Rex Smith

Last updated

Rex Smith
Rex Smith signing autographs.jpg
Rex Smith signing autographs in 2012
Background information
Born (1955-09-19) September 19, 1955 (age 68)
Jacksonville, Florida, U.S.
Genres Soft rock, pop
Occupation(s) Actor, singer
Instrument(s) Vocals, guitar
Years active1972–present
Labels Columbia
Website rexsmith.com

Rex Smith (born September 19, 1955) is an American actor and singer. Smith made his acting debut in the Broadway musical Grease in 1978. He is noted for his role as Jesse Mach in the 1985 television series Street Hawk; being the first actor to play the Marvel Comics superhero Daredevil in live action; and being a singer and stage actor. During the late 1970s, Smith was popular as a teen idol. He was featured regularly in 16 Magazine and Tiger Beat . He also had a gold top 10 single, "You Take My Breath Away", in 1979.

Contents

Career

Music

In the early 1970s, Smith was the lead singer for a band from Atlanta called Tricks and later a band named Phaedra. Smith next sang vocals in a hard rock band called Rex. [1]

In 1979, he had a hit single from the television film Sooner or Later , entitled "You Take My Breath Away", which reached No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100. It is on the platinum-selling album Sooner or Later, which is also named after the film. The music for this song was written by Stephen J. Lawrence and the lyrics were written by Bruce Hart. For many years, it was a staple on the play lists of FM radio stations with a soft rock or "lite" format.

In 1981, Smith hit the top 40 again with a remake of "Everlasting Love", in a duet with singer Rachel Sweet. Peaking at No. 32, the song is Smith's last charting hit to date. The song also became Smith's only hit on the UK Singles Chart, peaking at No. 35. [2]

Smith performed live at the 1982 Miss Universe pageant main event night, held in Lima, Peru. [3]

His latest album was released in 2000 and entitled Simply...Rex. It was re-released in 2006 and re-titled You Take My Breath Away. [4]

In 2016, Rex performed in the Philippines at the Kia Theatre, Araneta Center. [5]

Television

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. [6]

Also in 1982, Smith replaced Andy Gibb as a host on the music variety show Solid Gold . [7]

In 1989, Smith played Daredevil (also known as Matt Murdock) in the television movie The Trial of the Incredible Hulk . [8] This was intended as a backdoor pilot for an ongoing Daredevil television series (which never materialized at the time).

From 1990 through 1992, Smith was a contract player on the CBS daytime drama As the World Turns in the role of Darryl Crawford. [9]

Stage

In 1978, he made his Broadway debut in the musical Grease in the lead role of Danny Zuko. [10]

Smith also starred as Frederic in the New York Shakespeare Festival's Central Park production of The Pirates of Penzance . [11] In 1981, Smith won the Theatre World Award for his role in Pirates. [12] Smith reprised the role of Frederic in the 1983 film adaptation, along with fellow Broadway cast members Kevin Kline as the Pirate King, Linda Ronstadt as Mabel and Tony Azito as the Police Sergeant. [13]

Smith has appeared in other Broadway and Off-Broadway productions, including 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 . [14]

In 1995, Smith reprised his role as Danny Zuko throughout the touring production of Grease. [15]

Smith also starred as Fred Graham/Petruchio in the 2001–02 national tour of Kiss Me, Kate . [16]

In 2005, Smith again starred in The Pirates of Penzance, this time playing the role of the Pirate King. [17]

Smith appeared as the Captain in The Sound of Music at the Ogunquit Playhouse, in 2010. [18]

Smith has appeared in non-singing roles in two Neil Simon plays: Plaza Suite opposite Eve Plumb at Judson Theatre Company in 2015 [19] and Barefoot in the Park at Sharon Playhouse in 2018 [20]

Most recently, Smith played the role of Billy Mack in the multi-media production Love Actually Live at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in both 2018 and 2019. [21]

Personal life

Smith has been married four times:

Smith also has a son by Karen Lakey, a record-company representative with whom he had a weekend affair. Their son, Brandon, was born in 1980. Father and son met for the first time in 1997, during Smith's appearance in the musical Sunset Boulevard when he was signing autographs. [23]

Smith is the brother of Michael Lee Smith, the singer of rock band Starz. [24]

Discography

Albums

YearTitleLabel
1976Rex Columbia
1977Where Do We Go from HereColumbia
1979 Sooner or Later Columbia
1979ForeverColumbia
1980 The Pirates of Penzance (Broadway Cast Album) Elektra
1981Everlasting LoveColumbia
1983CamouflageColumbia
1995Sunset Boulevard (Original Canadian Cast Recording) Polydor
1997 The Human Comedy (Original Broadway Cast Recording)Kilmarnock Records
1999The Scarlet Pimpernel: Encore! (1998 Broadway Revival Cast) Atlantic
2000Simply…Rex (re-titled You Take My Breath Away, 2006) MCA/Universal

