![]() It really seems like you’ve done a lot throughout your life and career. I had considered a career in the CIA but never had an interest to be a politician. Have you ever thought of a career as a politician? Your biography states, that back in the day, you were to have a classified position in the US Government. But it did not appear in the Guinness book. ![]() Is this really true? How much weight did you lift back then? There were some rumors, that Guinness book of records actually has a record of you and your achievement. A long time ago, you lifted a loaded barbell with an overhand grip (some websites have it as «reverse-curling bodyweight»), which is very difficult to do. Smith, among your achievements, there is one, that to some fitness fanatics stands out the most. Rod is a skilled fighter, and, at the same time a real scrapper. That was a real fight with real blood and real broken bones. Fight choreography and staging went out the window when Rod decided to really hit me. The classic fight between Rod Taylor and I in “Darker Than Amber.” That was a different story. He was quite an accomplished on-screen fighter. It was a very mobile fight in the fact that it moved from one area to the next. The fight in “Any Which Way you Can,” with Clint Eastwood, was the longest two-man fight scene on screen, at the time. Which one of them all, you yourself consider the best? Which one was the most difficult to stage? One of the most discussed topics of your fans seems to be your onscreen fights with different actors, from Rod Taylor to Clint Eastwood. The fight scenes with Nick and I were good ones. My favorite TV screen villain would be “Falconetti” from the “Rich Man Poor Man” Miniseries and “Rich Man Poor Man Book II.” I really enjoyed working with Nick Nolte and Peter Strauss. And of course it was great working with John Milius, who I worked with again on “Red Dawn,” as well as my friends and fellow cast members, Franco Columbu, Sven-Ole Thorsen and Ben Davidson.Īmong your many appearances as an onscreen villain, which one of your evil characters did you yourself like the most and why? In Arnold’s day, he had the best physic around. ![]() The film, “Conan the Barbarian” was the beginning of a big movie career for Arnold, which led to his governorship of California. What was it like working on that film? Since you and Arnold were both bodybuilders, what can you say about his bodybuilding achievements from a professional point of view? You starred in a now cult «Conan The Barbarian» with Arnold Schwarzenegger back in 1982. The local snake wrangler, who did not have the experience to handle this snake, had a hard time and the snake almost crushed me to death. I did a stunt with a very large Anaconda in the water. It wasn’t easy for the trainers to call them off.Īnother dangerous stunt was on the film “Piranha, Piranha” which was shot down in South America. Once the dogs got started they didn’t want to stop. One stunt that comes to mind is when I was attacked by the War Dogs in the film “Conan the Barbarian.” Even though I was heavily padded, I could feel the Rottweillers, starting to bite down thru the padding. Looking back now, which of the many stunts you did, was the most difficult, maybe the most dangerous? You are an honorary member of a Motion Pictures Stuntmen Association. I learned the Russian language at Syracuse University while I was in the National Security Agency, during the Cold War. On screen you’ve played many Russian characters, and earlier even taught Russian at the UCLA University… Where did you learn the language? Have you ever been in a Russian-speaking country? Smith, according to your biography, you are fluent in Russian, German, French and Serbo-Croatian languages. This is an exclusive interview with a Hollywood legend. Oh, did I mention that Smith also fought in a Korean War, is one of the honorary members of the Stuntmen’s Association of Motion Pictures, and has just recently published his book of poetry? Back in the day, he also taught Russian in a university, and fought California wildfires. Smith is fluent in 5 languages, he used to study martial arts, and was a bodybuilder. In the beginning of the 80’s, Smith starred in a number of well known, to-be-cult films, such as Conan The Barbarian (with Arnold Schwarzenegger), Red Dawn (with Charlie Sheen and Patrick Swayze), Rumble Fish (with Mickey Rourke, Nicholas Cage & Dennis Hopper). For movie fans, Smith is best remembered for his 70’s biker movies, and TV-series. He started his career way back in the 40’s and is still going strong. The man has nearly 300 roles in both films and television. And, there are other types, who are being cast in TV-series, low-budget films, Hollywood blockbusters, and independent movies. There are actors that need only 10 acting credits to be considered real stars, and be remembered.
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