While trying to break into Hollywood, this star took on everyday jobs, such as working in a deli. She had no idea that her perseverance and love for acting would eventually earn her a highly coveted accolade beating out other actresses.
This actress, recognized for her role in 1996’s “Twister,” has spent most of her life on stage. Now an icon in the industry, she made
The Celebrity’s Road to Stardom
This legendary star was born on November 3, 1930, in Topeka, Kansas. Her father worked for the telephone company during the day but directed biblical plays at a Protestant church in the evenings. For her, acting seemed like a true calling.
She clarified, “They weren’t for entertainment,” but explained that she found the plays entertaining. The star remembered enjoying rehearsals, and when her father needed someone to fill in, she already knew all the lines.
Eventually, her father gave his youngest daughter an Old Testament costume and her own starring roles. She fondly recalled the joy of performing, stating, “That was the beginning.” By the age of 18, she was married.
She tied the knot with Wesley Smith, a teacher, and not long after, they moved to New York. While auditioning, the actress worked at a deli slicing salami and also checked hats at the Russian Tea Room.
When she landed her first acting job, she briefly considered changing her name to something more glamorous than the one she uses now. However, she decided it wasn’t worth the trouble.
Ultimately, she kept her married name, which perfectly suited her—straightforward, simple, and honest. Her focus remained on acting rather than the fame that came with it.
In 1955, she reached a major milestone by appearing in LIFE Magazine alongside three young Broadway actresses like Jayne Mansfield. Reflecting on the opportunity, she shrugged and said, “Somebody must have gotten the idea to put us all on the cover.”
For the shoot, she wore her stage costume—an off-the-shoulder red dress—and looked straight into the camera. The magazine praised her “pale-faced intensity,” while Mansfield stood behind her in a strapless sequin dress.
At the time, the actress was 25 and the oldest among the photographed starlets, many of whom were still teenagers. By 2017, the star had acted so long that when she spoke of developing a new line-learning method in “recent years,” she meant “the last 25 or so.”
She is the only surviving star from that shoot by then. Her longevity in the industry seems less like a calculated career path and more like the instinct of an actor drawn to new roles. The celebrity admitted, “I don’t think I was ever particularly a planner.”
Around the time of the magazine cover, she told a journalist she hadn’t “realized all my stage ambitions.” She wasn’t referring to fame or awards—she simply wished to play Nina in “The Seagull.”
On Broadway, the star eventually performed in works by Harold Pinter, Bertolt Brecht, Tennessee Williams, Eugene O’Neill, John Steinbeck, Sam Shepard, and Tony Kushner—not to mention three Chekhov plays. However, by the time she took on “The Seagull,” she had aged out of Nina and portrayed the fierce Madame Arkadina instead.
She’s also known for her performances in 2002’s “Minority Report” and 2017’s “Lady Bird.” Despite beginning her career when appearance standards for women were rigid and cosmetic procedures were rising, she chose to age naturally.
Sticking to Natural Beauty & Working with Other Greats
At one point, she worried about her age—but not out of vanity. As she aged and her dark hair turned white on top, she left it that way. She explained, “Nature just decided to gray me that way,” adding, “I really liked the way it happened.”
Until then, her challenge was appearing younger than her age, looking younger than her driver’s license. For instance, at 22, she played a 16-year-old drama queen in her Broadway debut in “Time Out for Ginger.”
A few years later, while preparing a skit for “The Loretta Young Show,” a director remarked she didn’t look old enough for one of her character’s lines. She replied, “Why don’t we say I’m between 15 and 100?”
The actress enjoyed the ad-lib so much that she used it on-air in the skit and in interviews. Her career has continued steadily across stage and screen since her 1952 Broadway debut in “Time Out for Ginger,” which was soon followed by her film debut in “East of Eden.”
Over the years, she collaborated with iconic theater figures and shared insights gleaned from those experiences during a 2020 episode of Stagecraft, Variety’s theater podcast. One such figure was Lee Strasberg, a legendary acting teacher.
Speaking during her Broadway appearance in “The Inheritance” and ahead of starring in Wes Anderson’s “The French Dispatch,” she said she learned as much from watching other actors as from performing. That same year, she made history with a prestigious award.
Making History
Lois Smith was first nominated for a Tony Award in 1990 for “The Grapes of Wrath,” and again in 1996 for “Buried Child.” Both were for Best Featured Actress in a Play.
At 90, she became the oldest performer to win a Tony Award for acting, marking her first win. Lois received the accolade for playing Margaret, a caretaker at a sanctuary for men dying from AIDS-related illnesses, in Part 2 of Matthew López’s six-hour-plus epic, “The Inheritance.”
Reflecting on the work, she said, “I love the processes of the live theater.” She joined the production during its workshop phase while López was still finalizing the script, inspired by E. M. Forster’s novel “Howards End.”
“E. M. Forster gave us—there’s a famous two-word message from Howards End, which is so apt, I think, tonight for all of us who are here celebrating the importance, the functions, of live theater: ‘Only connect,’” she said.
Ben Brantley of The New York Times called her performance—the play’s sole female role—”quietly brilliant.” She triumphed over impressive nominees, including Jane Alexander for “Grand Horizons;” Cora Vander Broek for “Linda Vista;” and Annie McNamara and Chalia La Tour, both for “Slave Play.”
Cicely Tyson, the previous record-holder, had won a Tony at age 88 in 2013 for Horton Foote’s “The Trip to Bountiful.” In a March 2020 interview with Variety, Lois noted that her schedule for “The Inheritance” was fairly light.
She explained that she didn’t appear onstage until late in the play’s two-part run and performed only three times a week. The actress said, “I think to myself, ‘Now what’s going to happen to me?’”
She added, “This may be the end of me. Suppose somebody asks me to do eight shows a week, what am I going to say? It’s hard to imagine at this point!” Yet, years later, she continued acting and attending red carpet events. Fans who saw her in her 90s had only kind words to share.
Still Acting and Gracing Red Carpets
In 2024, Lois appeared at the South by Southwest (SXSW) film festival for her movie, “The Uninvited.” She played Helen, a mysterious intruder at a Hollywood party. Asked about the role’s appeal, she revealed that “A part of complexity and mystery” drew her in.
She was intrigued by the ambiguity of whether her character was ill or something else was at play. Lois was also asked to give advice to aspiring actors. She recalled being asked this in another interview years earlier.
Her advice was simple: “Be on time and enjoy yourself.” In 2023, an X account celebrated her 93rd birthday with photos from her youth and a recent shot. The caption read, “Happy 93rd Birthday Lois Smith! Born Today, Nov 3, in 1930… over 140 roles, her film debut was in East of Eden…”
Lois Smith’s extraordinary career stands as a tribute to perseverance, passion, and authenticity. Her journey continues to inspire generations of artists and admirers around the world.
