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John Smith
Acting
Biography
Actor John Smith was born Robert Errol Van Orden in Los Angeles. He began his career singing with The Robert Mitchell Boy Choir, a group which appeared in two Bing Crosby films, Going My Way (1944) and The Bells of St. Mary's (1945).
His agent Henry Willson, who also gave Tab Hunter and Rock Hudson their names, changed Van Orden's name to "John Smith". Robert Hofler, author of "The Man Who Invented Rock Hudson", reports that an actress identified as Pocahontas Crowfoot was in the courtroom when the name change was granted.
In We're No Angels (1955), Smith had a small role as "Arnaud", the ship's doctor. Aldo Ray, observing the doctor in full dress whites, says "he looks like a glass of …
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Actor John Smith was born Robert Errol Van Orden in Los Angeles. He began his career singing with The Robert Mitchell Boy Choir, a group which appeared in two Bing Crosby films, Going My Way (1944) and The Bells of St. Mary's (1945). His agent Henry Willson, who also gave Tab Hunter and Rock Hudson their names, changed Van Orden's name to "John Smith". Robert Hofler, author of "The Man Who Invented Rock Hudson", reports that an actress identified as Pocahontas Crowfoot was in the courtroom when the name change was granted. In We're No Angels (1955), Smith had a small role as "Arnaud", the ship's doctor. Aldo Ray, observing the doctor in full dress whites, says "he looks like a glass of milk". John Smith's other film credits include Circus World (1964) and Justin Morgan Had a Horse (1972). Smith also appeared in the television westerns Cimarron City (1958) and Laramie (1959).
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BODY OF WORK
John Smith's Filmography
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Meteor
as Narrator
Justin Morgan Had a Horse
as Mr. Ames
Blood Legacy
as Dr. Carl Isenburg
Hondo and the Apaches
as Ed Dow
Waco
as Joe Gore
Circus World
as Steve McCabe
Island of Lost Women
as Joe Walker
Handle with Care
as Bill Reeves
No Poster
Sea Divers
as Mike Gilbert
The Crooked Circle
as Tommy Kelly
The Lawless Eighties
as William Wesley Van Orsdel
The Kettles on Old MacDonald's Farm
as Brad Johnson
Fury at Showdown
as Miley Sutton
Tomahawk Trail
as Pvt. Reynolds
The Women of Pitcairn Island
as Thursday October Christian
Friendly Persuasion
as Caleb Cope
Rebel in Town
as Wesley Mason
Hot Rod Girl
as Jeff Northrup
Quincannon, Frontier Scout
as Lt. Phil Hostedder
Ghost Town
as Duff Dailey
The Bold and the Brave
as Smith
Desert Sands
as Pvt. Rex Tyle
We're No Angels
as Medical Officer Arnaud
Wichita
as Jim Earp
Seven Angry Men
as Frederick Brown
A Star Is Born World Premiere
as Self
The High and the Mighty
as Milo Buck
The Bells of St. Mary's
as Choir Member (uncredited)
Going My Way
as Choir Member (uncredited)