Christopher Robin Smith (born 1959) is an American

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''Di ...

and

improviser Improvisation is the activity of making or doing something not planned beforehand, using whatever can be found. Improvisation in the performing arts is a very spontaneous performance without specific or scripted preparation. The skills of impr ...

, best known for his improv

workshop Beginning with the Industrial Revolution era, a workshop may be a room, rooms or building which provides both the area and tools (or machinery) that may be required for the manufacture or repair of manufactured goods. Workshops were the only ...

s and his handful of appearances on '' Whose Line Is It Anyway?''. Raised in Parma Heights, Ohio, and a graduate of Valley Forge High School (Class of 1977), Smith began performing at an early age. Appearing in many productions throughout his high school years, Smith also sang with the legendary Cleveland area rock n' roll revival group "The Fabulous Brylcreams" from 1975 through August 1978. At this time he was attending

Kenyon College Kenyon College is a private liberal arts college in Gambier, Ohio. It was founded in 1824 by Philander Chase. Kenyon College is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. Kenyon has 1,708 undergraduates enrolled. Its 1,000-acre campus is se ...

and singing with the Kokosingers, an

a cappella ''A cappella'' (, also , ; ) music is a performance by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Ren ...

group that performed both locally and throughout the United States in addition to recording two albums. After graduating from Kenyon in 1981 with a degree in English, he moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

to pursue an acting career. Smith, a graduate who part-studied at the

University of Exeter The University of Exeter is a public university , public research university in Exeter, Devon, England, United Kingdom. Its predecessor institutions, St Luke's College, Exeter School of Science, Exeter School of Art, and the Camborne School of Min ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, joined the Interplay improvisation troupe in

and later married its founder and director,

Tamara Wilcox Tamara Wilcox /k/a Tamara Horrocks, Tamara Wilcox-Smith(March 4, 1940 – January 30, 1998) was a costume designer, actress, and theatrical producer and director. She was born in Soda Springs, Idaho, and adopted by William H. and Dora Mickel ...

. The troupe gained good reviews and Smith, along with performing partner

Jim Meskimen James Ross Meskimen (born September 10, 1959) is an American actor, comedian and impressionist, who is best known for his voice-over work in video games. Early life James Ross Meskimen was born in Santa Monica, California on September 10, 1959 ...

, was recruited to appear in two episodes of ''Whose Line Is It Anyway?'' when the British improvisation show filmed a season in New York. Their performances were at the more astute and polished end of the improvisation scale, although their debut was completely overshadowed by the presence of Ryan Stiles, who would later become the show's main star. Smith and Meskimen made one more appearance on ''Whose Line Is It Anyway?'' in 1992 when the show returned to New York for a second run, and a year later, the Smiths moved to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

to begin a new improvisation group called the ''Really Spontaneous Theatre Company''. Meskimen remains a member and the troupe continues to perform, despite the death of Tamara Wilcox-Smith in 1998. After Meskimen failed an audition for ''Whose Line Is It Anyway?'' when it moved permanently to the USA, Smith opted not to follow suit. He has since written numerous screenplays, short stories and books, but has restricted his appearances on stage and screen, preferring instead to coach young improvisers and write. In July 2010 and August 2011, Chris returned to Parma Heights, Ohio to reunite with his former bandmates from the Fabulous Brylcreams to raise money for the Music Department at Valley Forge High School. Both concerts were a huge success, raising money to help offset the cost of participation in music programs at the high school.

References

External links

Christopher Smith's official website
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Christopher 1959 births Living people American male actors American film directors Place of birth missing (living people) Alumni of the University of Exeter Kenyon College alumni