- Born
- Died
- Birth nameAlbert Edward Smith
- Nickname
- A.E.
- Pioneering film producer and studio executive Albert E. Smith was born in Favershem, County Kent, England, on June 4, 1875, the son of a gardener. There were nine children in the Smith family--Albert, seven brothers and a sister--and when he was three years old the entire family emigrated to the US, eventually settling in Santa Barbara, CA. After a series of uneventful jobs, he took up a career as an illusionist, calling himself "The King of Entertainers". He eventually hooked up with another expatriate Brit, J. Stuart Blackton, and they formed an act and took it on the road. It was somewhat successful, but didn't offer quite the rewards they had envisioned. He and Blackton saw the potential in the burgeoning motion-picture business, and together with William T. Rock they formed the Vitagraph Company of America to produce and distribute films. While Blackton was the production head--involving himself in casting, writing, producing, directing, and pretty much every aspect of filmmaking--Smith largely confined himself to the financial end of the company, although he did on occasion assist Blackton in the actual filmmaking process. It was as a financial wizard that Smith was of greatest help to Vitagraph, however, and he developed a reputation as a savvy--some even described him as ruthless--businessman (Mary Pickford once met with Smith to discuss the possibility of her signing with Vitagraph, but she took such a dislike to him that she stormed out of the meeting shortly after it began). Smith's foresight and business acumen helped build Vitagraph into the premier motion-picture studio of the early silent era.
In 1925 Vitagraph was sold to Warner Brothers and, for all practical purposes, Smith retired. Married three times--the last to Jean Paige--Smith died in Hollywood on August 1, 1958.
- IMDb mini biography by: frankfob2@yahoo.com
- SpousesJean Paige(December 14, 1920 - August 1, 1958) (his death, 6 children)Hazel Neason(January 1913 - January 24, 1920) (her death)Mary May(1897 - 1912) (divorced)
- Buried in Forest Lawn Cemetery, Los Angeles, CA.
- With J. Stuart Blackton and William T. Rock, formed pioneering production company Vitagraph Company of America.
- Before he entered the film business, he fought in the British army in the Boer War in South Africa and was with Theodore Roosevelt's Rough Riders at the Battle of San Juan Hill in the Spanish-American War of 1898.
- He had a reputation as a brusque, no-nonsense businessman, never letting sentiment or emotion get in the way of a deal. On at least one occasion, though, that backfired on him. In 1916, as the head of Vitagraph Studios, he was about to sign Mary Pickford to a $10,000-a-week contract. Pickford, who adored children, asked if she could see Smith's new baby. Smith curtly replied, "Let's get this business off our minds first." Pickford, outraged at his putting business matters ahead of his own child, answered, "Well, then, I'll never see it!" and stormed out without signing the contract. Shortly afterwards she signed with Famous Players-Lasky, and was on her way to superstardom.
- In his autobiography, "Two Reels and a Crank" (1952), he claimed to have secured a close-up view of President William McKinley at the moment he was shot by assassin Leon Czolgosz on 6 September,1901. He claimed, by the time of that writing, that the original strip of film had deteriorated to only a few frames.
- [in 1919, about the early days of the motion picture industry] It was the struggle in the early days of the industry that taught me the value of studying the public wants and cooperating with the exhibitor.
- [about John Bunny and Flora Finch, who made many films for him at Vitagraph as a comedy team and who many filmgoers mistakenly believed were married] They cordially hated each other.
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content
