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Brooke Smith (born May 22, 1967) is an American actress, photographer and author, best known for her roles as Dr. Erica Hahn on the ABC medical drama series Grey's Anatomy, as Sheriff Jane Greene on the A&E horror series Bates Motel, and as Catherine Martin in the 1991 film The Silence of the Lambs, along with roles in several movies and guest starring and recurring appearances in many television shows including Big Sky and Them.

Early life

Smith was born in New York City. Her father, Eugene "Gene" Smith, worked as a publisher, and her mother, Lois Smith (née Wollenweber), had worked with Robert Redford and other actors and directors. In the 1980s, Smith grew up in Rockland County but was a part of the hardcore punk scene in Manhattan's Lower East Side.

Career

Smith has appeared in numerous films, including The Moderns (1988), The Silence of the Lambs (1991), The Night We Never Met (1993), Mr. Wonderful (1993), Vanya on 42nd Street (1994), Last Summer in the Hamptons (1995), Trees Lounge (1996), Kansas City (1996), The Broken Giant (1997), Random Hearts (1999), Series 7: The Contenders (2001), Bad Company (2002), Melinda and Melinda (2004), Iron Jawed Angels (2004), Shooting Vegetarians (2005), In Her Shoes (2005), The Namesake (2006), and Interstellar (2014).

She appeared as a guest star on the sixth season of Crossing Jordan as Dr. Kate Switzer, as one of Claire Fisher's art teachers on Six Feet Under, and on Weeds as the ex-wife of Peter Scottson, the late husband of main character Nancy Botwin.

Smith originated the role of Andrea in the pilot of the ABC drama series Dirty Sexy Money, but was replaced by Sheryl Lee after becoming a series regular on Grey's Anatomy. On November 3, 2008, Smith told Entertainment Weekly that her character was being written out of Grey's Anatomy, stating that she was "really, really shocked," and suggested that network executives' discomfort with her character's lesbian relationship might be the reason for her ousting. However, Shonda Rhimes, the show's creator, said that Smith was dismissed from the series because the writers did not find that the "magic and chemistry" that Smith's character had with Sara Ramirez's character, Callie Torres, would sustain in the long run.

Smith has also had roles on Homicide: Life on the Street, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Law & Order, Criminal Minds and The Hunger. In 2012, Smith also appeared in the American Horror Story: Asylum episode "The Coat Hanger". In 2015, she appeared as Frances Simpson on the Showtime drama series Ray Donovan.

In 2016, Smith appeared in the recurring role of Sheriff Jane Greene in the fifth and final season of A&E's Bates Motel, a prequel series to director Alfred Hitchcock's 1960 horror classic Psycho.

In 2019, Smith portrayed Dara, a counselor assigned to a young rape victim, in Episode 7 of Unbelievable. It was released on September 13 on Netflix.

In 2020, she began a recurring role on the ABC series Big Sky.

In 2022, she released a photography book based on pictures she took of her friends in the Manhattan hardcore punk scene.

Advocacy

On August 27, 2008, Smith spoke at an "Open the Debates" rally in Denver, Colorado, opposing the Commission on Presidential Debates exclusion of third party candidates from the nationally televised presidential debates, and in support of independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader.

Personal life

Smith married Russian cinematographer Steve Lubensky on January 6, 1999. Their daughter, Fanny Grace Lubensky, was born on March 12, 2003. In May 2008, the couple adopted a baby girl, Lucy Dinknesh Lubensky, from Ethiopia. The family lives in New York's Upper West Side, and in Beachwood Canyon, Los Angeles. She was once roommates with singer Jeff Buckley.

Filmography

Film

Television

Books

• Sunday Matinee: Photographs by Brooke Smith (Radio Raheem, 2022)

References

1. https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/person/520676%7C174393/Brooke-Smith
2. "Brooke Smith Biography". Movies.yahoo.com. May 22, 1967. Archived from the original on May 22, 2011. Retrieved August 3, 2010.
3. Kaufman, Leslie (October 9, 2012). "Lois Smith, Publicist Who Mothered Star Clients, Dies at 84". The New York Times.
4. "New York Hardcore Photos | Sunday Matinee Book". Sunday Matinee. Retrieved June 28, 2023.
5. Trivett, Ben (December 10, 2022). "Brooke Smith Looks Back at the 'Authentic' Punk Scene as She Releases 'Sunday Matinee'". People Magazine. Retrieved June 28, 2023.
6. "Sheryl Lee Replaces Brooke Smith as Holy Mistress at Dirty Sexy Money". Televisionista.blogspot.com. November 4, 2007. Retrieved August 3, 2010.
7. People Staff (November 3, 2008). "Brooke Smith Axed From Grey's Anatomy". People. Retrieved March 29, 2017.
8. Ausiello, Michael (September 22, 2016). "Bates Motel Elects Grey's Anatomy Alum Brooke Smith (New) Sheriff". TVLine. Archived from the original on November 16, 2016. Retrieved November 15, 2016.
9. Rose, Caryn (November 9, 2022). "'My Hometown Thought I Was a Freak'". Vulture. Retrieved June 28, 2023.
10. Sheehan, Mike (August 28, 2008). "Meet Satan's towel boy, Ralph Nader, and other famous rabblerousers in a call for open debates". ScholarsandRogues.com. Retrieved March 19, 2018.
11. "Mormon News for WE 10 January 1999: Liz Smith: Wedding Belles". Mormonstoday.com. Retrieved August 3, 2010.
12. ^ Sicha, Choire (October 28, 2007). "Dr. Hahn, you are wanted in surgery". The Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on December 25, 2008. Retrieved August 3, 2010.
13. "Fanny Grace Lubensky". Variety. May 6, 2003. Retrieved August 3, 2010.
14. Ingrassia, Lisa (May 16, 2008). "Grey's Anatomy's Brooke Smith Adopts Baby Girl". People. Archived from the original on May 18, 2008. Retrieved August 3, 2010.
15. "Smith fights back again in 'Series 7'". USAtoday.com. March 8, 2001. Retrieved August 3, 2010.
16. "Five Facts Facts About Former Grey's Anatomy Star Brooke Smith". soaphub.com. July 16, 2019. Retrieved May 21, 2024.
17. Cordero, Rosy; Petski, Denise (November 10, 2021). "'Class of '09': Raúl Castillo, Jake McDorman, Sepideh Moafi, Brian J. Smith Among 7 Cast In FX Limited Series". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 9, 2022.

External links

• Brooke Smith at IMDb

• 1967 births
• 20th-century American actresses
• 21st-century American actresses
• Actresses from New York City
• American Academy of Dramatic Arts alumni
• American film actresses
• American television actresses
• Living people
• People from Blauvelt, New York