Charles Martin Smith

Charles Martin Smith is an American film actor, writer, and director. Born in Van Nuys, California, Smith was discovered by a talent agent while acting in a school play. After a few years of working in film, he landed the role of Terry "Toad" Fields in George Lucas' 1973 film, American Graffiti (1973). The sequel, More American Graffiti (1979), did not have the success of the original, but he gained additional notice in "The Buddy Holly Story" (1978), Carroll Ballard's "Never Cry Wolf" (1983) and John Carpenter's "Starman" with Jeff Bridges (1984).

Smith's acting career continued mainly in supporting roles. He received excellent reviews for his work in "The Untouchables" (1987). At the same time Smith launched his career as a writer and director, and in 1987 directed the cult classic horror comedy "Trick or Treat" for Dino DeLaurentiis. In the 1990s, Smith appeared as an actor in films, such as "Speechless" (1994) and "I Love Trouble" (1994). He had a leading role in the HBO Miniseries, "And The Band Played On", about the beginnings of the AIDS epidemic, a role of which he was very proud. Smith also turned in a well-regarded performance in the TV miniseries Larry McMurtry's "Streets of Laredo" with James Garner and Sam Shepard, (1995) and a minor role in the big budget "Deep Impact"(1998). He was also one of the directors of the TV series "Space: Above and Beyond" (1995), as well as the director of the initial episode ("Welcome to the Hellmouth") that launched the hit TV series "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" (1997). From the mid-1990s, Smith increasingly focused on his work behind the camera. He directed the feature film "Air Bud" (1997) (Disney), which was an international success, and two TV miniseries for Hallmark Entertainment, "Roughing It" (2002) and "Icon" (2005). He also wrote and directed the feature film, "The Snow Walker" (2003), for Lion's Gate Films, based on a story by Farley Mowat (who had also written Never Cry Wolf (1983)), which marked a return to the Arctic for Smith. The film was nominated for 9 Genie awards, including Best Director, Writer, and Best Picture He then wrote and directed the feature film "Stone of Destiny" (2008), for Infinity Features and Odeon Sky, the true story of four young Scottish students who broke into Westminster Abbey in London to take back a sacred Scottish relic. The film stars Charlie Cox, Kate Mara and Robert Carlyle, and was nominated for Best Picture by the Scottish BAFTAS.

His next film, "Dolphin Tale" (2011), for Alcon Entertainment (The Blind Side (2009)) and Warner Brothers, stars Harry Connick Jr., Ashley Judd, Morgan Freeman, and Winter, the dolphin with a prosthetic tail, who plays herself in the film. The film was a great success, rising to number 1 at the domestic North American box office in its second week of release. Smith next wrote and directed the sequel, "Dolphin Tale 2", also for Alcon and Warner Brothers, which brought back the original cast, and was also very successful. Following this, Smith directed "A Dog's Way Home" for Sony Pictures/Coumbia, based on the book by Bruce Cameron, with Ashley Judd and with Jonah Hauer-King. Then in 2019 he relocated to London to direct "A Gift From Bob", the sequel to "A Streetcat Named Bob". As COVID slowed production in the industry, Smith relocated to Palm Desert and he divides his time between there and Vancouver. In 2023, he acted in the Canadian production "This Time", produced and directed by Robert G. Vaughn. It marked Smith's first time back in front of the camera for many years.