Paul L. Smith
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Paul L. Smith | |
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![]() Smith in 1973 | |
Born | Paul Lawrence Smith June 24, 1936 |
Died | April 25, 2012 | (aged 75)
Nationality | American, Israeli |
Other names | Paul Smith Paul Lawrence Smith Bob Spencer Adam Eden |
Alma mater | Brandeis University, Florida State University |
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 1960–1999 |
Height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
Spouses |
|
Children | 1 |
Paul Lawrence Smith (June 24, 1936 – April 25, 2012), most frequently credited as Paul Smith or Paul L. Smith, was an American actor. Burly, bearded and imposing, he appeared in feature films and occasionally on television since the 1970s, generally playing "heavies" and bad guys. His most notable roles include Hamidou, the vicious prison guard in Midnight Express (1978), Bluto in Robert Altman's Popeye (1980), Gideon in the ABC miniseries Masada (1981) and Glossu Rabban in David Lynch's Dune (1984).
Early life
Born in Everett, Massachusetts into a Jewish family, Smith was raised in Miami, Florida, graduating in 1954 from Miami Senior High School where he played football and became a High School All American.
He attended Brandeis University but transferred to Florida State University on a football scholarship and graduated in 1959 with a B.S. degree in Philosophy.
Career
Smith's first acting role was in Exodus, which was filmed in Israel. This was his first visit to the country. In 1967, Smith returned to Israel as a Mahal volunteer in the Six-Day War and stayed there until 1973. In that time, he participated in five productions filmed in Israel.
Afterwards, he moved to Italy where, due to his resemblance to Bud Spencer, he made a series of films with Michael Coby (pseudonym of Antonio Cantafora), a Terence Hill lookalike. One of these films Convoy Buddies was selected for American release by Film Ventures International, and producer Edward L. Montoro changed Smith's name to Bob Spencer and Cantafora's name to Terrance Hall. Smith sued,[1] successfully arguing that an actor's name recognition is vital to his career. The judicial system agreed and ruled against FVI, which paid Smith damages and court costs.[2]
In 1977, Smith moved to Hollywood, making appearances in such films as 21 Hours at Munich (1976), Midnight Express (1978), as Bluto in Popeye (1980), and as Glossu Rabban in Dune (1984). On television he appeared in such established series as Emergency!, CHiPS, Wonder Woman, Barney Miller and Hawaii Five-O.
Personal life
Smith was Jewish. He briefly attended Brandeis University, where he met and married his first wife, Norma Kalman. They had one son, Elliot. Paul and Norma divorced in 1960.
He subsequently married Eve Smith. In February 2006, they emigrated to Israel, adopting Ra'anana as their new home. After taking Israeli citizenship, the couple adopted Hebrew names: Adam and Aviva Eden.
Death
On April 25, 2012, Smith died in Ra'anana.[3] The cause of death is unconfirmed.
Filmography
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1960 | Exodus | Jewish Prisoner Peretz Geffner | Uncredited |
1970 | Madron | Gabe Price | Uncredited |
1971 | Fishke Bemilu'im | Shmil | |
1972 | Nahtche V'Hageneral | ||
Jacko Vehayatzaniot | |||
1973 | Koreyim Li Shmil | Shmiel | |
Gospel Road: A Story of Jesus | Peter | ||
1974 | Moses the Lawgiver | Rebel | TV miniseries |
Carambola! | Clem Rodovam | ||
1975 | Carambola's Philosophy: In the Right Pocket | Len | |
Convoy Buddies | Butch | ||
We Are No Angels | Raphael McDonald | ||
1976 | The Diamond Peddlers | Simone / Toby | |
21 Hours at Munich | Gutfreund | TV movie | |
1978 | Return of the Tiger | Paul the Westerner | |
Midnight Express | Hamidou | ||
1979 | The In-Laws | Mo | |
The Frisco Kid | Person on Philadelphia dock | Uncredited | |
Disaster on the Coastliner | Jim Waterman | TV movie | |
Going in Style | Radio Announcer | ||
1980 | Popeye | Bluto | |
1981 | Masada | Gideon | TV miniseries |
The Salamander | The Surgeon | ||
When I Am King | Sir Blackstone Hardtack | ||
1982 | Pieces | Willard | |
1983 | Sadat | King Farouk | TV miniseries |
Raiders in Action | Saul the Priest | ||
1984 | Mivtza Shtreimel | ||
Jungle Warriors | Cesar Santiago | ||
Dune | Glossu Rabban | ||
1985 | Crimewave | Faron Crush | |
The Protector | Mr. Booar | Uncredited | |
Red Sonja | Falkon | ||
1986 | Sno-Line | Duval | |
Haunted Honeymoon | Dr. Paul Abbot | ||
1987 | Gor | Surbus | |
Terminal Entry | Stewart | ||
1988 | Outlaw Force | Inspector Wainright | |
Death Chase | Steele | ||
1989 | Ochlim Lokshim | ||
Sonny Boy | Slue | ||
Ten Little Indians | Elmo Rodgers | ||
Nipagesh Basafari | Paul | ||
The Hired Gun | Wounded Man | ||
1990 | Crossing the Line | Joe Kapinski | |
Caged Fury | Head Guard | ||
1991 | Eye of the Widow | Elko | |
1992 | Desert Kickboxer | Santos | |
1994 | Maverick | Archduke | |
2008 | Paul Smith: The Reddest Herring | Himself | Extended interview with star Paul L. Smith featured on the North American DVD release of Pieces, where he discusses the film, his life, and career |
Discography
- I'm Mean (1980)
References
- ^ "648 F2d 602, Smith v. L Montoro". OpenJurist.org. Retrieved 2013-02-21.
- ^ GreyWizard. "FVI: What You Didn't Know". The Unknown Movies. Bad Movie Planet. Archived from the original on June 7, 2007. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
- ^ Tom B. (2013-02-13). "Boot Hill: RIP Paul Smith". Westernboothill.blogspot.nl. Archived from the original on 2014-01-07. Retrieved 2013-02-21.