Kent Smith

Actor

About

Read More

Also Known As

Frank Kent Smith

Birth Place

New York City, New York, USA

Born

March 19, 1907

Died

April 23, 1985

Biography

Read More

A would-be leading man, Kent Smith was a dependable actor who had a distinguished career but never really achieved star status. A venerable theater performer, he made his Broadway debut in 1932 and went on to appear in "Saint Joan" and "Antony and Cleopatra" among other productions. His film career began in 1936 with an unmemorable role in "The Garden Murder Case," but it was in the horr...

Filmography

Read More

Die Sister Die (1978)

Disappearance of Flight 412 (1974)

General Enright

Murder or Mercy (1974)

The Cat Creature (1973)

Pete 'n' Tillie (1972)

Photos & Videos

View All

Cat People (1942) -- (Movie Clip) That's What Makes Me Dangerous

Nora Prentiss (1947) -- (Movie Clip) The Little Woman's Away

Family & Companions

Read More

Edith Atwater

Wife

Actor. Second wife, married 1962.

Biography

A would-be leading man, Kent Smith was a dependable actor who had a distinguished career but never really achieved star status. A venerable theater performer, he made his Broadway debut in 1932 and went on to appear in "Saint Joan" and "Antony and Cleopatra" among other productions. His film career began in 1936 with an unmemorable role in "The Garden Murder Case," but it was in the horror film "Cat People" that he first gained notice. The cult favorite from 1942 was directed by Jacques Tourneur and featured Smith as Oliver Reed, a man married to a woman who is part feline. He also starred in the less successful sequel, "The Curse of the Cat People," two years later. Smith would often play the friend of the leading man or an unsuccessful suitor, as he did in 1949's "The Fountainhead," when he was the fiancé of Patricia Neal's character. He appeared alongside many of the era's biggest stars, such as Ethel Barrymore in "The Spiral Staircase" and Susan Hayward in "My Foolish Heart." As he aged Smith became a character actor and increasingly appeared on TV. He had a recurring role on the late-'60s sci-fi series "The Invaders" and played Dr. Robert Morton on over 50 episodes of the primetime soap opera "Peyton Place."

Filmography

Cast (Feature Film)

Die Sister Die (1978)

Disappearance of Flight 412 (1974)

General Enright

Murder or Mercy (1974)

The Cat Creature (1973)

Pete 'n' Tillie (1972)

The Crooked Hearts (1972)

The Judge and Jake Wyler (1972)

The Snoop Sisters (1972)

The Night Stalker (1972)

The Last Child (1971)

The Games (1970)

Assignment To Kill (1969)

Death of a Gunfighter (1969)

Kona Coast (1968)

The Money Jungle (1968)

A Covenant With Death (1967)

The Trouble With Angels (1966)

Youngblood Hawke (1964)

Paul Winter, Sr.

The Young Lovers (1964)

A Distant Trumpet (1964)

Secretary of War

The Balcony (1963)

Moon Pilot (1962)

Secretary of the Air Force

Susan Slade (1961)

Strangers When We Meet (1960)

This Earth Is Mine (1959)

The Badlanders (1958)

Cyril Lounsberry

The Mugger (1958)

Dr. Pete Graham

Imitation General (1958)

Brig. Gen. Charles Lane

Party Girl (1958)

Jeffrey Stewart

Sayonara (1957)

General Webster

Comanche (1956)

This Side of the Law (1950)

David Cummins, also known as Malcolm Taylor

My Foolish Heart (1950)

The Damned Don't Cry (1950)

Martin Blackford

The Fountainhead (1949)

Design for Death (1948)

One for the Book (1948)

Kenneth Bartlett

Nora Prentiss (1947)

Dr. Richard Talbot

Magic Town (1947)

The Spiral Staircase (1946)

Dr. [Brian] Parry

Resisting Enemy Interrogation (1945)

American working for the Nazis

The Curse of the Cat People (1944)

Youth Runs Wild (1944)

Three Russian Girls (1944)

Forever and a Day (1943)

Gates T. [Trimble] Pomfret

Hitler's Children (1943)

Professor Nichols

This Land Is Mine (1943)

Cat People (1942)

The Garden Murder Case (1936)

Visual Effects (Feature Film)

The Quiet American (2002)

Newspaper seq Designer

Cast (Special)

Another Part of the Forest (1972)

Secrets of the Old Bailey (1958)

Richard II (1954)

Life Events

Photo Collections

Nora Prentiss - Lobby Card Set

Here is a set of Lobby Cards from Warner Bros' Nora Prentiss (1947), starring Ann Sheridan. Lobby Cards were 11" x 14" posters that came in sets of 8. As the name implies, they were most often displayed in movie theater lobbies, to advertise current or coming attractions.

