Above right: Sydney Smith in another Ellery Queen publicity shot.

Sydney Goffe Smith was born in Bellwood, Nebraska*, on November 25. 1909 to Sydney Henry Smith, a doctor born in England and Ethel Goffe Lemen from Salem, Illinois. His father Sydney Henry Smith, was the son of Sydney Harry and Mary Oliphant Smith, born in London, England, January 3. 1879. His father was originally trained to be an actor in the Emerson School of Oratory in Boston in 1901 - 1902. He joined the Fiske Players** (on the stage playing with Minnie Maddern Fiske) for six years and had other road show experience. However he went on to study medicine and became a doctor around 1904.

In 1910 the family went to live in Council Bluffs Ward 2, Pottawattamie, Iowa. By 1913, the city directory listed 242.N 2nd Street as their address (by 1928 someone else lived at this address). Sydney's father read Shakespeare to him as a young lad in Iowa. (8)

Young Sydney attended the University of Iowa, Iowa City, were he studied law and San Fernando Valley State College, Northridge, California. In college he already appeared on the Chautauqua Circuit. He decided to follow in his father's footsteps and become an actor, only this Sydney would remain in the amusement business.

In February 1928 father Dr. Sydney H. Smith announced his affairs were in such order he jumped on the train and went to New York. Expecting to be right back where he was two decades before. He found after the long absence that he wasn't as adept as he used to be. That same year, his wife initiated proceedings for legal separation and finally divorced in 1929. Dr. Smith was back at the profession of medicine in Salinas, Monterey, California. According to 1930 census (April), the now divorced mother Ethel and her 2 children remained in Pottawattamie, Iowa.

Dr. Sydney H. Smith married Lela O. Shaw in San Francisco on June 5. 1931 (there are 2 marriage licenses the other for May 19. 1930). His 3rd and her 3rd or 4th marriage! This newfound happiness was short-lived since Dr. Smith died on Dec 17. 1931 in San Francisco at the age of 52 years.

Our Sydney made his theatrical Broadway debut as a page in Norman Bel Geddes' adaptation of Hamlet in the Broadhurst Theatre N.Y. (Nov 5. 1931 - Nov 28. 1931)**

Ester Ott (b. Jun 6. 1905) graduated from the University of Kansas as a music major and immediately went alone to New York City as a young 22 year old to make her mark in music (ca. 1927). In those days, it took some gumption, ambition and strength, especially for a Kansas girl who was raised by her widowed mother. (Her own father passed away by being decapitated in an elevator in Kansas City when he was there to pick up supplies for the general store her ran.). So off to New York she went, staying at the Barbizon Hotel for Women. Ester first dated a young Englishman who had recently arrived in New York named Archie Leach. (Mr. Leach later changed his name to Cary Grant.) Ester loved to tell the story of how “He was intrigued by this little farm girl from Kansas and I was intrigued by his black patent leather pumps.” (8).

Ester was the singing lead in the Rhythm Girls trio with the Paul Whiteman orchestra (who had her performing with the top actors and singers of the day, including Cary Grant and Bing Crosby). On June 16. 1934, Sydney Smith married Ester Ott Smith (aka Esther Abbye Ott) in Manhattan NYC. Living in Westport, Connecticut, the couple had two children.

He reappeared on Broadway under the name Sydney G. Smith as Jensen in Allure (Empire Theatre, Oct 29.1934 - Nov 3. 1934). 

Sydney continued to try his luck at acting, expanding to his first roles in radio: Dot and Will (1935 - 1937); Your Unseen Friend (1936 - 1937); and Grand Central Station.

Sydney Smith played Horatio in Orson Welles' two-part radio adaptation for The Columbia Workshop of "Hamlet" with Orson Welles himself (Hamlet), Joseph Cotton (Laertes), ... (CBS, Sep 19. and Nov 14 1936).

Horse Eats Hat (Maxine Elliott's Theatre, Sep 26. 1936 - Dec 5. 1936), a farce adapted from the French play by Orson Welles and Edwin Denby with Orson Welles, Joseph Colton, Arlene Francis, Sydney Smith, Virginia Welles, Sarah Burton and Paul Lawrence.

