Biography
Popular British comic actor, writer, and director of TV and character actor of film who began his career as a busy and versatile stage director. Smith gained some notoriety on the trend-setting comedy "Not the Nine O'Clock News" (BBC, 1979-82) with Griff Rhys-Jones and Rowan Atkinson. Not unlike the early "Saturday Night Live", the series was an irreverent satirical revue that ran the gamut from purely tasteless to memorably brilliant. Smith …
Career Milestones
2001 | Helmed "High Heels and Lowlifes" | |
1997 | Directed the hit comedy film "Bean" | |
| American TV directing debut, "Dream On" | ||
1989 | Film directorial debut, "The Tall Guy" (also played six uncredited parts) | |
1987 | US feature debut, Rob Reiner's "The Princess Bride" | |
1985 | Feature screenwriting debut (with Rhys-Jones), "Morons From Outer Space"; also starred and provided theme song | |
1984 | First substantial film role, playing a reformed crook in the British thriller, "Slayground" | |
| Star and writer of British TV series, "Alas Smith and Jones" (with partner Griff Rhys-Jones); toured Great Britain and Australia with stage show based on series | ||
1981 | "Not the Nine O'Clock News" syndicated on US TV | |
1980 | Feature acting debut, "Babylon", a British drama about black working-class life | |
| Directed stage show, "Not in Front of the Audience," based on "Not the Nine O'Clock News" | ||
1979 | First acting success on BBC-TV series, "Not the Nine O'Clock News" (also writer) | |
| Became associate director at the Old Vic | ||
| Awarded an Arts Council grant to direct plays at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield | ||
| First professional job, as assistant director at the Royal Court Theatre, London | ||
| Toured the US with the Oxford/Cambridge Sshakespeare Company; played Touchstone in "As You Like It" | ||
| Began performing while at Oxford | ||