James Smillie (born 28 November 1944), also credited variously as Jim Smillie and Jim Smilie, is a Scottish-Australian actor. He has worked in both Britain and Australia in film, extensively on stage, on television, and in radio broadcasting, voiceover and animation work.
Early life Smillie was born in Glasgow, Scotland. His parents emigrated to Australia in the early 1950s when Smillie was a child, where he grew up in Perth, in Western Australia. He began his career in entertainment at the age of 10, as a soprano singing with symphony orchestras. With no established drama schools in Perth, he developed his craft as a radio actor at the ABC, before acting with a university graduate company in productions of Hamlet and Mourning Becomes Electra. He then relocated to the east coast of Australia, where he began working as a newsreader, announcer and host at Channel 0 (which later became Network 10).
Career Although his family remained in Perth, Smillie returned to the United Kingdom in 1972, to appear in stage roles in London's West End. He has continued to divide his time between the UK and Australia throughout his career, working in television, film and stage productions, and as a voiceover artist.
Television and film Smillie has appeared in numerous television shows. While still in Australia, he was one of the hosts of British children's series Crackerjack in 1966, with the scripts flown over from England. He also hosted his own series I Like Music in 1971.
After relocating to the UK to further his career, Smillie landed roles in Z-Cars and General Hospital and appeared in game show The Generation Game. He also played the recurring part of Mr. Spencer in 1976 children's series Jumbo Spencer. Out of necessity, Smillie returned to Australia in 1979 to ensure he retained his Australian citizenship. While there, he secured a thirteen week contract with prison soap opera Prisoner, playing one of his best known roles to date, lawyer Steve Wilson.
Following this, Smillie returned to England with his family to settle down and resume his career. He featured as Malcolm McCrae in 1980 children's miniseries The Latchkey Children, based on the award-winning novel by Eric Allen.
Then in 1983, Smillie was invited back to Australia, after being offered what became another of his most prominent roles – that of Doctor Dan Marshall in drama miniseries Return to Eden, a part he later reprised for the full series of the same name in 1985, reuniting with his Prisoner co-star Peta Toppano. The series ran for 22 episodes, but while successful internationally, it failed to make its mark in Australia.
Smilie has also guested in numerous television series in both the UK and Australia. His British guest credits include anthology show Thriller (1975), Scottish drama series The Mackinnons (1977) and police drama The Gentle Touch (1980). He appeared in sci-fi series Space: 1999 (1977), Red Dwarf (1991) and Highlander: The Series (1994). His Australian guest credits include children's series Adventure Island (1967), police dramas Cop Shop and Special Squad (both 1984) and later, Always Greener (2002). He had several individual guest roles in both Homicide and Division 4.
Smillie has also made numerous appearances in light entertainment shows, including Highway (with Sir Harry Secombe), six-part BBC comedy revue series Battle of the Sexes (1976) and The Barry Humphries Show (1977).
Smillie had a small role as a commentator in American drama film International Velvet, the 1978 sequel to National Velvet, alongside Christopher Plummer, Anthony Hopkins and Tatum O’Neal. He also had a small part in 1979 American action film Jaguar Lives!, opposite Christopher Lee and Donald Pleasence. In 1983, he appeared in made-for-TV movie Skin Deep, which featured Nicole Kidman in an early role.
Later, Smillie appeared in 2002 TV sports drama film The Junction Boys, alongside Tom Berenger and Ryan Kwanten. Two action adventure TV films followed, with Final Contract: Death on Delivery in 2005 and Good Girl, Bad Girl in 2006. More recently, he had parts in English-Italian romance film The Correspondence with Jeremy Irons, and historical sports drama Tommy's Honour with Sam Neill, both in 2016, before appearing in 2017 British drama Romans (aka Retaliation) alongside Orlando Bloom He then had a role in 2019 British black comedy adventure film Get Duked!.
Theatre Smillie has appeared as a leading man on stage in both the UK and Australia. His early stage credits in Australia included playing Orin in Eugene O'Neill's Mourning Becomes Electra (1964), the title role in Tom Jones at the Perth Festival (1969), Edward Rutledge in a J. C. Williamson's touring production of 1776 (1971), and Chance Williams in Tennessee Williams's Sweet Bird of Youth (1972).
In 1972, Smillie landed his breakout stage role on London's West End, playing Tony in a staging of West Side Story. He went on to play leading men in a string of further West End productions; notably an Italian Lothario in Brian Clemens' whodunit Lover at Ambassadors Theatre and Nicos in Zorba, both in 1973. He appeared as Henry II in Thomas and The King at Her Majesty's Theatre in 1975 and Dr. Thomas Barnardo in Barnardo at the Royalty Theatre in 1980,
Smillie featured in a Royal Variety Performance in 1983, alongside the likes of Laurence Olivier, Michael Barrymore, Twiggy and Finola Hughes, which was hosted by Gene Kelly. The following year he played the role of Emile de Beque in South Pacific in Australia in 1984.
Returning to the UK after his Australian stint in Return to Eden, Smillie played the leading role of Georges in a 1987 production of La Cage aux Folles at the London Palladium, after Denis Quiley retired from the role. The story was centred around two middle-aged gay men raising a teenage son together, while running a club in St Tropez. However, three weeks after James made the role his own, the show closed, due to a slump in bookings caused by the AIDS scare of the 1980s.
