Constance Smith
Constance Smith was an Irish film actress, and contract player of 20th Century Fox in the 1950s.
Early life
Smith was born into a family as the first of 11 children. Her father was an infantryman, working for the Irish Army, and he died when Constance was a child. Her mother was not able to support all her children and Constance was sent to a convent. When Smith won a Dublin beauty contest at age 16 to find the girl who looked most like Hedy Lamarr, Smith's mother sent the photo to a film studio. As a result, Smith won a screen test, and although reluctant to seize the opportunity, she was pushed into the film industry by her mother, according to the actress.Career
Smith moved to London, where she briefly joined the Rank Organisation. Studio executives were unamused by Smith's attitude, and she was eventually sacked before she made her breakthrough. She moved back to London, studied acting and played bit parts in several British B films. She had an uncredited role as a singer in the 1948 film noir Brighton Rock. In 1950, she was first noticed after playing an Irish maid in The Mudlark. Impressed with her performance, 20th Century Fox offered her a contract. Upon her arrival in Hollywood, producer Darryl F. Zanuck cast her opposite Tyrone Power in I'll Never Forget You. However, he soon decided Smith was not experienced enough and replaced her with Ann Blyth.She was most active in the 1950s, appearing in Hollywood features such as Man in the Attic and Treasure of the Golden Condor and Impulse. Smith was a presenter at the Academy Awards ceremony in 1952.
By the time her contract expired in 1953, Smith had undergone an abortion and the first of her three marriages was on the ropes. As the years went on and Smith failed to get the parts she felt were commensurate with her abilities, she began an embittered descent into a life of drugs and alcohol. Constance last acted in a run of minor films made in Italy between 1955 and 1959, including a role as Lucretia Borgia in La congiura dei Borgia. None of these did anything to resuscitate her failing career. During her time in Rome, she first attempted suicide by overdosing on barbiturates.
She made her last film appearance in 1959.