Ilan Mitchell-Smith | |
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 Mitchell-Smith in May 2017 | |
| Born | June 29, 1969 New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Alma mater |
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| Occupation(s) | Actor Professor |
| Years active | 1983–1991, 2011- (acting) |
| Spouse | Susannah Demaree (m. 1995) |
| Children | 2 |
Ilan Mitchell-Smith (born June 29, 1969) is an American academic and former actor, best known as a co-star of the film Weird Science (1985) and Andy McCalister in Superboy . [1]
Mitchell-Smith's very first passion was ballet. He studied as a child and even won a scholarship to dance with the School of American Ballet. While there on his scholarship, he was discovered by a casting director and his film career began in 1982 at age 12 when he played a younger version of the title character in Sidney Lumet's Daniel . After a starring role in the 1984 film The Wild Life , he was cast as Wyatt Donnelly in the 1985 teen film Weird Science by writer/director John Hughes. The film focuses on two nerdy teenage boys who create a woman of their own (played by Kelly LeBrock), as they are unable to find girlfriends.
Mitchell-Smith starred in several other films and TV series, most notably The Chocolate War [2] and Superboy ; none of these brought him the same degree of recognition. He decided to leave acting entirely in 1991, his final role being a guest appearance on Silk Stalkings . Recently, Mitchell-Smith has performed select voiceover work (recording for two episodes—"Moon Warriors" and "Heads Will Roll"—of Fox's Axe Cop ).
In 2017, Mitchell-Smith guest-starred in the fifth-season premiere of The Goldbergs , playing science teacher Mr. Connelly. The episode, entitled "Weird Science", was based on his film Weird Science, with series character Barry Goldberg believing he can make a girlfriend in the same manner as the movie. [3]
Mitchell-Smith received his A.B. in Medieval Studies from University of California, Davis (UC Davis) and his M.A. in Medieval Studies from Fordham University. He received a doctoral degree from Texas A&M University in 2005. As of January 2020, he is an associate professor in the English department at California State University, Long Beach (CSU Long Beach) in Long Beach, California. [4] For several years prior to his appointment at CSU Long Beach, he was a professor at Angelo State University in San Angelo, Texas. [5] Mitchell-Smith publishes on chivalry in the later Middle Ages, and he also publishes on cinematic, television, and video-game versions of medieval culture.
Mitchell-Smith has published on Dungeons & Dragons , [6] and is a staff writer for Talk Wargaming and writes a column for Forces of Geek called "Playing the Nerd". [7] He works as a technical writer and editor for smaller independent game producers, and he is an active tabletop gamer and an organizer of tabletop game events in Southern California.
Mitchell-Smith was born in New York City, New York. His mother, Clary Mitchell-Smith, is a psychotherapist, and his father, Larry Smith, is an art history teacher. [8]
He met Susannah Demaree at Santa Monica College in Santa Monica, California. They were married in 1995. They have two children, born in 1998 and 2000.
Weird Science is a 1985 American science fantasy comedy film written and directed by John Hughes and starring Anthony Michael Hall, Ilan Mitchell-Smith, and Kelly LeBrock. It is based on the 1951 pre-Code comic "Made of the Future" by Al Feldstein, which appeared in the magazine of the same name. The title song was written and performed by American new wave band Oingo Boingo.
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Roxann Dawson, also credited as Roxann Biggs and Roxann Biggs-Dawson, is an American actress and director. She is best known for her role as B'Elanna Torres on the television series Star Trek: Voyager (1995–2001). In the 2000s, she transitioned to a career primarily as a director, and has directed numerous episodes of television series including Star Trek: Enterprise, Crossing Jordan, Cold Case, Heroes, The Closer, The Mentalist, The Good Wife, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Mercy Street, The Deuce and Foundation.
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Lawrence G. DiTillio was an American film, TV series, and tabletop role-playing game writer. His creations include He-Man and She-Ra: The Secret of the Sword and the award-winning Masks of Nyarlathotep.
Christopher Connelly was an American actor, best known for his role as Norman Harrington in the successful prime time ABC soap opera Peyton Place. He stayed with the series during its entire five-year run, from 1964 to 1969.
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Ivor Barry was a Welsh film and television actor.
Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) is a fantasy role-playing game first published in 1974. As the popularity of the game grew throughout the late-1970s and 1980s, it became referenced in popular culture more frequently. The complement of games, films and cultural references based on Dungeons & Dragons or similar fantasies, characters, and adventures became ubiquitous after the end of the 1970s.
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The Goldbergs is an American period sitcom television series that ran on ABC from September 24, 2013, to May 3, 2023, lasting ten seasons and 229 episodes. The series was created by Adam F. Goldberg and starred Jeff Garlin, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Sean Giambrone, Troy Gentile, and Hayley Orrantia. The show is produced by Adam F. Goldberg, Seth Gordon and Doug Robinson. It is based on Goldberg's childhood and family in the 1980s, with a childhood version of himself. On April 19, 2022, the series was renewed for a tenth season, which premiered on September 21, 2022. On February 23, 2023, it was announced that the tenth season would be its final season. The series finale aired on May 3, 2023.
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