Smillie played the role of Reverend James Mavor Morrell in a 1993 UK tour of George Bernard Shaw's Candida. In 1996, he portrayed Fred Graham in Kiss Me Kate for Royal Shakespeare Company, also landing the lead role of Captain von Trapp in The Sound of Music. Following a successful run as Mack Sennet in the 1996 London production of Mack & Mabel, Smilie recorded the part of Fred / Petruchio again in the full live production of Kiss Me, Kate for the BBC in London with the BBC Concert Orchestra.
1997 to 1998 saw Smillie touring in the UK Productions tour of 42nd Street, playing the lead role of producer Julian Marsh, a role he reprised once more from 1999 to 2000. He returned to Australia in 2001, to play Pastor Manders in Henrik Ibsen's Ghosts for Perth International Arts Festival. In 2003, he went on to play Charles in Stephen Sondheim's Putting It Together at the Library Theatre in Manchester. This was followed in 2004 with a touring production of Annie, in which he played Daddy Warbucks.
In 2015, Smillie was in a Lost Musicals production of Fanny at London's Sadler’s Wells Theatre, portraying Caesar. Most recently, he has appeared in stage productions at the Traverse Theatre, Òran Mór, and the Pitlochry Festival Theatre in Scotland.
Radio and voiceover Smillie is a regular radio and concert broadcaster for the BBC, particularly on the series Friday Night is Music Night, presenting special occasions such as Sondheim on the South Bank, An Evening with Cole Porter at the Royal Festival Hall, and playing Pilate in Jesus Christ Superstar at the Barbican Centre.
Smillie is also a multi award-winning voiceover artist. He was the original voice of Sky, voicing programmes in the UK for over a decadeSky TV Advertisement, 1990. YouTube. and voiced the role of Justice Computer in British sci-fi series Red Dwarf.
Smillie has also performed voiceover for numerous advertisements, with brands including CNN, Netflix, Ford Capri, Securite Assurance, Papa John's, Amels Yachts, The Scottish Cup, Florida Aquarium, Star Dynasties, Turkish Space Agency, Suzuki, Fantasy Flight Films, Pixel Elixir, Funcom, Citibank, Aveleda Wines and Ardnamurchan Whisky, Phillips and The New York Times. He has voiced characters for videos games including Warhammer’s World of Tanks, Lord of the Rings, Goblin Stone, King Lot, Space Cows and Golden Toad. He has also provided voiceover for animations, and narrated documentaries, podcasts and audiobooks.
Personal life Smillie currently lives in Glasgow, in Scotland.
Stage Year Production Role Venue / Co. Ref 1963 The Duenna Father Augustine / Maids, nuns, monks, masqueraders, servants Old Dolphin Theatre, Perth with Bankside Theatre Productions 1964 Hamlet New Fortune Theatre, Perth with Bankside Theatre Productions for Perth Festival Mourning Becomes Electra Orin Old Dolphin Theatre, Perth with GRADS Theatre Co 1968 Razza-Ma-Tazz (and All That Jazz) Constable Brian Buttons Southland Auditorium, Melbourne 1969 Tom Jones Tom Jones Perth Festival 1971 1776 South Carolina – Edward Rutledge Her Majesty's Theatre, Melbourne, Theatre Royal Sydney with J. C. Williamson's 1972 Sweet Bird of Youth Chance Wayne Playhouse, Perth with National Theatre 1972–1973 West Side Story Tony Bristol Hippodrome & London 1973 Lover Bruno Varella UK tour Zorba Nicos Greenwich Theatre, London 1974 Saint Joan Captain La Hire New Theatre Oxford 1975 Thomas and the King Henry II Her Majesty's Theatre, London 1980 Barnardo Dr. Thomas Barnardo Royalty Theatre, London Mother Courage and Her Children Eilif 1983 Royal Variety Performance Performer Theatre Royal, London 1984 South Pacific Emile de Beque His Majesty's Theatre, Perth with National Theatre 1987 La Cage au Folles Georges London Palladium Kiss Me, Kate Fred Graham The Old Vic, London, Savoy Theatre, London with Royal Shakespeare Company Mary Stuart Musician Assembly Hall, Edinburgh for Edinburgh International Festival 1993 Candida Reverend James Mavor Morrell UK tour 1996 Paradise Lost Satan St. George’s Cathedral, Perth Mack & Mabel Mack Sennet London 1996 The Sound of Music Captain von Trapp His Majesty's Theatre, Perth Kiss Me, Kate Fred Graham / Petruchio BBC with BBC Concert Orchestra 1996–1997; 1999–2000 42nd Street Julian Marsh Theatre Royal, Bath with UK Productions 2001 Ghosts Pastor Manders Hole in Wall Theatre for Perth International Arts Festival Mack & Mabel Mack Sennet State Theatre at Victorian Arts Centre with The Production Company 2003 Putting It Together Charles Manchester Central Library Anyone Can Whistle Comptroller Schub Bridewell Theatre, London with The Gryphon 2004 Annie Daddy Warbucks UK tour Too Far Gone Aaron Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh 2012 White Christmas General Waverley Pitlochry Festival Theatre, Scotland 2013 Marco Pantani: The Pirate Grandfather Òran Mór, Glasgow with A Play A Pie & a Pint 2014 Don Quixote Don Quixote Òran Mór, Glasgow with A Play A Pie & a Pint Miracle on 34th Street Kris Kringle Pitlochry Festival Theatre, Scotland 2015 Fanny Caesar Sadlers Wells, London with Lost Musicals 2026 Last Call Roderick Usher Camden People's Theatre, London for Camden Fringe Festival
Filmography
Television