His sister Margarette graduated from the University of Iowa in 1935, where she already performed in the theatre. As graduation gift, her brother Sydney gave her a free trip to visit him in New York. He also spent long hours of painstaking personal coaching in voice training and microphone technique. In less than six months, she was playing parts in Columbia's School of the Air. She got parts as Mary Krueger in Girl Alone, as Beulah Sherman in Dan Harding's Wife, and in 1937 "Arnold Grimm's Daughter", (part of The Gold Medal Hour) had "Margarette Shanna" in the title role of Constance Grimm. On November 5. 1937 she married Elliott Woodruff, a investment broker from Chicago. After raising her family she returned to the study and performance of the piano.

Just before taking up his stage roles of Green and Sir Pierce of Exton in King Richard II (St. James Theater, Sep 15. 1937 - Oct 16. 1937), Sydney was heard as Sebastian in Shakespeare Cycle with "Twelfth Night" (CBS, Aug 30. 1937) and a star studded cast: Tallulah Bankhead, Helen Menken, Cedric Hardwicke, Orson Welles, Estelle Winwood, Robert Strauss, Burford Hampden, Ray Collins, Sydney Smith and Mark Smith.

Sydney himself got a radio part in Light of The World (1938) (also part of The Gold Medal Hour) as Hezekiah, young Prince of Judah, who fell in love with the beautiful weaver's daughter, Hephzibah played by Claire Niesen.

He played a fiery Laertes in William Shakespeare's play, Hamlet, at the Hanna Theatre in Cleveland, Ohio with Maurice Evans (Hamlet); Carmen Mathews (Ophelia); Mady Christians (Gertrude); Henry Edwards (King)... (Oct 23, 1939). This tour was between the two runs of the play on Broadway (St.James Theatre, Oct 12. 1938 - Jan 1. 1939 and 44th Street Theatre, Dec 4. 1939 - Jan 6. 1940) before heading back on tour (Erlanger, Buffalo, Feb 19. - 21. 1940).

Sydney Smith, lead on Light of the World, volunteered as an auxiliary fireman. Coming into the firehouse he was startled by the lines, "Down, down I come. Like glistering phaeton, wanting the manage of unruly jades," coming from the lips of a fireman sliding down the firehouse pole. As those were the lines from King Richard II, in which Smith played Thomas Mowbray and Sir Stephen Croop (St. James Theatre, Apr 1. - 27. 1940), he was naturally bewildered. The grinning fireman explained that the company to which Smith was assigned was the company stations at the St. James Theater to check on fire violations. All the fireman knew practically all the lines, not only of Richard II but also of Hamlet and Henry IV. Syd felt quite at home. (Jan 31. 1942)

After being heard in roles in So This Is Radio (1939), Keeping Up With Rosemary (NBC, Jul 4. - Sep 5. 1942) his  first radio success came as Abie Levy on Abie Irish Rose (1942) a role Richard Coogan took over in the second year of the series.

He played Radius in the Broadway flop R.U.R. (Ethel Barrymore Theatre, Dec 3. - 5. 1942).

The Broadway production of the Florence Ryerson and Colin Clements play Harriet (Henry Miller's Theatre, Mar 3. 1943 - Apr 1. 1944) ran for 377 performances. Portraying Harriet Beecher Stowe, the author of thirty-two books including the classic, Uncle Tom's Cabin, this play starred Helen Hayes and also featured Sydney Smith as Henry Ward Beecher.
In this biographical comedy Mr. Smith approached the character of Brooklyn's pulpit-orator with tact and understanding.
When asked if Sydney cared for the character he played he answered: "Well, from what I've learned about him, let's say we wouldn't have seen things eye to eye. I'll probably have irate Beecherites in my hair for this, but I just can't believe the man was sincere. ...To play a phony you must believe in yourself as a phony, or otherwise you are phony on the stage. ..."

