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John R Smith Jnr

Actor / Producer / Acting Coach

Headhshot Photo of Character Actor John R Smith Jnr. Seated in a white wicker chair wearing a maroon shirt and jeans. His hand is on his chin as hestares into the camera
Bio

About Me

I've been performing since I was a kid improvising puppet shows & superhero adventures with my brother & cousin for captive family audiences. I started hitting the harder stuff in 5th Grade: school plays & memorizing stand-up albums. ​In High School, I just gave into it: plays, musicals, sketch comedy, improv, Shakespeare, and workshops with industry pros at summer student festivals at The Folger Library in DC & Ball State U in IN.

I dabbled very briefly in college and quickly realized academia is not for me. 

 

​After moving to CT, Tanya Feduik and I exchanged "I do's". In those early years, we worked on one of many doomed efforts to reopen Stratford's legendary Shakespeare Festival Theatre. Which is now, sadly, a pile of ashes. While doing that work, we were invited to be part of Playing Shakespeare USA, a weekend intensive with RSC Co-Founder, the late John Barton, CBE. 

A few years after, we took a hiatus to focus on raising our young family. When the kids were semi-responsible, young adults (and at an age far beyond when their Gen X parents were an were left to our own devices) we returned to the stage working primarily at The Bijou Theatre in Bridgeport CT. Tanya and I eventually joined The Bijou staff as Artistic Consultants & Producers of the live theatre wing: The Bijou Actors' Guild. Which we spun off into Vagabond Theatre Company when economic struggles forced management at The Bijou to call it quits.

​When Covid shuttered theaters, at Tanya’s urging I pivoted to film, starting with my performance as Bernie Davis in The Woodsman. A lot of people really liked it and a couple of them even gave me nice, engraved trinkets that say so. I followed that up with reformed outlaw Moka Joe in the forthcoming short: The Red Reina, and lovable, foul-mouthed catcher, John Faiella, in Omnes Films recently completed baseball feature, Eephus. 

 

In all, I've done 14 projects and counting since the pivot.

​People also seem to like my and Tanya’s work. Shows we produced have over 70 nominations for OnStage Critics' & BroadwayWorld Awards, including 20 nominations in BroadwayWorld's 2020 - Best of the Decade, and I've been nominated for more than a dozen OnStage Critics' & BroadwayWorld Awards for theatre performances around CT.

Demo Reel

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JOHN R SMITH JNR - ACTING REEL - 2023
John R Smith Jnr
Showreel

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Contact
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Contact

Representation

Ann Wright Reps - NYC

Susan Wright

Email - annwrightreps@gmail.com

Tel - 212-764-6770

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