| John Smith | |
|---|---|
| Born | Roberto Errol Van Orden March 6, 1931 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Died | January 25, 1995 (aged 63) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Cause of death | cirrhosis of the liver |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1943-1975 |
| Television | Laramie; Cimarron City |
| Spouse | Luana Patten (m. 1960–1964) (divorced) |
John Smith (March 3, 1931 - January 25, 1995) was an American actor remembered in particular for two NBC western television series.
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He was born Robert Errol Van Orden, in Los Angeles, California
In the early 1940s, he joined Robert Mitchell Boys Choir and appeared in several films, including Going My Way.
By 1950 he had been working as a messenger for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and in 1952, the studio cast him as James Stewart's brother in Carbine Williams, although he was uncredited. Later he appeared as Milo Buck in the Academy Award-winning film, The High and the Mighty, which starred and was produced by John Wayne. Couple of years later he made a small role in Friendly Persuasion, starring Gary Cooper in 1956. One year before, Smith guest starred in the role of Sontag in the syndicated series Stories of the Century, the first western series to win an Emmy Award.
He played blacksmith/deputy sheriff Lane Temple in Cimarron City in 1958 and 1959. The episodes rotated from star George Montgomery as town mayor Matt Rockford to Audrey Totter as Beth Purcell, and Smith as Lane Temple.
He played a pilot in the movie Island of Lost Women in 1959, and starred as Slim Sherman in Laramie (1959–1963) with Robert Fuller, Hoagy Carmichael, and Spring Byington. After Laramie, he guest-starred in 1966 in the short-lived comedy/western series The Rounders.
John Smith's last film role was as Mr. Ames in the Disney 1972 feature Justin Morgan Had a Horse, and his last television appearance came in 1975, when he portrayed a doctor on ABC's medical-drama Marcus Welby, M.D..
Smith died at the age of 63 of liver cirrhosis on January 25, 1995; he was survived by a daughter.[1]