Paul Lawrence Smith (June 24, 1936 – April 25, 2012) was an American-Israeli actor. Burly, bearded and imposing, he appeared in feature films and occasionally on television since the 1970s, generally playing "heavies" and bad guys. His most notable roles include Hamidou, the vicious prison guard in '' Midnight Express'' (1978),

Bluto Bluto, at times known as Brutus, is a cartoon and comics character created in 1932 by E. C. Segar, Elzie Crisler Segar as a one-time character, named "Bluto the Terrible", in his ''Thimble Theatre'' comic strip (later renamed ''Popeye''). Blut ...

Robert Altman Robert Bernard Altman ( ; February 20, 1925 – November 20, 2006) was an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. He was a five-time nominee of the Academy Award for Best Director and is considered an enduring figure from the New H ...

's '' Popeye'' (1980), Gideon in the

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

miniseries '' Masada'' (1981), Glossu Rabban in

David Lynch David Keith Lynch (born January 20, 1946) is an American filmmaker, visual artist and actor. A recipient of an Academy Honorary Award in 2019, Lynch has received three Academy Award nominations for Best Director, and the César Award for Be ...

's ''

Dune A dune is a landform composed of wind- or water-driven sand. It typically takes the form of a mound, ridge, or hill. An area with dunes is called a dune system or a dune complex. A large dune complex is called a dune field, while broad, f ...

'' (1984) and Falkon in '' Red Sonja'' (1985).

Career

Smith's first acting role was in ''

Exodus Exodus or the Exodus may refer to: Religion * Book of Exodus, second book of the Hebrew Torah and the Christian Bible * The Exodus, the biblical story of the migration of the ancient Israelites from Egypt into Canaan Historical events * Ex ...

'', which was filmed in Israel. This was his first visit to the country. Smith made a series of films with Michael Coby (pseudonym of

Antonio Cantafora Antonio Cantafora (born 2 February 1944), also known professionally as Michael Coby, is an Italian film and television actor. Life and career Born in Crotone (Calabria) Cantafora studied acting with Alessandro Fersen, then he made his film debu ...

), a Terence Hill lookalike in ''Bud & Terence''-fashion from 1973 to 1977. One of these films '' Convoy Buddies'' was selected for American release by Film Ventures International, and producer Edward L. Montoro changed Smith's name to Bob Spencer and Cantafora's name to Terrance Hall. Smith sued, successfully arguing that an actor's name recognition is vital to his career. The judicial system agreed and ruled against FVI, which paid Smith damages and court costs. Smith made appearances in such films as ''

21 Hours at Munich ''21 Hours at Munich'' is a 1976 American historical drama television film directed by William A. Graham and starring William Holden, Shirley Knight and Franco Nero. It is based on the 1975 non-fiction book ''The Blood of Israel'' by Serge Grouss ...

'' (1976), '' Midnight Express'' (1978), as

in '' Popeye'' (1980), and as Glossu Rabban in ''

'' (1984). On television he appeared in such established series as '' Emergency!'', '' CHiPS'', '' Wonder Woman'', '' Barney Miller'' and '' Hawaii Five-O''.

Death

On April 25, 2012, Smith died in Ra'anana at age 75.

Filmography

Discography

* ''I'm Mean'' (1980)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Paul L. 1936 births 2012 deaths 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors American emigrants to Israel American male film actors American male television actors Jewish American male actors Male actors from Massachusetts People from Everett, Massachusetts 21st-century American Jews