Alexis Smith facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Alexis Smith
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Smith in 1951
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| Born |
Margaret Alexis Smith
June 8, 1921 Penticton, British Columbia, Canada
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| Died | June 9, 1993 (aged 72) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
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| Alma mater | Los Angeles City College |
| Occupation |
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| Years active | 1940–1993 |
| Spouse(s) |
Craig Stevens
(m. 1944) |
| Awards | Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical |
Margaret Alexis Smith (born June 8, 1921 – died June 9, 1993) was an actress and singer. She was born in Canada but became an American citizen. Alexis Smith was famous for her roles in many Hollywood movies during the 1940s. Later, she had a very successful career on Broadway in the 1970s. She even won a Tony Award in 1972 for her role in the musical Follies.
Contents
Becoming a Star: Early Life and Discovery
Alexis Smith was born in Penticton, British Columbia, Canada. Her parents moved to Los Angeles, USA, when she was about one year old. Both her parents became U.S. citizens in 1939, which also made her a U.S. citizen. She grew up in Los Angeles and went to Hollywood High School. Many other future stars, like actress Nanette Fabray, also went there.
Alexis Smith first performed ballet at the Hollywood Bowl. In 1940, a talent scout from Warner Bros. found her. She was acting in a school play at Los Angeles City College at the time. This led to her big break in Hollywood!
Hollywood Years: Warner Bros. Films
After being discovered, Alexis Smith signed a contract with Warner Bros.. At first, she had small, uncredited roles in movies. Her first credited role was in Dive Bomber (1941). She played the main female character alongside Errol Flynn. The movie was very popular, and Warner Bros. decided to make her a star.
Rising to Fame: Big Roles
Alexis Smith starred with Errol Flynn again in Gentleman Jim (1942). This was one of the most popular movies that year. Her role in The Constant Nymph (1943) was well-liked. This helped her get even bigger parts.
She appeared in The Adventures of Mark Twain (1944) with Fredric March. She also starred with Ann Sheridan in The Doughgirls (1944). Later, she worked with Jack Benny in The Horn Blows at Midnight (1945).
Alexis Smith also acted with famous stars like Humphrey Bogart in Conflict (1945). She was in Rhapsody In Blue (1945), a movie about the composer George Gershwin. She liked this role because it was "unexpected." She reunited with Errol Flynn for San Antonio (1945), which was a huge hit.
She continued to star in many successful films. These included Night and Day (1946) with Cary Grant. She also made a second film with Humphrey Bogart, The Two Mrs. Carrolls (1947). She often played the "other woman" in her Warner Bros. movies.
In 1948, she starred with Ronald Reagan in Stallion Road. She also appeared in The Woman in White. Warner Bros. tried to change her image with The Decision of Christopher Blake (1948). She then worked with Joel McCrea in South of St. Louis (1949). Her last movie with Errol Flynn was Montana (1950).
In 1949, Alexis Smith left Warner Bros. after nine years.
Life After Warner Bros.
After leaving Warner Bros., Alexis Smith continued to act in films for other studios. She starred in the Western Wyoming Mail (1950) and the crime film Undercover Girl (1950). She played a rival to Jane Wyman in Here Comes the Groom (1951), which she said was her favorite role. She also appeared in The Turning Point (1952) with William Holden.
In 1953, she was in Split Second. She then went to England to film The Sleeping Tiger (1954). She also started acting on television shows like The Star and the Story and Stage 7.
She starred with Sterling Hayden in The Eternal Sea (1955). Later, she appeared with Bob Hope in Beau James (1957). She also acted with Paul Newman in The Young Philadelphians (1959).
Broadway Success: A New Chapter
Alexis Smith met actor Craig Stevens while working at Warner Bros. They got married in 1944. In her later career, Alexis Smith became a big star on stage. She toured in many popular plays with her husband, including Plain and Fancy and Cactus Flower.
In the 1960s, she continued to act on TV shows like Adventures in Paradise and Marcus Welby, M.D..
In 1971, Alexis Smith made her Broadway debut in Stephen Sondheim's musical Follies. She received great praise for her singing and dancing. She even appeared on the cover of Time magazine! In 1972, she won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her amazing performance.
Her stage career continued through the 1970s. She appeared in a revival of The Women (1973) and the musical Platinum (1978). She was nominated for another Tony Award for Platinum. She also performed in nightclubs.
Later Career and Final Roles
Alexis Smith returned to the big screen at age 54 in Jacqueline Susann's Once Is Not Enough (1975) with Kirk Douglas. The next year, she was in The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane with Jodie Foster. In 1978, she starred with Walter Matthau in Casey's Shadow.
One of her last film roles was in Tough Guys (1986). She acted with Kirk Douglas and Burt Lancaster in this comedy. She also had a recurring role on the TV series Dallas in 1984 and 1990. She was nominated for an Emmy Award for her guest appearance on Cheers in 1990. Her very last film role was in The Age of Innocence (1993).
Death
Alexis Smith passed away from brain cancer in Los Angeles on June 9, 1993. This was just one day after her 72nd birthday. She did not have any children. Her husband of 49 years, actor Craig Stevens, was her only close family member left. Her final film, The Age of Innocence, was released shortly after she died.
Images for kids
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Alexis Smith in 1951
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Alexis Smith in 1943
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Alexis Smith in 1946
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Alexis Smith in the 1953 film Split Second
See also
In Spanish: Alexis Smith para niños