Singles

YearSinglePeak chart positionsAlbum
US [25] US AC AUS [26] CAN UK
1978"You Take My Breath Away"1011543– Sooner or Later
"Simply Jessie"–31–––
"Never Gonna Give You Up"–––––
1979"Forever"–––––Forever
"Let's Make a Memory"–––––
1981"Everlasting Love" (with Rachel Sweet)32–41–35Everlasting Love
"Love Will Always Make You Cry"–––––

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
1979 Sooner or Later Michael Skye TV movie
1980 Headin' for Broadway Fast Eddie
1983 The Pirates of Penzance Frederic
1987 Shades of Love: The Ballerina and the Blues Rick PetersonTV movie
1988TransformationsWolfgang ShadduckAlternate title: Alien Transformations
1989 The Trial of the Incredible Hulk Matt Murdock / Daredevil TV movie
1990 Perry Mason: The Case of the Silenced Singer Andy SacksTV movie
1994 Once in a Lifetime Jeffrey FieldsTV movie
1994 A Passion to Kill TedAlternate title: Rules of Obsession (UK)
1998 Richie Rich's Christmas Wish RudyDirect-to-video
2006 Pope Dreams DonAlternate title: Music for My Mother
2006Collier & Co.Uncle BillyAlternate title: John Schneider's Collier & Co.: Hot Pursuit!
2015Cats Dancing on JupiterRex Katz
2016Surge of Power: Revenge of the SequelCube

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
1979 California Fever Rex SmithEpisode: "Underground Jock"
1980 The Love Boat Mark ReddingEpisode: "Vicki's First Love"
1980 Saturday Night Live Frederic / Musical GuestThe cast of The Pirates of Penzance
1982–83 Solid Gold HimselfCo-host (45 episodes)
1984 Faerie Tale Theatre The PrinceEpisode: "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs"
1985 Street Hawk Jesse MachLead role (13 episodes)
1986 New Love, American Style RookieEpisode: "Love and Dear Penelope"
1986 Murder, She Wrote Stew BennettEpisode: "If a Body Meet a Body"
1986Dear Penelope and PeterBen Berlin Pilot
1987 Houston Knights Jake BodineEpisode: "Desperado"
1987 Christmas with Flicka HimselfTV special
1988 Cagney & Lacey Jerry WickesEpisode: "Old Flames"
1990–92 As the World Turns Darryl CrawfordDaytime serial (40 episodes)
1993 Silk Stalkings Bob JohnsonEpisode: "Night Games"
1994 Cobra Mark DanteEpisode: "Blast from the Past"
1997 The Sentinel Galileo / Frank RachinsEpisode: "Dead Drop"
1997 JAG Sgt. Max FranklEpisode: "The Court-Martial of Sandra Gilbert"
1997 Caroline in the City Dr. David EngelEpisode: "Caroline and the Free Cable"
1998 Pacific Blue Hudson MillerEpisode: "Caretakers"
1998 Baywatch GavinEpisode: "Friends Forever"
1999 Malibu, CA Jesse MercerEpisode: "Jason's Song"
2000 The Norm Show Pirate #1Episode: "Norm vs. Jenny"
2002 Just Cause Keith TempleEpisode: "Fading Star"
2007City GirlsBen MorganPilot

