James Smillie

James Smillie is a Scottish and Australian actor and singer known for his roles in flm, stage and television productions and voice over and animation. Smillie was born in Glasgow, Scotland and emigrated to Australia before returning to the United Kingdom to appear in stage roles in London's West End. On television, he is probably best known internationally for his role as Dr. Dan Marshall in the lavish 1980s Australian series Return to Eden.^[1]

Career

Smillie has appeared in numerous films and a multitude of television shows as featured actor and host and as leading man on stage both in the UK and Australia. His television credits include "Return to Eden",Prisoner: Cell Block H, Adventure Island, Space: 1999, Thriller, , The Gentle Touch, Skin Deep, Comedy Playhouse, The Mackinnons, Red Dwarf and Highlander: The Series. He has also made numerous appearances in a variety of light entertainment shows, including Highway with Sir Harry Secombe, An Evening with Barry Humphries, the BBC series Battle of the Sexes, and A Tribute to Robbie Burns for Scottish television. Crackerjack, and hosted his own series I Like Music. Smillie also has a Royal Variety Performances to his credit.

On the London stage, he played Tony in West Side Story . The following years saw him playing leading men in a string of West End productions, notably: an Italian Lothario in Brian Clemens' whodunit Lover (Ambassadors Theatre); Henry II in Thomas and The King (Her Majestys Theatre) music written by John Williams; Dr. Thomas Barnardo in Barnardo (Royalty Theatre); Nicos in Zorba; Georges in La Cage aux Folles (London Palladium); and also as Fred Graham in 'Kiss Me Kate' (RSC Savoy), George Bernard Shaw's Candida as the Reverend James Mavor Morrell.

His other stage credits include Orin in Eugene O'Neill's Mourning Becomes Electra, Chance Williams in Tennessee Williams' Sweet Bird of Youth, Eilif in Mother Courage and Her Children, the lead in Tom Jones, Emile de Beque in South Pacific, and as Captain von Trapp in The Sound of Music. Followed by his success as Mack Sennet in the 1996 London production of Mack & Mabel, Smilie recorded the part of Fred/Petruchio again in the full live production of 'Kiss Me Kate' for the BBC in London with the BBC Concert Orchestra.

1998/99 and 2000 saw Smillie touring England in the UK Productions tour of 42nd Street, playing the lead role of producer Julian Marsh. In 2001, he returned to Australia to play Pastor Manders in Henrik Ibsen's Ghosts for the Perth International Arts Festival. In 2003, he returned to the UK to play Charles in Stephen Sondheim's Putting It Together at the Library Theatre in Manchester. This was followed in 2004 by Daddy Warbucks in a touring production of Annie with Su Pollard and Caesar in a Sadlers Wells Lost Musicals production of Harold Rome, Joshua Logan and S. N. Behrman's Fanny.

In film, Smillie has had small roles in International Velvet and Jaguar Lives!. In 2005, he appeared in two German-made films – Dark Ride and Rich Girl, Poor Girl. Smillie is also a regular radio and concert broadcaster for the BBC, particularly on the popular series Friday Night is Music Night, presenting special occasions such as Sondheim on the South Bank, An Evening with Cole Porter at the Royal Festival Hall, and as Pilate in Jesus Christ Superstar at the Barbican Centre. He is also a prodigious voice-over artist working in animation and on commercials, dubbing, audiovisuals, documentaries, and talking books.

In 2005, Smillie returned to Australia for 7 years for personal reasons to care for his ageing mother and took a break from the business. On his return to the UK he settled back in Glasgow, Scotland and has since appeared stage productions at the Traverse Theatre, Oran Mor and the Pitlochry Festival Theatre. Most recently he has been more involved in film; La Correspondenza, directed by "Guiseppe Tornatore", Tommy's Honour, director "Jason Connery", Romans, directed by The Shammasian Brothers and Boyz in The Wood, director Ninian Doff.

References

External links

• James Smilie on IMDb