Art Smith

From Wikipedia the free encyclopedia Arthur Gordon Art Smith March 23 1899 February 24 1973 was an American film stage and television actor best known for playing supporting roles in the 1940s Born in Chicago he was a member of the Group Theatre and performed in many of their productions including Rocket to the Moon Awake and Sing Golden Boy and Waiting for Lefty all by Clifford Odets House of Connelly by Paul Green and Sidney Kingsleys Men in White The grayhaired actor usually played studious and dignified types in films such as doctors or butlers Smith appeared in many blackandwhite noirish films in supporting roles alongside more handsome and popular movie leads such as John Garfield in Body and Soul 1947 and Humphrey Bogart in In a Lonely Place 1950 He had a key role as a federal agent in 1947s Ride the Pink Horse starring and directed by Robert Montgomery Two of these films In a Lonely Place and Ride a Pink Horse were based on novels by Dorothy B Hughes Smith was one of the victims of the Hollywood blacklist which ended most of his film career in 1952 In 1957 he originated the role of Doc in the stage version of West Side Story Smith only returned occasionally to the film business for example in an uncredited part in The Hustler He also worked on television before retiring in 1967 He died aged 73 in Long Island New York from a heart attack