Kent Smith

Kent Smith was a consistent and versatile actor whose career spanned nearly five decades, though he never achieved the level of stardom often associated with his contemporaries. Born Frank Kent Smith in New York City on March 19, 1907, to a hotelier, he had early exposure to performance as an assistant to magician Blackstone. He attended Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire and later Harvard University, where he pursued theater work in his spare time. Among the groups he performed with was the University Players in West Falmouth, Massachusetts, which had also produced James Stewart, Henry Fonda, and Margaret Sullavan. Kent made his theatrical debut in the short-lived play *Blind Window* in 1929, sharing the stage with Clark Gable. His first Broadway appearance came in 1932 in *Men Must Fight*, and he continued to build a steady theater career throughout the 1930s, appearing opposite notable stage actresses such as Lillian Gish, Katharine Cornell, Jane Cowl, Blanche Yurka, and Ethel Barrymore. He performed in both classic works like *Caesar and Cleopatra*, *Saint Joan*, and *A Doll's House*, as well as contemporary plays such as *Heat Lightning* and *The Drums Begin*. His only film appearance before 1942 was in *The Garden Murder Case* (1936). Kent's film career began in earnest in 1942 when RKO cast him in the lead role of *Cat People*, playing the husband of Simone Simon. He reprised the role in the sequel, *The Curse of the Cat People* (1944). After additional roles in *Hitler's Children* (1943) and *This Land Is Mine* (1943), he joined the U.S. Army Air Force and appeared in several government training films during his service, which ended in 1944. Upon returning to film, he appeared in notable post-war films such as *The Spiral Staircase* (1946), *Magic Town* (1947), *Nora Prentiss* (1947), *My Foolish Heart* (1949), and *The Fountainhead* (1949), though he often played second fiddle to his female co-stars, including Dorothy McGuire, Jane Wyman, Ann Sheridan, Susan Hayward, and Patricia Neal. Typically cast as a third wheel in romantic triangles or as a good friend or rival to the star, he never secured the defining role that might have elevated him to marquee status. Kent found more success in stage and television work during the 1950s. He appeared alongside Helen Hayes in the television version of her stage triumph *Victoria Regina* and in her Broadway play *The Wisteria Tree*, an adaptation of Chekhov's *The Cherry Orchard*. He was also praised for his stage performances in *The Wild Duck* and *The Autumn Garden*, and he appeared with Elaine Stritch in the national touring company of the musical *Call Me Madam*. He was a frequent guest on television shows such as *Wagon Train*, *Naked City*, *Alfred Hitchcock Presents*, *The Outer Limits*, and *Peyton Place*. In 1962, he replaced Melvyn Douglas in the national company of Gore Vidal's *The Best Man*, which also featured Edith Atwater. The two married that same year. Kent had previously been married to actress Betty Gillette, with whom he had one daughter; their marriage ended in divorce after 17 years. The remainder of Kent's career remained steady, though unremarkable, with his later film and television roles typically portraying gray-haired authority figures who were generally upstanding but occasionally involved in shady dealings. Kent died at age 78 of heart disease in Woodland Hills, California, just outside of Los Angeles. His widow, Edith, died less than a year later of cancer.