Summer School (1987) press release kit
Shawnee Smith plays Rhonda Altobello, a pregnant student whose gestation
interferes with her education.
Ms. Smith made her professional debut in a commercial for McDonalds. Her big
break, however, occurred when she landed a role opposite Andy Griffith in the
NBC film "Crime of Innocence." Her subsequent television credits include "All is
Forgiven," in which she was a series regular, as well as appearances on "Cagney
& Lacey," "It's Your Move," "Silver Spoons," and "The Young and the Restless."
She has also appeared in the television film "Not My Kid," and received critical
acclaim for her starring role in the ABC-TV presentation, "Easy Prey."
She will star in an upcoming movie of the week for CBS-TV, "I Saw What You Did,"
and her company, Shawnee Productions, Inc. is currently in development with ABC
and New World Pictures. In 1986, Miss Smith received a Drama-Logue award for her
stage appearance in "To Gillian on her 37th Birthday." Her feature film credits
include "Annie," "Iron Eagle," and an American Film Institute feature entitled
"He Was So Brave."
The
Blob (1988) press release kit
Shawnee Smith stars in "THE BLOB" as Meg Penny, the small town cheerleader who
is the first and the last character to meet the monster.
Meg seems like many other normal American teenagers, bright, attractive, with a
healthy interest in sports and boys. No one guesses her hidden courage until she
has to battle the hideous man-eating creature that scared even Steve McQueen's
character in the original "Blob" movie.
Smith has been featured in "Summer School" with Mark Harmon, and also appeared
in "Iron Eagle" and "Annie". In addition to these and other movie credits,
Shawnee starred in several TV movies of the week, most notably "Easy Prey",
"Crime of Innocence", and "Not My Kid". She was also a regular player on the NBC
series "All Is Forgiven" with Bess Armstrong and Carol Kane. Smith is also an
accomplished stage actress who won the coveted Dramalogue Critics Award for her
performance in the play "To Gillian On Her 37th Birthday".
This is the first time that Shawnee has starred in a major motion picture. She
will soon be seen in another Tri-Star production, "Who's Harry Crumb?". Shawnee
describes Meg's character in "The Blob" as a "pretty-packaged bomb -- ready to
go off". Meg, according to Smith, "has worked very hard at fitting into molds.
Though her experience with the Blob is terrifying, it allows Meg to release her
inside personality. And when she does, watch out". Smith jumped at the chance to
play Meg's character.
Smith is also a talented dancer and singer and can be heard on the "Annie"
soundtrack. A native Californian, Smith makes her home in Marina del Rey.
Who's Harry Crumb? (1989) press release kit
Shawnee Smith stars as the independent but sensitive Nikki Downing, Harry
Crumb's entrusted confidant who helps him solve the kidnapping of her beautiful
older sister.
At 19, Smith is already a feature film veteran, most recently starring in
Tri-Star's remake of the classic thriller "The Blob." Prior to that, she was
featured in "Summer School," with Mark Harmon, "Iron Eagle" and "Annie."
Born in South Carolina and raised in California, Smith made her professional
debut in a McDonald's commercial. She later landed a role opposite Andy Griffith
in the NBC film "Crime of Innocence," for which she won the Youth in Film Award
for Best Actress. Smith earned starring roles in several other TV movies of the
week including "I Saw What You Did," "Easy Prey," and "Not My Kid." She was a
regular player on the NBC series, "All is Forgiven" with Bess Armstrong and
Carol Kane and made numerous guest appearances on "Cagney & Lacey," "Silver
Spoons" and "The Young and The Restless."
On stage, Smith earned critical acclaim for her performance in Mark Medoff's
play "The Hands of it's Enemy," with Richard Dreyfuss. She also won the coveted
Dramalogue Critics Award for her performance in the stage play "To Gillian on
her 37th Birthday."
Smith, who currently resides in Marina Del Ray, also dances and sings and is
currently writing a book.
