on Tuesday nights on a "shared" slot basis – rotating with ''Cheyenne'' (first season); ''Cheyenne'' and '' Bronco'' (second season); an ...

'' (1958, Episode: "Yampa Crossing") — Gene Blair *''

'' (1958–1963) — Jeff Spencer *'' Hawaiian Eye'' (1960, Episode: "I Wed Three Wives") — Jeff Spencer *'' The Ford Show, Starring Tennessee Ernie Ford'' (December 22, 1960) — Himself *''

Surfside 6 ''Surfside 6'' is an ABC television series which aired from 1960 to 1962. The show centered on a Miami Beach detective agency set on a houseboat and featured Troy Donahue as Sandy Winfield II; Van Williams as Kenny Madison (a character recyc ...

'' (1962, Episode: "Love Song for a Deadly Redhead") — Jeff Spencer *'' Kraft Suspense Theatre'' (1964, Episode: "Knight's Gambit") — Anthony Griswold Knight *'' Mister Roberts'' (1965 Series) — Lt. Douglas Roberts *'' Hullabaloo'' (1966)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Roger 1932 births 2017 deaths 20th-century American male actors American male film actors American male television actors American television writers American male television writers University of Arizona alumni People from South Gate, California Male actors from California Warner Bros. contract players United States Navy sailors Military personnel from California Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills) Screenwriters from California Screenwriters from Arizona