ACTOR

Paul L. Smith

1936 - 2012

Photo of Paul L. Smith

Icon of person Paul L. Smith

Paul Lawrence Smith (June 24, 1936 – April 25, 2012) was an American-Israeli actor and director. Burly, bearded and imposing, he appeared in feature films and occasionally on television since the 1960s, generally playing "heavies" and bad guys. His most notable roles include Hamidou, the vicious prison guard in Midnight Express (1978), Bluto in Robert Altman's Popeye (1980), Gideon in the ABC miniseries Masada (1981), Glossu "Beast" Rabban in David Lynch's Dune (1984) and Falkon in Red Sonja (1985). He was most frequently credited as Paul Smith or Paul L. Smith, but was also billed as P. L. Read more on Wikipedia

Since 2007, the English Wikipedia page of Paul L. Smith has received more than 1,020,362 page views. His biography is available in 42 different languages on Wikipedia (down from 44 in 2019). Paul L. Smith is the 1,035th most popular actor (down from 893rd in 2019), the 1,813th most popular biography from United States (down from 1,637th in 2019) and the 493rd most popular American Actor.

Smith was most famous for portraying the character of Major Charles Emerson Winchester III, who is a retired British Army Officer, for the duration of the TV show M*A*S*H.

Memorability Metrics

  • 1.0M

    Page Views (PV)

  • 58.61

    Historical Popularity Index (HPI)

  • 42

    Languages Editions (L)

  • 4.55

    Effective Languages (L*)

  • 3.97

    Coefficient of Variation (CV)

Among ACTORS

Among actors, Paul L. Smith ranks 1,035 out of 13,578. Before him are Jim Caviezel, Bill Pullman, Taron Egerton, Billy Zane, Al Lettieri, and Gino Cervi. After him are Rossana Podestà, Idris Elba, Bob Fosse, Marcheline Bertrand, Yuen Biao, and Eric Bana.

Most Popular Actors in Wikipedia

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Contemporaries

Among people born in 1936, Paul L. Smith ranks 103. Before him are A. B. Yehoshua, Wolf Biermann, Jacob Rothschild, 4th Baron Rothschild, Wilfried Martens, Roy Emerson, and Ken Mattingly. After him are Nicos Poulantzas, Théo Sarapo, Henry Lee Lucas, Glenda Jackson, Aleida March, and Didier Ratsiraka. Among people deceased in 2012, Paul L. Smith ranks 78. Before him are Gustav Leonhardt, Omar Suleiman, Teófilo Stevenson, Haji Mohammad Chamkani, Carl Johan Bernadotte, and Santiago Carrillo. After him are Kathryn Joosten, Miguel de la Madrid, Maurice Herzog, Neslişah Sultan, Galina Vishnevskaya, and Maurice André.

Others Born in 1936

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Others Deceased in 2012

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In United States

Among people born in United States, Paul L. Smith ranks 1,813 out of 20,380. Before him are Christopher A. Sims (1942), Sonny Rollins (1930), Al Lettieri (1928), Paul Wolfowitz (1943), Philip Abelson (1913), and Charles Duke (1935). After him are Cole Porter (1891), Floyd Patterson (1935), Bob Fosse (1927), Robert C. Merton (1944), Marcheline Bertrand (1950), and Joan Rivers (1933).

Others born in United States

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Among ACTORS In United States

Among actors born in United States, Paul L. Smith ranks 493. Before him are Clara Bow (1905), Elizabeth Montgomery (1933), Jim Caviezel (1968), Bill Pullman (1953), Billy Zane (1966), and Al Lettieri (1928). After him are Bob Fosse (1927), Marcheline Bertrand (1950), Wallace Shawn (1943), Dean Cain (1966), Mary Steenburgen (1953), and Marcia Cross (1962).

American born Actors

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Television and Movie Roles

Red Sonja
Falkon
The tyrant Gedren seeks the total power in a world of barbarism. She raids the city Hablac and kills the keeper of a talisman that gives her great power. Red Sonja, sister of the keeper, sets out with her magic sword to overthrow Gedren.
Apr 9o 19855.3 / 10
Maverick
The Archduke
Maverick is a gambler who would rather con someone than fight them, and needs an additional three thousand dollars in order to enter a winner-takes-all poker game that begins in a few days, so he joins forces with a woman gambler with a marvellous southern accent, and the two try and enter the game.
May 20o 19946.876 / 10
Midnight Express
Hamidou
Billy Hayes is caught attempting to smuggle drugs out of Turkey. The Turkish courts decide to make an example of him, sentencing him to more than 30 years in prison. Hayes has two opportunities for release: the appeals made by his lawyer, his family, and the American government, or the "Midnight Express".
Aug 31o 19787.513 / 10