Alexis Smith
Toronto Daily Star, February 7 1946
Alexis Smith (1921-1993) spent only the first year of her life in British Columbia - her family moved to Los Angeles, and she became an American citizen in 1939 when her parents became naturalized citizens. She had an extensive film, stage, and television career that lasted up until 1990, when she played Lady Jessica Farlow Montford on four episodes of Dallas. She won a Tony award in 1972 for her work in the musical Follies.
She was fortunate enough to have a celebrity marriage that lasted - she and actor Craig Stevens married in 1944 and remained together until her death. Stevens, the star of the TV series Peter Gunn from 1958 to 1961, was born Gail Shikles, Jr., so you can't really blame him for taking a stage name.
By the way, Wikipedia lists Ms. Smith as appearing in only four pictures in 1945, not eight as stated in the photo caption above. But, considering that her co-stars included Humphrey Bogart, Errol Flynn, and Jack Benny, it's safe to say that she had a pretty good year.
Created August 22, 2025.