Videos

Cat People (1942) -- (Movie Clip) That's What Makes Me Dangerous Increasingly troubled newlywed immigrant Irina (Simone Simon) is unaware that friend Alice (Jane Randolph) has nothing but benevolent intentions toward her worried husband Oliver (Kent Smith), thus a famous sequence from director Jacques Tourneur, in the original Cat People, 1942.

Nora Prentiss (1947) -- (Movie Clip) The Little Woman's Away Finishing her number, night club singer Ann Sheridan (title character), with her straight-laced new physician Talbott (Kent Smith), grows skeptical, then apologetic, introducing her boss (Robert Alda), then sampling a tune by M.K. Jerome and Jack Scholl, in Nora Prentiss, 1947.

Nora Prentiss (1947) -- (Movie Clip) There's A Certain Dignity San Francisco Dr. Talbott (Kent Smith), established as an upright family man and model professional, rebukes his partner in practice (Bruce Bennett) then, working late, meets Ann Sheridan, the title character, quite by chance, in Vincent Sherman’s Nora Prentiss, 1947.

Nora Prentiss (1947) -- (Movie Clip) I Don't Have To Dance Before an evening out, mild Dr. Talbot (Kent Smith) expresses frustration to his wife (Rosemary DeCamp) then, working on the weekend, is surprised when singer Ann Sheridan (title character), whom he treated after a minor accident, stops by to consult, in Nora Prentiss,1947.

Hitler's Children (1943) -- (Movie Clip) Open, Die For Hitler Chilling and artfully composed opening (the German fascist speaker is not credited) from director Edward Dmytryk’s Hitler’s Children, 1943, leading to Kent Smith’s narration, playing a character loosely based on the American author of the underlying novel, Gregor Ziemer, co-stars Bonita Granville and Tim Holt briefly introduced.

Hitler's Children (1943) -- (Movie Clip) Let Freedom Ring Leaping forward to 1939 Germany, Kent Smith narrating as “Nicky,” teacher at the American ex-pat school, has noted Memorial Day, and his top student, German-born Anna (Bonita Granville), now his assistant, arrested then meeting her former playmate Karl (Tim Holt), in Edward Dmytryk’s Hitler’s Children, 1943.

Hitler's Children (1943) -- (Movie Clip) German Blood Runs Deep American teacher Nichols (Kent Smith) is trying to find his German-born American assistant in 1939 Germany, arrested by the Nazis, encountering Hans Conreid, Otto Kruger as a smarmy Colonel, and Tim Holt as his former friend, now a top functionary, in Edward Dmytryk’s Hitler’s Children, 1943.

Hitler's Children (1943) -- (Movie Clip) It Is Our Birthright To Rule Polemics in 1933 Germany, as Schmidt (Erford Gage) teaches his proto-Nazi pupils, Tim Holt his distracted star student, and Kent Smith as teacher “Nicky” Nichols, Anna (Bonita Granville) his standout at the neighboring “American Colony” school, in the surprise hit RKO propaganda vehicle Hitler’s Children, 1943.

One For The Book (a.k.a. Voice Of The Turtle) -- (1948) -- (Movie Clip) You're Not In Love With Me Director Irving Rapper’s second scene, in wartime Manhattan, distinguished married playwright Ken (Kent Smith) is dumping his girlfriend, actress Sally (Eleanor Parker) because she’s fallen too hard, the final parting at her apartment, in One For The Book (a.k.a. Voice Of The Turtle), 1948, from the hit play by John Van Druten.

Fountainhead, The (1949) -- (Movie Clip) Opening, Roark Hero Howard Roark (Gary Cooper) is introduced through encounters with a dean (Paul Stanton), fellow student Keating (Kent Smith) and architect Cameron (Henry Hull) in the opening to King Vidor's The Fountainhead, 1949, from the Ayn Rand novel.

Spiral Staircase, The (1946) -- (Movie Clip) Say "I Do" Dr. Parry's (Kent Smith) passionate departure sends mute servant Helen (Dorothy McGuire) into a tortured romantic fantasy, upon which Professor Warren (George Brent) intrudes, in Robert Siodmak's The Spiral Staircase, 1946.

Spiral Staircase, The (1946) -- (Movie Clip) Go Straight Home Not too concerned about the murderer at large in their New England town, Dr. Parry (Kent Smith) and his new patient, lovely but mute Helen (Dorothy McGuire), are waylaid by youngster Freddy (Dickie Tyler) with an emergency, in Robert Siodmak's The Spiral Staircase, 1946.

Companions

Edith Atwater

Wife

Actor. Second wife, married 1962.

Bibliography

By using this site, you agree to our updated Privacy Policy and our Terms of Use