Actor John Smith was born Robert Errol Van Orden in Los Angeles. He began his career singing with The Robert Mitchell Boy Choir, a group which appeared in two Bing Crosby films, Going My Way (1944) and The Bells of St. Mary's (1945). His agent Henry Willson, who also gave Tab Hunter and Rock Hudson their names, changed Van Orden's name to "John Smith". Robert Hofler, author of "The Man Who Invented Rock Hudson", reports that an actress identified as Pocahontas Crowfoot was in the courtroom when the name change was granted. In We're No Angels (1955), Smith had a small role as "Arnaud", the ship's doctor. Aldo Ray, observing the doctor in full dress whites, says "he looks like a glass of milk". John Smith's other film credits include Circus World (1964) and Justin Morgan Had a Horse (1972). Smith also appeared in the television westerns Cimarron City (1958) and Laramie (1959).

Filmography

• 2011Meteor — Narrator
• Police Woman
• Emergency! — Capt. Hammer
• 1972Justin Morgan Had a Horse — Mr. Ames
• 1971Blood Legacy — Dr. Carl Isenburg
• Marcus Welby, M.D. — Doc Hunter
• Adam-12 — Ron McKee
• Hondo
• 1967Hondo and the Apaches — Ed Dow
• 1966Waco — Joe Gore
• 1964Circus World — Steve McCabe
• The Virginian — Dee Garvey
• 1959Island of Lost Women — Joe Walker
• Laramie — Slim Sherman
• Cimarron City — Deputy Sheriff Lane Temple
• 1958Handle with Care — Bill Reeves
• 1958Sea Divers — Mike Gilbert
• 1957Fury at Showdown — Miley Sutton
• 1957The Crooked Circle — Tommy Kelly
• 1957The Kettles on Old MacDonald's Farm — Brad Johnson
• 1957The Lawless Eighties — William Wesley Van Orsdel
• 1957Tomahawk Trail — Pvt. Reynolds
• 1956Friendly Persuasion — Caleb Cope
• 1956Ghost Town — Duff Dailey
• 1956Hot Rod Girl — Jeff Northrup
• 1956Quincannon, Frontier Scout — Lt. Phil Hostedder
• 1956Rebel in Town — Wesley Mason
• Telephone Time — Philip Horton
• 1956The Bold and the Brave — Smith
• 1956The Women of Pitcairn Island — Thursday October Christian
• Wire Service — Howie
• Alfred Hitchcock Presents — Irving Randall
• 1955Desert Sands — Pvt. Rex Tyle
• Frontier — Willie Magill - aka The Colfax Kid
• Gunsmoke — David
• 1955Seven Angry Men — Frederick Brown
• The Millionaire — Charles 'Lucky' Swanson
• 1955We're No Angels — Medical Officer Arnaud
• 1955Wichita — Jim Earp
• Father Knows Best — Utah
• 1954The High and the Mighty — Milo Buck
• The Wonderful World of Disney — Rep Aeronaut, Mr. Ames
• General Electric Theater
• Letter to Loretta — Art
• The Ford Television Theatre
• Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
• 1945The Bells of St. Mary's — Choir Member (uncredited)
• 1944Going My Way — Choir Member (uncredited)

Appearances as themselves (1)

• 1954A Star Is Born World Premiere — Self