Desperate Hours (1990) press release kit
As May, the teenage daughter of Tim and Nora Cornell, Shawnee Smith has already
appeared in six motion pictures prior to DESPERATE HOURS, among them "Annie,"
"Summer School," "Who's Harry Crumb?" and "The Blob."
Among her television credits are appearances in "Cagney & Lacey" and "Silver
Spoons," as well as daytime drama "The Young and The Restless" and the
television films "I Saw What You Did," "Shake and Bake," "Easy Prey," "Crime of
Innocence" and "Not My Kid."
Smith has also appeared on stage in "To Gillian on Her 37th Birthday," "Hands of
Its Enemy," "A Christmas Carol," "Focus on Fame" and "Cabaret for Kids."
ABC
America Online Arsenio website (1997)
A self-proclaimed 'military brat' originally from Orangeburg, South Carolina,
Smith moved from one state to the next with her family, before finally settling
in Southern California.
Smith began her acting career at the age of eight in community theater and
television commercials. Her first motion picture role was as a dancer in
"Annie," which was directed by the late John Huston. She starred in the stage
production of "The Hands of Its Enemy" opposite Richard Dreyfuss.
At 15, Smith was the youngest actress to receive the DramaLogue Critics' award
for the stage production, "To Gillian on Her 37th Birthday." She also received
the Youth in Film Award for Best Actress for her performance in the telefilm,
"Crime of Innocence."
As a teenager she starred in the comedy hit, "Summer School" with Mark Harmon
and the re-make of the sci-fi film, "The Blob." Other film credits include the
critically acclaimed, "Leaving Las Vegas," and "Who's Harry Crumb." She can be
seen next in several upcoming films, including "Every Dog Has Its Day," "Eat
Your Heart Out," "Men," "Dogtown," "The Party Crashers" and "Lover Girl"
["Lover Girl" is incorrect].
Smith's television credits include the movie, "Something Borrowed, Something
Blue" opposite Connie Selleca and Twiggy, "The Stand," with Molly Ringwald and
has a cameo appearance in the upcoming ABC movie, "The Shining."
In her spare time, Smith is the lead singer of "Miriam Fay", a local blues-rock
band popular in the Los Angeles club circuit. She resides in Los Angeles with
her three dogs.
BIRTHPLACE - Orangeburg, SC
BIRTH DATE - July 3
The
Tom Show website (1997)
Shawnee Smith is Florence Madison on The Tom Show, a new half-hour comedy series
from Universal Television. The former host of "Midnight in Minnesota" - "a weird
little show that entertains weird little people" like herself, "Madison" brings
her eccentric, off-beat charm to her new role as co-host of "Breakfast with
Charlie."
Most recently, Smith was a series regular on the ABC sitcom Arsenio. She was
honored with a Youth in Film Award for Best Actress for her work on the NBC
movie Crime of Innocence. In addition to several television movies including
Something Borrowed, Something Blue and Face of Evil, Smith has appeared in two
Stephen King miniseries, The Stand and The Shining.
Having starred in over a dozen films, Smith has worked alongside such notable
talents as Carl Reiner in Summer School; John Candy in Who's Harry Crumb?;
Mickey Rourke in Desperate Hours and Nicholas Cage in Leaving Las Vegas. With a
penchant for independent films, Smith recently completed filming on the upcoming
independent Carnival of Souls where she makes her jazz singing debut. Other
independents include Men, Eat Your Heart Out and Dogtown.
The talented actress has received the DramaLogue Critics' Award for Best Actress
for her work in the theatrical production of To Gillian on her 37th Birthday.
Smith's theater credits include Hands of its Enemy and A Christmas Carol.
Originally from Orangeburg, South Carolina, Smith currently resides in Los
Angeles.
Becker season 2 press release kit (1999)
Shawnee Smith portrays Linda, the attractive albeit loopy assistant in Dr. John
Becker's (Ted Danson) bustling practice in BECKER, the hit half-hour comedy from
Dave Hackel Productions and Industry Entertainment in association with Paramount
Network Television for CBS-TV.
