Paul L. Smith
| Paul L. Smith | |
|---|---|
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|
| Born |
Paul Lawrence Smith June 24, 1936 Everett, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Died | April 25, 2012 (aged 75) Ra'anana, Israel |
| Cause of death | Unspecified |
| Body discovered | Ra'anana, Israel |
| Resting place | Unspecified |
| Nationality | American |
| Other names | Paul Smith Paul Lawrence Smith |
| Alma mater | Brandeis University |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1963–1999 |
| Height | 6' 4" (1.93 m) |
| Spouse(s) | Norma Kalman (m. ?–1960; divorced) Eve Smith (m. ?–2012; his death) |
Paul Lawrence Smith (June 24, 1936 – April 25, 2012), most frequently credited as Paul Smith or Paul L. Smith, was an American actor. Burly, bearded and imposing, he appeared in films and occasionally on television since the 1970s, generally playing "heavies" and bad guys. His most notable roles include Hamidou, the vicious prison guard in Midnight Express (1978), Bluto in Robert Altman's Popeye (1980), Gideon in the ABC miniseries Masada (1981) and Glossu Rabban in David Lynch's Dune (1984).
Born in the Massachusetts city of Everett, Smith was raised in Miami, graduating in 1954 from Miami Senior High School where he played football and became a High School All American. He transferred from Brandeis University to Florida State University on a football scholarship graduating in 1959 with a B.S. degree in Philosophy.
At age 12, Smith weighed 200 pounds and was 6 ft. tall.
Smith's first acting role was in Exodus, which was filmed in Israel. This was his first visit to the country. In 1967, Smith returned to Israel as a Mahal volunteer in the Six-Day War and stayed there until 1973. In that time, he participated in 5 productions filmed in Israel.
Afterwards, he moved to Italy where, due to his resemblance to Bud Spencer, he made a series of films with Michael Coby (pseudonym of Antonio Cantafora), Terence Hill lookalike. One of these films Convoy Buddies was picked up for American release by Film Ventures International where producer by Edward L. Montoro changed Smith's name to Bob Spencer and Cantafora's name to Terrance Hall. Smith sued successfully arguing that the only thing an actor has is his name and if that's taken away, he has nothing. The judicial system agreed with him and ruled against FVI who paid Smith damages and court costs.
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