Rex Smith

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Rex Smith
Born September 19, 1955 (age 51)
Jacksonville, Florida
Notable roles Jesse Mach in Street Hawk
Frederick in The Pirates of Penzance

Rex Smith (born September 19, 1955, in Jacksonville, Florida) is an American actor and singer.


Contents

[edit] Music career

During the 1970s, Smith was popular as a teen idol. Because of his good looks, he was featured regularly in 16 magazine and Tiger Beat. In 1979, he had a hit single from the television movie "Sooner or Later", entitled "You Take My Breath Away", which reached #10 on the Billboard Hot 100. It is on the platinum-selling album Sooner or Later, which is also named for the movie. The music for this song was written by Stephen J. Lawrence and the lyrics were written Bruce Hart. For many years, it was a staple on the playlists of FM radio stations with a soft rock or "lite" format.

Smith, in an attempt to achieve credibility as a rock star, recorded several albums throughout the early 1980s, but none of them achieved the popularity of "Sooner Or Later". Smith received some harsh review from music critics. In the 1983 edition of the Rolling Stone Record Guide all of his albums were rated as "worthless". Yet, Smith does still maintain a modest fan base in the United States and in the Philippines[1].

His last album was released in 2000 and entitled SIMPLY...REX. It was re-released in 2006 and re-titled "You Take My Breath Away."

[edit] Television career

Smith is best known for his role as motorcycle police officer Jesse Mach in the short-running 1985 television series Street Hawk, but he has also made guest appearances on a variety of television shows, such as The Love Boat, Baywatch, Caroline in the City and JAG. Smith has been a celebrity spokesperson for a number of corporate entities.

In 1982, Smith replaced Andy Gibb as a host on the music variety show, Solid Gold.

In 1989, Smith played Daredevil a.k.a. Matt Murdock in the television movie, The Trial of the Incredible Hulk. This was viewed as a potential pilot for an ongoing Daredevil television series.

From 1990 through 1992, Smith was a contract player on the CBS daytime drama, As the World Turns, in the role of Darryl Crawford.

[edit] Stage Career

In 1978, he made his Broadway debut in the musical Grease in the lead role of Danny Zuko.

Smith also starred as Frederick in the New York Shakespeare Festival's Central Park production of The Pirates of Penzance. In 1981, Smith won the Theatre World Award for his role in Pirates. For the 1983 film adaptation, Smith reprised the role of Frederic along with two other castmembers, Kevin Kline as the Pirate King and Linda Ronstadt as Mabel.

Smith has appeared in other Broadway and Off-Broadway productions, including the The Scarlet Pimpernel, Grand Hotel, The Human Comedy, and Annie Get Your Gun. He played Joe Gillis opposite Diahann Carroll as Norma Desmond in the 1995 Canadian production of Sunset Boulevard.

Smith also starred as Fred Graham/Petruchio in the 2001-2002 national tour of Kiss Me, Kate. He took over the role of Pirate King in the Bellflower Civic Auditorium's 2005 production of Pirates.

[edit] Personal Life

Rex Smith is the youngest of four brothers, all of whom have careers in the music industry. Paul Evan (Evan) is a road manager, Michael was the lead singer in the band Starz, Webster is a pianist.

Smith's first marriage ended in divorce in 1995. He has been married to his manager Courtney Schrage Smith since 1998. He has two daughters and two sons.

In addition to pursuing an acting career, Smith also sells real estate.

[edit] Filmography

[edit] Discography

  • 1976 Rex Smith
  • 1977 Where Do We Go From Here
  • 1979 Sooner Or Later
  • 1980 Forever, Rex Smith
  • 1981 Pirates Of Penzance
  • 1982 Everlasting Love
  • 1983 Camouflage
  • 1997 Sunset Boulevard (Original Canadian Cast recording )
  • 1997 Human Comedy (Original Broadway Cast)
  • 2000 Simply…Rex (re-titled You Take My Breath Away 2006)

[edit] External links

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