Charles Martin Smith

A diminutive, generally bespectacled character player of film and TV, generally cast as scientists or accountants, Charles Martin Smith has also embarked on a secondary career as a director. The California native made his screen debut as a member of "The Culpepper Cattle Company" (1972). He had one of his best early screen roles the following year as Terry (a.k.a. 'Toad'), a bumbler who romances an older woman (Candy Clark), in George Lucas' seminal "American Graffiti". Smith offered strong support to Gary Busey as a 1950s musician in "The Buddy Holly Story" (1978) and had one of his best screen roles as a biologist in the Arctic in Carroll Ballard's "Never Cry Wolf" (1983). He was again cast as a scientist, this time pursuing alien Jeff Bridges, in John Carpenter's "Starman" (1984) and he offered a fine turn as a methodical accountant recruited as one of "The Untouchables" (1987). Smith made his directing debut with the rock 'n' roll horror film, "Trick or Treat" (1986), in which he also appeared and he performed similar double duty on his sophomore effort, the mediocre actioner "Fifty/Fifty" (1991).

On the small screen, Smith began by providing a character voice on the animated CBS series "Speed Buggy" (1973-74). He also was featured in longforms ranging from the well-intentioned "Go Ask Alice" (ABC, 1973) to the Emmy-winning "And the Band Played On" (HBO, 1993). Smith played yet another accountant in the CBS miniseries "Larry McMurtry's 'Streets of Laredo'" (1995) before turning villainous in "Peter Benchley's 'The Beast'" (NBC, 1996). In addition to make guest appearances in high quality dramas ("Picket Fences", "Northern Exposure" and "The X-Files"), Smith moved to the other side of the camera to helm three episodes of the Fox sci-fi series "Space: Above and Beyond" (1995-96).

• Also Credited As:
  Charles M. Smith, Charles Martin Smith, Charlie Martin Smith
• Born:
  October 30, 1953 in Van Nuys, California, USA
• Job Titles:
  Actor, Director, Composer, Musician

Family

• Father: Frank Smith.

Education

• Grover Cleveland High School, Reseda, California, 1970
• California State University, Northridge, California, theatre, BA

Milestones

• 1972 Screen debut, The Culpepper Cattle Company ; billed as Charlie Martin Smith
• 1973 TV series debut as character voice on the animated Speed Buggy (CBS)
• 1973 Breakthrough screen role, Terry The Toad Fields in the George Lucas directed American Graffiti
• 1973 TV-movie debut Go Ask Alice
• 1978 Earned a starring role in Cotton Candy, directed by Ron Howard
• 1978 Gained notice as one of Buddy Holly s bandmates in The Buddy Holly Story
• 1979 Reprised role of Terry in the sequel More American Graffiti
• 1981 Co-starred in TV series, Gabe and Walker
• 1983 Won critical praise for his leading role in Never Cry Wolf ; also narrated the film
• 1986 Fetaure directing debut, the campy horror filck Trick or Treat ; also co-starred
• 1987 Earned good reviews for his work in Brian De Palma s The Untouchables
• 1994 Played a major role in the controversial HBO film And the Band Played On
• 1995 Directed episodes of the Fox sci-fi TV series Space: Above and Beyond
• 1995 Had featured role in the CBS miniseries Larry McMurtry s Streets of Laredo
• 1997 Directed the hugely successful feature film Air Bud
• 1997 Directed the initial episode, Welcome to the Hellmouth that launched the hit TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer (WB)
• 1999 Appeared in the A&E mini-series P.T. Barnum
• 2003 Wrote and directed the Canadian feature film The Snow Walker ; garnered nine Genie Award nominations including Best Picture and Best Director for Smith
• 2004 Appeared in Kingdom Hospital (ABC) a thirteen-episode miniseries developed by horror writer Stephen King
• 2007 Cast opposite Eric Bana and Drew Barrymore in Lucky You