Stage

TitleRoleProduction datesTheatre
The Pirates of Penzance FredericJanuary 8, 1981 – November 28, 1982Broadway: Uris Theatre / Minskoff Theatre, New York City
The Human Comedy SpanglerApril 5–15, 1984Broadway: Royale Theatre, New York City
West Side Story TonySeptember 3–21, 1985 Kennedy Center for Performing Arts, Washington, D.C.
Brownstone StuartOctober 8 – December 6, 1986Off-Broadway: Union Square Theatre, New York City
Carousel Billy BigelowAugust 15 – September 11, 1988US Tour
Anything Goes Billy CrockerOctober 18, 1988 – January 15, 1989US National Tour
Grand Hotel Felix Von Gaigern (replacement)April – May 1990Broadway: Martin Beck Theatre, New York City
Grease Danny ZukoSeptember 24, 1994 – 1995US National Tour
Sunset Boulevard Joe GillisOctober 15, 1995 – August 18, 1996Canadian Tour: Toronto
December 1, 1996 – April 9, 1997Canadian Tour: Vancouver
The Scarlet Pimpernel Chauvelin (replacement)October 10, 1998 – May 30, 1999Broadway: Minskoff Theatre, New York City
Annie Get Your Gun Frank ButlerJuly 11 – October 29, 2000US National Tour
Frank Butler (replacement)April 17 – May 6, 2001US National Tour
Kiss Me, Kate Fred Graham / PetruchioJune 19, 2001 – June 16, 2002US National Tour
The Pirates of Penzance The Pirate KingJune 30 – July 15, 2007Carpenter Performing Arts Center
The Sound of Music Captain Georg von TrappJune 30 – July 24, 2010 Ogunquit Playhouse
Heathers: The Musical Coach Ripper / Big Bud Dean / Ram's DadSeptember 21 – October 6, 2013Hudson Backstage Theatre
Grease Vince FontaineMay 2 – July 27, 2014Welk Resorts Theatre
Love Actually LiveBilly MackNovember 27 – December 29, 2019Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts
November 27 – December 31, 2021
Aida ZoserSeptember 30 – October 1, 2022James K. Polk Theater

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References

  1. ↑ Sally Fox (March 24, 2017). "Rex Smith: Rock and Roll Dream 1976-1983 (HNE Recordings) 24th March 2017".{{cite magazine}}: Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help)
  2. ↑ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 509. ISBN   1-904994-10-5.
  3. ↑ "Rex Smith Live at Estancia Feb. 15". The Philippine Star . February 14, 2017. Retrieved February 12, 2019– via PressReader.
  4. ↑ "¿Qué fue del actor Rex Smith, el 'halcón callejero'?" [What happened to the actor Rex Smith, the 'street hawk'?]. 20 minutos (in Spanish). April 8, 2017. Retrieved February 12, 2019.
  5. ↑ "Simply Rex Smith". The Manila Times . September 14, 2016. Retrieved February 12, 2019.
  6. ↑ "Interview with Rex Smith". TalkinBroadway.com. Retrieved February 12, 2019.
  7. ↑ "Keeping Tabs on Celebs". Jet . September 27, 1982. p. 55.
  8. ↑ Robin Parrish (April 9, 2015). "The First On-Screen Daredevil Was Better Than You Remember". Tech Times. Retrieved February 12, 2019.
  9. ↑ "REX SMITH from "As The World Turns" talks egos, fans and ad-libbing". National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. Retrieved February 12, 2019.
  10. ↑ Daryl H. Miller and Los Angeles Daily News (March 12, 1995). "Grease!". Orlando Sentinel .
  11. ↑ Frank Rich (January 9, 1981). "Stage: 'Pirates of Penzance' on Broadway". The New York Times.
  12. ↑ "Theatre World Award Recipients". Theatre World Awards. Retrieved February 12, 2019.
  13. ↑ Janet Maslin (February 20, 1983). "'Pirates' Brought from Stage to Screen". The New York Times.
  14. ↑ Mira Friedlander (October 23, 1995). "Sunset Boulevard". Variety .
  15. ↑ News, Daryl H. Miller Los Angeles Daily (12 March 1995). "GREASE!". OrlandoSentinel.com. Retrieved 2020-10-16.{{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  16. ↑ David Lefkowitz; Kenneth Jones (January 31, 2001). "Rex Smith and Rachel York to Tour in Kiss Me, Kate". Playbill .
  17. ↑ "Noted Star Rex Smith Performs at Bristol in Gilbert and Sullivan's Pirates of Penzance". City of Bellflower. Vol. 5, no. 10. The Bellflower Citizen. October 2005.
  18. ↑ Andy Warhol and Bob Colacello (August 12, 2015). "New Again: Rex Smith". Interview .
  19. ↑ "Rex Smith Joins Cast of Judson Theatre's 'Plaza Suite'". 13 May 2015.
  20. ↑ "THEATRE REVIEW: 'Barefoot in the Park' at Sharon Playhouse is delightful, genuinely entertaining". August 2018.
  21. ↑ Shaena Engle (December 12, 2019). "Love Actually Live Returns to the Wallis". Weho Times .
  22. ↑ "Leading Man Rex Smith Says He's Looking for Love—in the Classifieds".
  23. 1 2 3 Richard Gerome (March 2, 1998). "Face to Face". People . Vol. 49, no. 8.
  24. ↑ "Starz singer Michael Lee Smith posts rough mix of new song "Runaway Jane"". Sleaze Roxx. September 30, 2016. Retrieved February 12, 2019.
  25. ↑ "Rex Smith". Billboard.com. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
  26. ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 279. ISBN   0-646-11917-6.
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