In August 1943 Dodie Yates, director of Young Dr. Malone and When a Girl Marries spends two weeks of her vacation staging a production of Ladies in Retirement at the Guild Playhouse, Stamford, Conn. Casting: Carl Gose, Carl Eastman (Life Can Be Beautiful), Harold Vermilyea (Amanda of Honeymoon Hill), Rod Hendrickson, Delma Byron (Kate Hopkins), Ralph Bell, Clayton Collyer, Lesley Woods, Sydney Smith, Nancy Douglas, Ronald Liss (Just Plain Bill), Jackson Beck, Jack Smart, Lawson Zerbe, Jackie Grimes. Proof that many radio actors were doing some side work during the vacations.

Sydney's biggest break in radio came when he was selected to play the famous mystery writer in The Adventures of Ellery Queen during the 1943 season. He was the seventh to voice Ellery Queen on CBS, a role he kept for almost four years. Interestingly, the actors in the title role of the series seemed to get less press than the supporting cast, Santos Ortega as Inspector Richard Queen and Marian Shockley as Ellery's assistant Nikki Porter. This was partly to help maintain the illusion that the "real" Ellery Queen was on the air. So in order to uphold this gimmick NBC kept his identity a secret. Just like Hugh Marlowe did before him Smith convinced himself he actually was Ellery Queen.  August 18. 1944 Sydney Smith appeared as "Ellery Queen" on Bill Stern's Sports Newsreel. (The previous day Bill had been an armchair detective).

Four photos from radio's The Adventures of Ellery Queen.
Top left: Sydney Smith, Ted De Corsia, Marion Shockley and Santos Ortega.
Top right: Marion Shockley opposite Ellery Queen (face hidden) aka Sydney Smith.

Above left: Gertrude Warner, (Sydney hidden by a strategically placed NBC microphone) Ellery Queen and Santos Ortega in the studio (Nov 1945).
Above right: (L-R) Ellery Queen, Charlotte Keane, Parks Johnson and Warren Null.

DuPont's Cavalcade of America was created, in part, to counter accusations of profiteering by the chemical company during the First World War. The long running anthology built an awesome body of work for several actors during its run from 1935 to 1953. Smith was a frequent part of the company between 1944 and the end of the run. He found more literature related mystery work on Crime Club (Mutual, 1947), where the audience would come into the mysterious library to hear the weeks story of murder.

On radio he continued to play many parts in Life Can Be Beautiful (NBC, 1948 - 1949), Rosemary (CBS, 1944 - 1945), Home Sweet Home (NBC Blue, 1944), David Harum (NBC, 1944), The O'Neils (WEAF, 1944), the lead in Richard Lawless (CBS, Jun 23. - Sep 22. 1946), and the narrator in Real Stories from Real Life (Mutual, 1947 - 49).   

TV started showing interest and he was asked in the sketch show The Admiral Broadway Revue (NBC-DuMont, Jun 3. 1949), in The Big Story ("George Goodwin, Atlanta Georgia Reporter", NBC, Dec 23. 1949) and an episode called "The Champion" from Robert Montgomery Presents (NBC, Jun 5. 1950) starting a TV career which would last until 1968.

In 1950 he returned for to the stage as dr. Emmett in the comedy The Curious Savage (Martin Beck Theatre, Oct 24. - Nov 18. 1950). In The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg, (Erlanger Philadelphia, Apr 1951) a play based on a Mark Twain story and directed by Ezra Stone the plot centered about a town and the man who corrupted it. It had a large cast of about 50 people headed by Russel Collins, Mabel Taliofero, Jonathan Harris, Sydney Smith,...

TV started giving him regular guest roles:
  Studio One (CBS, Feb 5. 1951 - Mar 31. 1952, min. 3),
  Frontiers of Faith (NBC, Jan 3. - 17. 1954, min. 3),
  Mama (CBS, 1955, min. 1),
  Highway Patrol (ZIV Television, Oct 15. 1956, min. 1),
  Cheyenne (ABC, Jan 1. 1957, min. 1),
  The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show (CBS, Mar 4. 1957, min. 1),
  General Electric Theater (CBS, Mar 17. 1957, min. 1),
  The Man Called X (ZIV Television, Mar 27. 1957, min. 1).

