Zimmer's new leading man : can this ex-jock score points for Santa Barbara ?
Soap Opera Digest, 1992	Home   Cette page en Français

When Santa Barbara's producers hired Kim Zimmer to play Jodie Walker, they were faced with a very difficult task - casting Jodie's husband, Reese. Zimmer, who three Emmy's for her memorable turn as Guiding Light's Reva Shane Lewis, is one of the best-known actresses in daytime. Santa Barbara knew it would take a big actor to take the reins as her leading man. And, from the looks of things, the show has found one. Forry Smith, a 6'3" former football coach, started March 27 as Reese Walker, and Zimmer's already giving him rave reviews. "He's so gorgeous !" she enthuses. "He's going to be great." For his part, Smith say he's "absolutely thrilled" to be working with Zimmer. "I'm not intimidated at all. I've done a lot of prime time. I'm ready."

Ready or not, Smith's acting career has been nontraditional, to say the least. After graduating from Iowa State University with a degree in English, the college football star was drafted by the Buffalo Bills, but an injury ended his pro career. "I played for Buffalo in 1976 and Seattle in 1977, and I wound up teaching school for the next eight years in Waterloo, Iowa. I was coaching football as well as teaching high school."

Smith says he's always been a soap fan. "There's not a professional athlete alive, who isn't hooked on a soap," he explains. But how did he make the transition from viewer to actor? Smith says he got the idea from watching television. "I used to come home from coaching football and watch Entertainement Tonight," he says. "I would see little things with O.J. (Simpson), whom I had played with in Buffalo and Ed Marinaro and I thought, "You know, if those guys can do it, I think I can." I didn't have any excess baggage at the time (Smith has been divorced since 1980). I was ready to come here on my own and I was set to struggle. I got to L.A. in 1985 and I started acting at the end of 1986."

Supporting himself by bartending, Smith found episodic work on shows like Murder She Wrote, Hunter, Jake and the Fatman and Matlock. "It was real popular to use me as a guest villian, because I looked pretty Wonder Bread-ish, and the audience wouldn't suspect me until the end," he explains. He also snagged a recurring role on General Hospital. And, while it was his only previous daytime work, it did not prove to be his only experience with soap stars. Santa Barbara's Eileen Davidson (Kelly) co-starred with Smith on the short-lived CBS series Broken Badges. "Forry's character was a straight man who was a real square," Davidson remembers. "My character was very tough and I was always in his face. He always came off like an idiot and I came off like the cool one. It was that kind of an adversarial relationship."

Smith's Santa Barbara screen test must have seemed like old times. The actor taped a scene with Davidson that called for the two of them to act in a very adversarial fashion. "He had to grab me and kiss me and then I smack him," Davidson says. "I get mad at him and tell him he's married." The scene was a precursor of Smith front-burning storyline - a love quadrangle featuring Cruz, Kelly, Reese and Jodie. "It's going to be a Bob and Carol, and Ted and Alice kind of a thing," Davidson reveals.

Will these new stars and hot storylines save Santa Barbara from its rumored cancellation? It's anyone guess, but Smith says he's willing to give it the old college try. "I think it's a tremendous opportunity for me as a former athlete, because I know what it takes in terms of cooperation," he says. "This sounds cliched, but if we have the same goal, which is to bring the ratings up, I couldn't be in a better position. There's commitment by NBC. They're telling us something, so it's up to us to get out there and do it."