Dean Smith

Known for his exceptional coaching, Dean Smith also brought that same electric charisma to the entertainment business. Smith began his acting career appearing in various films, such as "El Dorado" (1966), the western "The Cheyenne Social Club" (1970) with James Stewart and "Rio Lobo" (1970). He also appeared in the Andrew Prine drama "Squares" (1971), "Big Jake" (1971) and the Paul Newman action picture "Sometimes a Great Notion" (1971). His passion for acting continued to his roles in projects like "Seven Alone" (1974) with Dewey Martin, the western "Mackintosh & T.J." (1975) with Roy Rogers and "FM" (1978). He appeared multiple times in Peter Jackson's epic "Lord of the Rings" franchise, including roles in "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring" (2001), "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" (2003) and "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" (2002). In the eighties and the nineties, Smith lent his talents to projects like "Three Fugitives" with Nick Nolte (1989), the Mel Gibson and Jodie Foster hit "Maverick" (1994) and "The Quick and the Dead" (1995) starring Sharon Stone. His credits also expanded to "Michael" with John Travolta (1996) and "Lost in Space" with William Hurt (1998). Most recently, Smith acted in "Snatch" (2000) with Benicio Del Toro. Dean Smith died on June 24, 2023 at the age of 91.