JEAN SMART / BIOGRAPHY
An actress of exceptional and far ranging talent, Jean Smart continues to exhibit extraordinary ability in theatre, television, and film.
Jean was last seen starring with Nancy McKeon in the CBS sitcom Style & Substance is currently working on a Lifetime film, Change of Heart which will air next season on the Lifetime Network.
Jean can also be seen currently co-starring with Jack Lemmon, Walter Mathau and Christine Baranski in Neil Simon’s The Odd Couple II.
Jean spent part of last year in the critically acclaimed off-Broadway production
of Nicky Silvers’ Fit To Be Tied and was also recently seen co-starring with Mary Steenburgen in the Los Angeles production of Marvin’s Room at the Tiffany Theater. Hoyt Hilsman of the Daily Variety wrote that Ms. Smart "rips open the excruciating suffering of her character with brilliant results."
Jean appeared as Mrs. Ditmeyer in Paramount Pictures’ feature film The Brady Bunch, co-starring with Shelly Long, Gary Cole and Michael McKean as well as appearing with Robert Hays and Kim Griest in Franklin R. Levy’s Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey for Buena Vista Pictures, and Tribecca’s satirical look at the film industry in Mistress, with Robert DeNiro, Danny Aiello, Martin Landau, Eli Wallach, and Robert Wuhl.
In addition to her feature film appearances, Jean has also graced television audiences with her starring opposite Gregory Hines in the CBS Television film A Stranger In Town, opposite Peter Strauss in the CBS Television film The Yearling and opposite Robert Pastorelli in the ABC Television film The Yarn Princess.
Ms. Smart had great fun starring with Timothy Dalton, Joanne Whalley Kilmer and Esther Rolle in the CBS Television film Scarlett, the long awaited sequel to the classic film Gone With The Wind,
Her portrayal of Aileen Wournos in the CBS Television film Overkill won rave reviews from the critics Nationwide. The New York Times’ John J. O’ Connor described her portray as "…a tough and steely performance, " and R. McCallister of The Los Angeles Daily News said that "Wournos’ sullen rage is captured with jarring realism by Smart, who should be remembered when Emmy Nominations are handed
out…"
Jean has starred in numerous other television films, including the CBS Television film, A Seduction In Travis County with Peter Coyote and Leslie Ann Warren, Locked Up: A Mother’s Rage with Cheryl Ladd, A Fight For Jenny, and A Place At The Table.
Jean also appeared as a series regular on the popular sitcoms’ Designing Women and High Society.
Ms. Smart’s additional film credits include Flashpoint, starring opposite Kris Kristofferson and Treat Williams, Protocol with Goldie Hawn, Project X with Matthew Broderick, and Fire With Fire, co-starring Virginia Madsen.
Performing in the Oregon Shakespeare Festival’s Much Ado About Nothing, Long Day’s Journey Into Night, and Eugene O’Neill’s A Moon For This Misbegotten, launched Ms. Smart into a professional acting career.
Several years in regional theater led to a starring role in the off-Broadway production of Last Summer At Bluefish Cove, for which Jean received a Drama Desk
for which Jean received a Drama Desk Award nomination. Her theater work continues with her Broadway debut in Piaf, a starring role in Laughing Wild at the Tiffany Theater in Los Angeles, and It Had To Be You, which garnered her the 1990 Bay Area Critics Award for Best Actress in a touring company.
A native of Seattle, Smart received her BA in fine arts from the University of Washington. After graduating, Jean spent several years performing in the theater which eventually brought her to Los Angeles where she currently resides with her husband and son.
