Roger LaVerne Smith was born on December 18, 1932, in South Gate, California, to Dallas and Leone Smith. At the age of six, his parents enrolled him in a professional school for singing, elocution, and dancing lessons. By age 12, the family had moved to Nogales, Arizona, where he appeared in high school theater productions, was president of the school's acting club, and became a star linebacker for his high school football team.
While studying at the University of Arizona on a football scholarship, Roger won several amateur talent prizes as a singer and guitarist, leading to a TV appearance with Ted Mack and his Ted Mack & the Original Amateur Hour program in 1948. Stationed in Hawaii at the Naval Reserve, Roger had a chance meeting with film legend James Cagney, who encouraged him to give Hollywood a try.
Roger's early career in Hollywood included appearances in TV anthologies such as "Damon Runyon Theatre," "Celebrity Playhouse," "Ford Television Theatre," and "George Sanders Mystery Theatre," as well as films like "No Time to Be Young" (1957),"Operation Mad Ball" (1957),and "Crash Landing" (1958). He also played the role of Patrick Dennis in the farce "Auntie Mame" (1958).
Roger reconnected with Cagney, who hired him to play his son in the biopic "Man of a Thousand Faces" (1957) and made him his co-star in the musical comedy-drama "Never Steal Anything Small" (1959). He then won the role of wisecracking private detective Jeff Spencer in the TV series "77 Sunset Strip" (1958),which he also wrote several episodes for.
In 1962, Roger was hospitalized after falling and losing consciousness, and was diagnosed with a blood clot on the brain. Although he recovered after surgery, it forced him to leave the series temporarily and slowed down his career. He was married to actress Victoria Shaw from 1956 to 1965, and then married Ann-Margret in 1967, with whom he remained until his death.
Roger's health issues continued to affect his career, leading to an early retirement due to myasthenia gravis, a degenerative muscle/nerve disorder. He last starred in the low-budget film "Rogue's Gallery" (1968) and appeared on talk shows with his wife. He then focused on managing and producing his wife's musical career, and was instrumental in her successful comeback in the 1970s.
Roger LaVerne Smith died on June 4, 2017, at the age of 84, and was interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park.