Smith's television credits include Florence Madison in "The Tom Show" with Tom
Arnold and regular roles in the sitcoms "Arsenio" and "All is Forgiven." She has
also starred in such mini-series as "Something Borrowed, Something Blue," "I Saw
What You Did," "Face of Evil," "The Stand," "The Shining," "Two Cups of Joe"
[Twice Upon a Time] and
"Crime of Innocence," for which she won the Youth in Film Award for Best Actress
in a telefilm. She has also guest starred on "The X-Files" and "Players."
Her feature film credits include a role in the blockbuster movie "Armageddon."
Further, Smith has received acclaim for her roles in a string of independent
films, including the Academy Award-winning "Leaving Las Vegas," "Dogtown,"
"Bombshell," "Eat Your Heart Out," "Men," "Female Perversions," "The Low Life,"
"Every Dog Has Its Day," "Who's Harry Crumb?," "Iron Eagle" and "Summer School."
She also has roles in the upcoming motion pictures "Breakfast of Champions," Wes
Craven's "Carnival of Souls" and "A Slipping Down Life."
Born in Orangeburg, S.C., Smith decided she wanted to pursue an acting career
when she was eight years old after she landed her first role in the 1982 feature
film "Annie." When not acting, Smith, who lives in Los Angeles, writes and sings
in the rock 'n roll band "Fydolla Ho."
BECKER is produced by Dave Hackel Productions and Industry Entertainment in
association with Paramount Network Television. The Paramount Television Croup is
part of the entertainment operations of Viacom Inc.
Hollywood Squares website (1999)
Born in South Carolina and raised in Los Angeles, Shawnee Smith practically grew
up in front of the camera. At the age of eight, her mother, encouraged by her
daughter's friend, the 'Northern Toilet Paper girl,' decided that Shawnee could
do commercials just as well and signed her up with an agency.
After doing a number of commercials throughout her childhood she made her
professional acting debut at the age of 11 as a dancing orphan in the feature
film "Annie" based on the hit Broadway musical. She added an impressive list of
dramatic theater credentials to her growing resume such as a starring role
opposite Richard Dreyfuss in "The Hands Of It's Enemy" at Los Angeles'
Huntington Hartford Theater (now the Doolittle) and in "To Gillian On Her 37th
Birthday" (youngest actress at the time to win "DramaLogue Critics Award" for
"Gillian") at the Matrix, also in Los Angeles.
The young actress' first starring role was in the NBC movie-of-the-week "Crime
of Innocence" in which she played opposite veteran actors Diane Ladd and Andy
Griffith. She added the feature films "Summer School" (with Mark Harmon and
Courtney Thorne-Smith), "Who's Harry Crumb?" (with John Candy), "Leaving Las
Vegas" (with Nicholas Cage) the remake of "The Blob," "Armageddon" in which she
did a cameo opposite Steve Buscemi and the independents "Slipping Down Life"
opposite Lili Taylor which debuted at this year's Sundance Film Festival and
both "Every Dog Has Its Day" and "Dogtown" which debuted at last year's
Slamdance Festival.
She adds "Breakfast of Champions" opposite Bruce Willis to her resume. The
independent film is based on the Kurt Vonnegut novel and will open later this
year.
Currently, she co-stars on the hit CBS comedy series "Becker" which begins its
second season. Smith skillfully displays her comedic skills opposite Ted Danson
as the eccentric but lovable nurse in his office. The audience response to her
character has been overwhelmingly positive.
Smith's other television credits include ABC mini-series "The Stand" and "The
Shining" and series regular roles in the "The Tom Show" and "Arsenio."
Her passion and talent for music is evident when she performs as the lead singer
with her band, Fydolla Ho. They perform regularly at local clubs in Los Angeles.
Smith who speaks with a slight southern accent from spending summers in South
Carolina with her relatives when she was growing up, resides in Los Angeles with
her husband, Jason Reposar, and their baby daughter, Verve.
[biographies have been slightly edited for errors and clarity]
Thanks
to: Don Gough, Brett [original site credits]