We should also mention The Way of the World (NBC, Jan 3. - Jun 17. 1955, min. 20) where actress Gloria Lewis, as Linda Porter, was the permanent hostess for this daytime drama series, with adaptations of stories appearing in leading women's magazines.

Perhaps in light of his TV work, in 1957, the Smiths moved to Hollywood, California. That same year, March 19th Sydney's mother died.

In 1957 he was seen in cinema's as Judge Frisbee in Gerd Oswald's Valerie (United Artists, Aug 1. 1957) opposite Sterling Hayden and Anita Ekberg.

Above left: Sydney as the kind General Hess in a Lassie episode "Junior GI's" (CBS, Jan 4. 1959)
Above right: Sydney Smith had another role in Lassie's "Judgment Seat" as the more mean Ed Carter (CBS, Feb 28. 1960).

Back on stage on the East Coast as Junius Brutus Booth, the younger and also the understudy for Lorne Greene's role of William Winter in the play Edwin Booth (46th Street Theatre, Nov 24. - Dec 13. 1958)

On the big screen, Sydney Smith was usually seen playing bit parts as flag officers, Admirals and Generals. His most famous appearance was as  Maj. General Vernon Pollard in No Time For Sergeants (Warner Bros., Jul 5. 1958), he also appeared as General in Tonka (Walt Disney Productions, Dec 25. 1958) and as Admiral in The Gallant Hours (United Artists, Jun 22. 1960).

Sometimes under the name of "Sidney Smith" he now got more frequent notable guest roles:
  Mike Hammer (MCA-TV, Apr 4. 1958),
  M Squad (NBC, Oct 3. 1958),
  Rescue 8 (Syndicated, 1958 - 1959, min. 4),
  The Dennis O'Keefe Show (CBS, Feb 2. - May 10. 1960, min. 4),
  Wanted: Dead or Alive (CBS, Dec 21. 1960),
  The Untouchables (ABC, Feb. 1. - Nov. 20. 1962, min. 2),
  The Virginian (NBC, Nov 21. 1962),
  Ben Casey (ABC, Dec 31. 1962).

His more recurring roles het got playing (different) judges on the Perry Mason series (CBS, Dec 28. 1957 - Feb 6. 1964, min. 6) and on Bonanza (NBC, Sep 29. 1963 - Nov 10. 1968, min.4).

After appearances in Branded (NBC, Mar 14. 1965 - Jan 2. 1966, min. 2), Batman (ABC, Mar 2. 1966) he ended his career in 1968 on series such as Bonanza (the last of 4 on Nov 10.), The Wild Wild West (CBS, Dec 6.) and finally Judge for the Defense (ABC, Mar 1. & Dec 28., min 2).

He became college associate professor and taught in the Theatre Arts department (courses in acting and oral interpretation) at Northern Illinois University from 1969 until his retirement in 1976. Sydney then moved from DeKalb, Illinois to Seattle. There he joined the Seattle Repertory Company as one of their actors. His son Christian believes he was still with the company when he passed away. (8)

Sydney Smith passed away in King (Seattle), Washington on Friday March 3. 1978. A memorial fund in his name was established at the Leukemia Fund Tumor Institute at Swedish Hospital.

When he died, the Northern Illinois University (NIU) Theater Arts Department established a "Sydney Smith Memorial Fund" in his honor. It now has a six-figure endowment dedicated to student scholarships for theater majors. His son Christian adds "I annually receive letters from the recipients of those scholarships sharing their appreciation for the resources collected in Sydney's name. I do remember my father exclaiming more than once how blessed he was to have found the joys of teaching. And reflecting that he only wished he had discovered those joys earlier." (8)

After losing her husband in 1978, Ester moved closer to her daughter and grandchildren in Seattle, WA. Mrs. Smith passed away December 29. 2007 at the age of 102!