Born in Sidcup, Kent, England, Smith debuted as a music hall singer in London.

[1] His Broadway career began in 1916, and he appeared in, among other productions, three George Gershwin musicals: Lady Be Good (1924), Oh, Kay!

[2] He also had bit parts in silent films, such as The Mysterious Miss Terry (1917), and went on to appear in talkies and musicals in the 1930s and 1940s.

He began working in Hollywood in 1937, and was frequently typecast as a genteel butler or pompous English gentleman.

[4] He is buried at Pierce Brothers Valhalla Memorial Park, North Hollywood, Los Angeles.