Smith is also known for the role of Charles Main on the first and second part of North and South miniseries, He also played "Curly Bill" Brocious in the Kevin Costner film Wyatt Earp.

Smith co-starred as Perfect Tommy in The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension and as trigger-happy National Guardsman "Earl Stuckey" in Walter Hill's Southern Comfort (1981).

In 1987, he played the title role in the failed television pilot The Man Who Fell to Earth which was based on the David Bowie film from the 1970s.

Lewis Smith founded The Actors Academy in Los Angeles, which prepares students to work in film and television.

Courses taught at Lewis Smith's Actor's Academy cover topics such as camera techniques, sound & lighting, props & marks, auditioning for roles, etc.