John Smith

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).

John Smith is known for work in acting across film and television. New Release currently presents 27 verified screen credits connected to this profile.

Selected work includes Laramie (1959), Cimarron City (1958), Friendly Persuasion (1956), Adam-12 (1968), Emergency! (1972), The Virginian (1962), Marcus Welby, M.D. (1969), Police Woman (1974). The recorded credits span 1944 to 1974, including 7 movies and 20 TV shows.

The filmography below lists available titles, release years and known roles. This profile is updated as additional verified information becomes available.