Rex Smith
| Rex Smith | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Rex Smith |
| Born | September 19, 1955 |
| Origin | Jacksonville, Florida, United States |
| Genres | Soft rock |
| Occupations | Actor, singer |
| Instruments | Vocal, Guitar |
| Years active | 1976–present |
| Labels | Columbia |
| Associated acts | REX |
| Website | www.rexsmith.com |
Rex Smith (born September 19, 1955, Jacksonville, Florida) is an American actor and singer.[1] Smith debuted in the Broadway play Grease in 1978.[2] He is noted for his role as Jesse Mach in the 1985 television series Street Hawk, as well as being a singer and stage actor. During the late 1970s, Smith was popular as a teen idol. Because of his good looks, he was featured regularly in 16 Magazine and Tiger Beat. He also had a gold Top 10 single, "You Take My Breath Away," in 1979.[2][3]
Contents |
[edit] Career
[edit] Music
Around 1976, Rex Smith was in a band simply titled "REX." The music was hard rock and consisted of the following members:
- Rex Smith - Vocals
- Mike Ratti - Drums, percussion
- Lou Vandora - Guitar, background vocals
- Orville Davis - Bass
- Lars Hanson - Guitar, background vocals
The demo disc included the following songs:
- "Trouble"
- "Ten Seconds of Love"
- "Feeling Better"
- "Call Her 'Easy'"
In 1979, he had a hit single from the television movie Sooner or Later, entitled "You Take My Breath Away", which reached #10 on the Billboard Hot 100.[3] It is on the platinum-selling album Sooner or Later, which is also named for the movie. The music for this song was written by Stephen J. Lawrence and the lyrics were written by Bruce Hart. For many years, it was a staple on the play lists of FM radio stations with a soft rock or "lite" format.
In 1981, Smith would hit the top 40 again with a remake of "Everlasting Love", in a duet with singer Rachel Sweet. Peaking at #32, the song is Smith's last charting hit to date. The song also became Smith's only hit on the UK Singles Chart, peaking at #35.[4]
Rex Smith performed live at the 1982 Miss Universe beauty pageant main event night, held in Lima, Perú.
His last album was released in 2000 and entitled Simply...Rex. It was re-released in 2006 and re-titled You Take My Breath Away. Smith is currently working on an album to be released in late 2009.
[edit] Television
Smith is best known for his role as motorcycle police officer Jesse Mach in the short-running 1985 television series Street Hawk, but he has also made guest appearances on a variety of television shows, such as The Love Boat, Baywatch, Caroline in the City and JAG. Smith has been a celebrity spokesperson for a number of corporate entities.[5]
Also in 1982, Smith replaced Andy Gibb as a host on the music variety show, Solid Gold.
In 1989, Smith played Daredevil a.k.a. Matt Murdock in the television movie, The Trial of the Incredible Hulk. This was viewed as a potential pilot for an ongoing Daredevil television series.
From 1990 through 1992, Smith was a contract player on the CBS daytime drama, As the World Turns, in the role of Darryl Crawford.
[edit] Stage
In 1978, he made his Broadway debut in the musical Grease in the lead role of Danny Zuko.
Smith also starred as Frederic in the New York Shakespeare Festival's Central Park production of The Pirates of Penzance. In 1981, Smith won the Theatre World Award for his role in Pirates. For the 1983 film adaptation, Smith reprised the role of Frederic along with two other castmembers, Kevin Kline as the Pirate King and Linda Ronstadt as Mabel.
Smith has appeared in other Broadway and Off-Broadway productions, including The Scarlet Pimpernel, Grand Hotel, The Human Comedy, and Annie Get Your Gun. He played Joe Gillis opposite Diahann Carroll as Norma Desmond in the 1995 Canadian production of Sunset Boulevard.
Smith also starred as Fred Graham/Petruchio in the 2001-2002 national tour of Kiss Me, Kate.
[edit] Personal life
Smith has been married three times:
- Jamie Buell, married on February 28, 1987 and divorced in 1995. The couple had two daughters, Meagan Elizabeth (born 1987) and Madison Marie (born 1990).[6]
- Courtney Schrag, a corrections officer, married ind 1998 and divorced a few years later. She later became her husband's manager. The couple have a son, Gatsby Richard (born 1999), and a daughter, Savannah.[6]
- Dr. Tracy Lin, a doctor in Orange County, CA, whom he married on September 28, 2009.
Smith also has a son by Karen Lakey, a record-company representative with whom he had a weekend affair. The son, Brandon, was born in 1980. Father and son met for the first time in 1997, during Smith's appearance in the musical "Sunset Boulevard" when he was signing autographs.[6]
Smith is the brother of Michael Lee Smith, who was the singer of '70s hard rock band Starz.
[edit] Filmography
- Pope Dreams .... Don
- Richie Rich's Christmas Wish .... Rudy
- Passion To Kill .... Ted
- The Trial of the Incredible Hulk .... Matt Murdock/Daredevil
- Ballerina And The Blues .... Lead
- The Pirates of Penzance .... Frederick
- Heading For Broadway .... Fast Eddie
- Sooner or Later ....Michael Skye
- Street Hawk: The Movie (1984) .... Jesse Mach
- Once in a lifetime/Lindsay Wagner....1994 Jeffrey Fields...(Aad Schaaij The Netherlands)
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
- 1976: Rex (Columbia)
- 1977: Where Do We Go from Here (Columbia)
- 1979: Sooner or Later (Columbia)
- 1980: Forever, Rex (Columbia)
- 1981: Pirates of Penzance (Original Soundtrack) (Elektra)
- 1982: Everlasting Love (Columbia)
- 1983: Camouflage (Columbia)
- 1997: Sunset Boulevard (Original Canadian Cast recording)
- 1997: Human Comedy (Original Broadway Cast)
- 1999: The Scarlet Pimpernel: Encore! (1998 Broadway Revival Cast)
- 2000: Simply…Rex (re-titled You Take My Breath Away, 2006)
[edit] References
- ^ "Biography:". Starpulse. http://www.starpulse.com/Actors/Smith,_Rex/. Retrieved 2010-12-10.
- ^ a b "Biography for Rex Smith". IMDb.com, Inc.. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0809688/bio. Retrieved 2010-12-10.
- ^ a b "Rex Smith's claim to fame". Thirteen Ventures Ltd.. http://www.weht.net/WEHT/Rex_Smith.html. Retrieved 2010-12-10.
- ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 509. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ^ "Interview with Rex Smith". TalkinBroadway.com. http://www.talkinbroadway.com/regional/seattle/se70.html. Retrieved 2010-12-10.
- ^ a b c "Face to Face". Time Inc.. http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20124631,00.html. Retrieved 2010-12-10.
