Trivia

In the late 1880s, while he was mining for gold in South Africa, he developed pneumonia and was wrongly pronounced dead by doctors.

Was the inspiration for the character Commander McBragg on the animated series Tennessee Tuxedo and His Tales (1963).

His only (cricket) Test Match appearance was the 1st Test against South Africa at Crusaders Ground, St George's Park, Port Elizabeth on 12-13 March 1889. It was actually a 3 day match but finished early. He was the best of the England bowlers picking up 5-19 off 13.2 overs in the first innings and 2-42 off 25 in the second (a total of 154 balls as these were 4-ball overs). He scored 3 runs in the first innings, batting at no. 8, and was not required to bat in the second as England won the match for the loss of only 2 wickets. He captained the England side. This was England's first tour to South Africa and, during it, he took 134 wickets at an average of 7.61. He stayed in South Africa after the tour and captained Transvaal.

He was awarded the CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) in the 1938 King's Birthday Honours List and was knighted in the 1944 King's Birthday Honours List for his services to Anglo-American amity.

Around Hollywood, Sir Aubrey was perhaps best known as team captain of the Hollywood Cricket Club. In fact, the club's home field and clubhouse in Los Angeles' Griffith Park was named for Sir Aubrey in 1933. Although the Hollywood Cricket club was not particularly successful on the field, it did feature numerous British emigre actors of the era.

He played the Duke of Wellington in both The House of Rothschild (1934) and Queen of Destiny (1938).

The inspiration for the character Sir Ambrose Abercrombie in Evelyn Waugh's satire of Hollywood "The Loved One.".

He was posthumously awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6327 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California on February 8, 1960.

Brother-in-law of playwright/novelist Cosmo Hamilton (married Smith's sister).

He appeared in five films that have been selected for the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically or aesthetically" significant: Show People (1928), Love Me Tonight (1932), Trouble in Paradise (1932), The Prisoner of Zenda (1937) and Rebecca (1940).

His nickname was "Round The Corner" which came from his favourite shot in cricket. It was also the name of his house.

Boris Karloff gave him a Great Dane as a gift. Using the first letters of the names 'Boris' and Boris' wife 'Dorothy', Aubrey named the dog Bodor.

As he grew older he became increasingly hard of hearing and relied on an assistant to warn him when he was needed on the set. Even so, he never failed to arrive on time with his lines letter perfect. Everyone involved in making a movie with Aubrey treated him with the utmost respect and deference, and he in turn treated everyone around him with the same courtesy.

Although he was too old to serve during World War I, he joined the Artists Rifles Volunteers and for a year and a half went on the Night Watch at Waterloo and Westminster Bridges. During these watches he took up painting to pass the time.