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| Dave Smith |
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born:
19 April 1892 Oakland, California, United States of America |
died:
02 March 1953 Burbank, California, United States of America (pneumonia/bronchial cancer, age 60) |
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American actor and assistant director who worked for the Rolin/Hal Roach Studios in both capacities during 1920-21. He often served as assistant director to Alf Goulding on the Snub Pollard and Gaylord Lloyd comedies, as well as to directors Charles Parrott (Charley Chase) and Erle C. Kenton. Smith would follow Goulding off the Roach lot, continuing to assist him on Century Film comedies starring Baby Peggy and others. Publicity from Aug-Sep 1922 reported that Goulding and Smith had been working together for five years -- two with Pathé (then-distributor for Rolin/Roach), the last three with Century (however, this claim doesn't seem to quite jibe with tracking Smith's whereabouts when tracking him through various records). He was the youngest of four children born to Margaret (née Oliver; 1865-1928) and James Lavelle Smith (1858-1931), who wed in 1885 in Denver, Colorado. His siblings were Mary Elizabeth (Smith) Richardson (1886-1959), Jenne (Smith) Selby (1888-1959), and George Smith (1890-1900). Depending on the record, Dave used the middle name of either Clayton (WWI draft card, 1920 marriage certificate) or Christopher (death certificate, Social Security record); on other records, he simply used the middle initial of "C." Dave was acting as early as 1917, as his World War I draft registration card (from 5 June of that year) gives his occupation of actor "at liberty"; he is still living in Oakland at the time. He is in Los Angeles by 1920 (U.S. Census, 15 Jan), where he is an actor in moving pictures. He is an assistant director on Rolin's Snub Pollard comedies as early as April (per issues of Camera! magazine). On 4 December 1920, he married Roach actress Gertrude Starr; both were working in the Snub Pollard company at the time. They had one son, Richard Clayton Smith, who sadly died at one month old in 1930. They remained together for over 32 years until Dave's passing in 1953. By 1930, Dave was working as an actor for Metropolitan Studio, where Harold Lloyd was producing his post-Roach films (son's birth certificate), while in that year's U.S. Census shortly after, he gives his profession as assistant director in motion pictures. In the 1940 U.S. Census, he and Gertrude are living in San Francisco, and Dave gives his occupation as director of motion pictures; in 1935, they were residing in San Diego. By 1942, they were back in Los Angeles (WWII draft card). In the 1950 U.S. Census, Dave and Gertrude are residing in Burbank, where Dave is working as "theater man. [manager?]" for "theater B." His death certificate from three years later gives his occupation as salesman for a ticket agency. He is buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Hollywood Hills, Los Angeles, California. He is not to be confused with the British-born Vitagraph director and cinematographer of the same name (1872-1930), who was around at the same time and was the older brother of Vitagraph co-founder Alfred E. Smith. |
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Real name: David C. Smith Height: 5'10½" |
Films listed on this page: complete Hal Roach filmography. |
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