Arthur Gordon Smith (March 23, 1899 â€" February 24, 1973) was an
American stage, film, and television actor, best known for playing
supporting roles in Hollywood productions of 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 Kingsley's Men in White. The
gray-haired actor usually played studious and dignified types in
films, such as doctors or butlers.Smith appeared in many noirish
films, including Body and Soul (1947) and In a Lonely Place (1950). He
had a key role as a federal agent in 1947's 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.
American stage, film, and television actor, best known for playing
supporting roles in Hollywood productions of 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 Kingsley's Men in White. The
gray-haired actor usually played studious and dignified types in
films, such as doctors or butlers.Smith appeared in many noirish
films, including Body and Soul (1947) and In a Lonely Place (1950). He
had a key role as a federal agent in 1947's 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.
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