Paul Lawrence Smith (June 24, 1936 â€" April 25, 2012), most
frequently credited as Paul Smith or Paul L. Smith, was an American
actor. Burly, bearded and imposing, he appeared in feature films and
occasionally on television since the 1970s, 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) and
Glossu Rabban in David Lynch's Dune (1984).Born in Everett,
Massachusetts into a Jewish family, Smith was raised in Miami,
Florida, graduating in 1954 from Miami Senior High School where he
played football and became a High School All American.He attended
Brandeis University but transferred to Florida State University on a
football scholarship and graduated in 1959 with a B.S. degree in
Philosophy.Smith's first acting role was in Exodus, which was filmed
in Israel. This was his first visit to the country. In 1967, Smith
returned to Israel as a Mahal volunteer in the Six-Day War and stayed
there until 1973. In that time, he participated in five productions
filmed in Israel.
frequently credited as Paul Smith or Paul L. Smith, was an American
actor. Burly, bearded and imposing, he appeared in feature films and
occasionally on television since the 1970s, 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) and
Glossu Rabban in David Lynch's Dune (1984).Born in Everett,
Massachusetts into a Jewish family, Smith was raised in Miami,
Florida, graduating in 1954 from Miami Senior High School where he
played football and became a High School All American.He attended
Brandeis University but transferred to Florida State University on a
football scholarship and graduated in 1959 with a B.S. degree in
Philosophy.Smith's first acting role was in Exodus, which was filmed
in Israel. This was his first visit to the country. In 1967, Smith
returned to Israel as a Mahal volunteer in the Six-Day War and stayed
there until 1973. In that time, he participated in five productions
filmed in Israel.
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