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Mark Smith (April 16, 1887 – May 9, 1944) was an American actor.

Early life and career: 1887-1909

Mark E. Smith III was born in New York City on April 16, 1887. A fourth generation American actor, both his grandfather Mark Smith I and his father Mark Smith II were actors who also performed under the name Mark Smith.

In 1903 he portrayed the Master of Ceremonies in David Belasco's Sweet Kitty Bellairs at the Lafayette Square Opera House in Washington D.C. and at Broadway's Belasco Theatre. He later took over the larger parts of first Darby O'Donnovan and then Captain Tom Stafford in that work. He portrayed Autolycus in the 1904 Broadway revival of William Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale at the Booth's Theatre in a cast led by the acrtress Viola Allen as Hermione. Mark Smith died at his home in New York City on May 9, 1944 at the age of 57. In the 1906-1907 season he starred opposite Marie Cahill as Bishop Brigham Smudge in Silvio Hein's musical Marrying Mary which included a Broadway run at Daly's Theatre.

In 1908 Smith toured as Richard Hampton in David Higgins's play Captain Clay of Missouri. He then toured as Jack Walkham in Edgar Allan Woolf and George Sylvester Viereck's The Vampire; including performances at Broadway's Hackett Theatre and the Grand Opera House in Chicago in 1909. On May 9, 1909 Smith married the actress Anna Muriel Feeney. At the time of his marriage he was starring in the title role of James Forbes's The Traveling Salesman Park Theatre in Boston; a work he toured in opposite the actress Miriam Nesbitt as his character's love interest.

1910s

In 1912 Smith returned to Broadway as Harry Lyon in the original production of Helen Kraft and Frank Mandel's farce Our Wives at Wallack's Theatre. In 1913 he created the role of Tom Robinson in Edgar Selwyn's comedy Nearly Married at the Gaiety Theatre. In 1914 he portrayed Baron Felix Puppchen in Milton Lusk's musical The Dancing Duchess at the Casino Theatre. That same year he performed the role of Oscar Bridwell in J. C. Drum's Milady's Boudoir at the Garrick Theatre.

In 1915 Smith portrayed Hillary Bronson in Charles Klein's Cousin Lucy at the George M. Cohan's Theatre. This production utilized songs by Jerome Kern and had a cast led by the female impersonator Julian Eltinge. In 1917 he starred as Tobby Matthews in Willard Mack and Lou Tellegen's Blind Youth at the Theatre Republic, and continued in that work at the 39th Street Theatre in 1918.

1920s

In 1920 Smith performed the role of Rufus Paterson in Guy Bolton and George Middleton's The Cave Girl at Broadway's Longacre Theatre with acrtress Grace Valentine in the title role. In 1922 he starred as Ferdie Simpson in the Broadway musical Up in the Clouds which ran first at the Lyric Theatre before transferring to the 44th Street Theatre.

1930s

In 1938 Smith created the role of Tienhoven in the original production of Kurt Weill Knickerbocker Holiday at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre.

1940s

Smith portrayed Sir Toby Belch in the 1940-1941 Broadway revival of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night at the St. James Theatre.

References

Citations

1. "MARK SMITH, ACTOR AND RADIO ARTIST: Appeared in 70 Theatres Here, and 2000 programs on Air". The New York Times. May 10, 1944. p. 19.
2. Mark Smith in the New York, New York, U.S., Index to Death Certificates, 1862-1948, Certificate Number 10951
3. ^ Johnson Briscoe (March 1910). "The Younger Generation: Mark Smith". The Green Book Magazine: 629.
4. "Mark Smith 3d: Stage Veteran Dies at 57". The Baltimore Evening Sun. May 10, 1944.
5. Harry P. Hanaford, ed. (December 28, 1903). "Belasco Theatre". The Cast. 14 (187): 318.
6. "Revival of 'The Winter's Tale'". New York Tribune. November 15, 1904. p. 13.
7. "Veteran Actor Dies". Washington Evening Star. Associated Press. May 10, 1944. p. 2.
8. Dietz 2022, p. 369-370.
9. "David Higgins' New Play". Billboard. XX (35): 10. August 29, 1908.
10. "The Vampire". Billboard. XXI (7): 7. February 13, 1909.
11. ^ "Personals". San Francisco Dramatic Review. Vol. XX, no. 3. May 22, 1909. p. 3.
12. W. L. McConnell. "Correspondence". The San Francisco Dramatic Review. XXI (8): 3.
13. "OUR WIVES' POINTS A LESSON; Wisdom for Prospective Bridegrooms in New Comedy at Wallack's". The New York Times. November 5, 1912. p. 13.
14. "AUDIENCE IN ROARS AT NEARLY MARRIED; Clever Farce by Edgar Selwyn Wins Success of Laughter at the Gaiety Theatre". The New York Times. September 6, 1913. p. 7.
15. "NEW MUSICAL PLAY IS FAMILIAR STUFF; Only Long-Tested Ingredients Allowed in the Make-Up of "The Dancing Duchess". The New York Times. August 21, 1914. p. 9.
16. "' MILADY'S BOUDOIR' IS EXHIBITED HERE; New Play by J. C. Drum Brings Adele Blood to the Garrick". The New York Times. October 30, 1914. p. 9.
17. "JULIAN ELTINGE IN KLEIN'S LAST PLAY; "Cousin Lucy," a Custom-Made Farce, Presented at the Cohan". The New York Times. August 28, 1915. p. 7.
18. Lyman O. Fiske, ed. (December 15, 1917). "New Attractions for New York Theatergoers: "Blind Youth"". Dramatic Mirror. Vol. LXXVII, no. 2034. p. 5.
19. Bordman 1995, p. 73.
20. "New Plays: The Cave Girl". Billboard. XXXII (34): 9. August 28, 1920.
21. Dietz 2019, p. 94-95.
22. 2018 & Dietz, p. 515. sfn error: no target: CITEREF2018Dietz (help)
23. Wilbur Dingwell, ed. (1941). "Twelfth Night". The Handbook Annual of the Theatre" May 1940 - May 1941. Coward-McCann. p. 42.

Bibliography

• Bordman, Gerald (1995). American theatre : a Chronicle of Comedy and Drama, 1914-1930. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780195090789.
• Dietz, Dan (2022). The Complete Book of 1900s Broadway Musicals. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. ISBN 9781538168943.
• Dietz, Dan (2019). The Complete Book of 1920s Broadway Musicals. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. ISBN 9781442245280.
• Dietz, Dan (2018). The Complete Book of 1930s Broadway Musicals. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. ISBN 9781538102770.

External links

• Mark Smith at the Internet Broadway Database
• Mark Smith at IMDb

• 1887 births
• 1944 deaths
• 20th-century American male actors
• American male musical theatre actors
• American male radio actors
• American male silent film actors
• American male stage actors
• Male actors from Manhattan