Evan Smith(LXXXVI)
- Actor
Evan Smith is an American actor and writer from South Carolina with a particular passion for horror, character-driven storytelling, and physically expressive performance. A lifelong Christian, Smith considers his faith an important influence on his values, creativity, and approach to his work.
Ironically, Smith’s fascination with horror began with being terrified of it. Growing up, horror films frightened him, and rather than avoiding them, he began watching them as a way of confronting that fear. Over time, fear turned into fascination. He became drawn to the adrenaline of horror and the challenge of seeing how far he could push himself before something genuinely scared him. That fascination eventually developed into a passion for performing within the genre himself.
Smith had wanted to become an actor from a young age, but Bill Skarsgård’s portrayal of Pennywise became a major influence on his interest in horror performance. Seeing the physicality and transformation behind the character inspired Smith to explore how an actor could disappear into a frightening role. Filmmaker Trent Duncan and his Icons of Horror series on YouTube were another early influence, inspiring Smith to create his own horror shorts and developing his interest not only in acting, but also in filmmaking and directing.
Smith gained some of his earliest live performance experience as a haunted-attraction actor, a craft he has continued for more than three years. Performing in an unpredictable, immersive environment helped him develop improvisation, character work, physical acting, audience interaction, and the ability to remain in character without relying solely on dialogue.
His growing interest in horror filmmaking also led him to portray Art the Clown in a Terrifier-inspired fan short released on YouTube, providing him with early experience translating his physical approach to horror performance from live environments to the screen.
In 2026, Smith made his professional on-screen acting debut portraying Art the Clown in a promotional production for the Mad Monster Expo in Concord, North Carolina. The project marked a significant step from his independent and live horror work into a professional production environment and gave him the opportunity to further develop his approach to physical and nonverbal acting for the camera.
Transformation is one of Smith’s favorite aspects of performance. He is comfortable performing with prosthetics, extensive character makeup, masks, costumes, contact lenses, and other physically demanding elements of character work. He embraces the preparation required to convincingly inhabit unusual characters and is comfortable with improvisational, physical, and stunt-oriented performance.
Outside of acting, Smith has an athletic background in soccer and boxing. He played soccer for several years and earned All-Star recognition. His experience in both sports contributed to the coordination, discipline, movement, stamina, and body control he brings to physical roles.
Smith is also a writer whose work includes screenplays, horror stories, and novels. Although his written projects remain unreleased, writing has provided another avenue for exploring characters and storytelling while further developing his interests in filmmaking and directing. He also maintains a personal interest in singing and the broader performing arts.
While horror remains his greatest creative passion, Smith intends to continue expanding his range across film and television. Whether developing a character on the page or transforming into one in front of the camera, he is particularly drawn to challenging roles and the opportunity to create performances that audiences remember long after the screen goes dark.
Ironically, Smith’s fascination with horror began with being terrified of it. Growing up, horror films frightened him, and rather than avoiding them, he began watching them as a way of confronting that fear. Over time, fear turned into fascination. He became drawn to the adrenaline of horror and the challenge of seeing how far he could push himself before something genuinely scared him. That fascination eventually developed into a passion for performing within the genre himself.
Smith had wanted to become an actor from a young age, but Bill Skarsgård’s portrayal of Pennywise became a major influence on his interest in horror performance. Seeing the physicality and transformation behind the character inspired Smith to explore how an actor could disappear into a frightening role. Filmmaker Trent Duncan and his Icons of Horror series on YouTube were another early influence, inspiring Smith to create his own horror shorts and developing his interest not only in acting, but also in filmmaking and directing.
Smith gained some of his earliest live performance experience as a haunted-attraction actor, a craft he has continued for more than three years. Performing in an unpredictable, immersive environment helped him develop improvisation, character work, physical acting, audience interaction, and the ability to remain in character without relying solely on dialogue.
His growing interest in horror filmmaking also led him to portray Art the Clown in a Terrifier-inspired fan short released on YouTube, providing him with early experience translating his physical approach to horror performance from live environments to the screen.
In 2026, Smith made his professional on-screen acting debut portraying Art the Clown in a promotional production for the Mad Monster Expo in Concord, North Carolina. The project marked a significant step from his independent and live horror work into a professional production environment and gave him the opportunity to further develop his approach to physical and nonverbal acting for the camera.
Transformation is one of Smith’s favorite aspects of performance. He is comfortable performing with prosthetics, extensive character makeup, masks, costumes, contact lenses, and other physically demanding elements of character work. He embraces the preparation required to convincingly inhabit unusual characters and is comfortable with improvisational, physical, and stunt-oriented performance.
Outside of acting, Smith has an athletic background in soccer and boxing. He played soccer for several years and earned All-Star recognition. His experience in both sports contributed to the coordination, discipline, movement, stamina, and body control he brings to physical roles.
Smith is also a writer whose work includes screenplays, horror stories, and novels. Although his written projects remain unreleased, writing has provided another avenue for exploring characters and storytelling while further developing his interests in filmmaking and directing. He also maintains a personal interest in singing and the broader performing arts.
While horror remains his greatest creative passion, Smith intends to continue expanding his range across film and television. Whether developing a character on the page or transforming into one in front of the camera, he is particularly drawn to challenging roles and the opportunity to create performances that audiences remember long after the screen goes dark.
