Jay R. Smith

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jay R. Smith

Born	August 29, 1915(1915-08-29) Los Angeles, California U.S.
Died	October 5, 2002 (aged 87) Las Vegas, Nevada U.S.
Occupation	Film actor
Years active	1925-1929

Jay R. Smith (August 29, 1915 - October 5, 2002) was an American former child actor who replaced Mickey Daniels as the "freckle-faced kid" of the Our Gang series in 1925. He continued appearing in the shorts until 1929.

1 Our Gang
2 Later years
3 Murder
4 External links

[edit] Our Gang

His first episode was Boys Will Be Joys. He was considered the skinny kid in the series and somewhat of a nerd. He continued until the silent era ended. At that point he began preparation to leave the series, as he felt he would be unable to make the transition to sound. After persuasion from the studio, Jay appeared in the sixth Our Gang talkie episode Moan and Groan, Inc.; he felt that his performance was unsuccessful, and left immediately after. It was his last movie role.

[edit] Later years

A native of Los Angeles, California, Smith left acting as a teenager, eventually going into the retail paint business and moving to Kailua, Hawaii. Those who knew him reported that he was a friendly and affable man off-screen.

[edit] Murder

Jay would manage for some time to live a long and healthy life, unlike many other of his colleagues. He retired in the early 1990s, moving to Las Vegas, Nevada and living there until he was reported missing in early October of 2002. After extensive searching, his body was found stabbed to death on October 5 in the desert near Las Vegas. Charles "Wayne" Crombie, A homeless man who Smith had reportedly befriended, was later convicted of the murder and sentenced to two consecutive life terms in prison.