Constance Smith Irish film actress Date of Birth: 22.01.1958 Country: Great Britain

Biography of Constance Smith

Constance Smith was an Irish film actress who gained recognition for her roles in films produced by '20th Century Fox' in the 1950s. She was born on January 22, 1958, in Limerick, a major city in western Ireland. Coming from a large Catholic family, Constance had ten younger siblings. Her father served as a simple infantryman in the Irish Army, and it was no surprise that the Smiths struggled to make ends meet. When Constance was eleven years old, her father passed away. Unable to support eleven mouths to feed, her mother sent Constance to be raised in a women's Catholic monastery.

It is worth noting that this practice was common in Ireland until the late 1970s, and it was not always better for children under the care of devout nuns than being at home. At the age of sixteen, she left the monastery and her mother decided that her daughter's beauty could improve the family's financial situation. Constance, indeed an incredibly beautiful brunette with striking features and a lovely figure, won a beauty pageant in Dublin. Her mother sent a photo of her daughter to a film studio. It was hard not to notice a girl with such looks, and she was called to the studio for auditions. Constance successfully passed the auditions and naturally performed in front of the camera, although she did not have a particular desire to become an actress. Later, she mentioned that her mother practically pushed her into the film industry.

Constance went to London, where she signed a contract with the 'Rank Organisation,' the largest British film company at the time, which actively acquired weaker studios. Miss Smith had a good chance to make it big, but soon the studio executives noticed her reluctance to work in the film industry, and she was fired before she had the chance to appear in something worthwhile. For a while, Constance remained in London, studying acting and playing tiny roles in British B-movies, making her big-screen debut in 1947. The roles were so modest that they were not even mentioned in the credits.

Finally, in 1950, she received a notable role as an Irish maid in the film 'The Mudlark.' The film caught the attention of one of the most powerful people in Hollywood, producer and director Darryl F. Zanuck, who felt that Constance had potential as an actress and offered her a contract with '20th Century Fox.' When she arrived in Hollywood, Zanuck introduced the young actress to the cast of the film 'I'll Never Forget You,' where she was supposed to play alongside the handsome movie star Tyrone Power. However, at the last moment, Zanuck decided that Constance was too inexperienced and would not be able to handle the role, so she was replaced by actress Anne Blyth.

In 1952, she was entrusted with hosting the 'Oscar' Awards ceremony. The peak of Constance Smith's career came in the 1950s, and by 1959, she appeared in her last film without achieving stardom. One of Constance's best works was her role as Lily Bonner in the thriller 'Man in the Attic' in 1953.

Constance was married three times. Her first marriage to actor, screenwriter, and director Brian Forbes lasted four years and ended in 1955. Her second marriage, to Italian Araldo Di Crollolanza, was even shorter, and they divorced in 1958. She only got married for the third time in 1974 to documentary filmmaker Paul Roth, who passed away in 1984.

After leaving Hollywood, Constance Smith lived in London, where she passed away on June 30, 2003, at the age of 75.