Biography
Born and raised on a 40-acre ranch in Northern California, Joshua Fredric Smith was exposed to hard work from an early age. Growing up was an amazing journey for Joshua. Instead of dogs and cats, he had horses and cows as pets and every morning before Joshua's bus would arrive to take him to school, one of his chores was to feed all the animals. Whenever the rains came, Joshua, his father Guy and his brother Robert, would herd all the animals to higher, safer ground. Ditches were dug and fences were mended - the work was endless. But, when there was time to play, Joshua didn't just have a backyard; he had a real town known as Georgetown.
Created by his grandfather, George Smith, who worked as a prop master for the major Hollywood studios on movies such as 'Gone With The Wind', 'Pollyanna' and 'Wild Blue Yonder', Georgetown was an old western town replete with period buildings and cars, and was always brimming with activity with weddings, parties, commercials and films. It was during these film shoots that Joshua's grandfather had exposed him to a world that was Hollywood, but in reality it was Georgetown - a front yard of cameras, honey wagons, grip trucks and loud, rowdy actors. It was friends having fun making movies. Fred MacMurray was their neighbor with whom Joshua's grandfather traded cattle. This was just 'the way things were' on the ranch for a young boy whose grandfather dubbed 'John Wayne.' Joshua knew nothing about John Wayne, but his grandfather knew that he had that special something - that 'star' quality - and knew that acting was Joshua's destiny.
Joshua was about 12 years old when he had his first on-screen opportunity as a stunt and body double where he traveled around Sonoma County riding horses, jumping off things and doing all the dirty work, which he loved. He followed that with work on a film about the Barrow Gang (of Bonnie and Clyde fame) where he had his first on camera speaking part. The years passed and Joshua's interests gravitated away from the film shoots; but he never forgot his grandfather's words. He became a star track and field athlete and was an avid motocross rider. After graduating high school, Joshua signed on to work a seasonal job for the Sonoma County Regional Parks Department as a park aid scrubbing restrooms and picking up litter on the beach. Joshua worked hard and quickly rose through the ranks to become a Park Ranger. Despite his successes, Joshua could not stop thinking about what he knew he was meant to be - a professional actor. Joshua decided it was time to listen to his late grandfather's words and actualize the path that was set for him since the day he was able to take his first steps on the ranch. He packed his bags and moved to Hollywood.
After years of sleeping on floors, the backseats of cars and going on every possible audition and callback, Joshua landed his first acting job. It was a Volkswagen commercial. Then, he was cast in several supporting roles in independent films, including 'Absolute Evil,' a film starring the late David Carradine, 'Caravaggio: The Search' and 'Born That Way.' Since then, Joshua has appeared in various TV shows ('Dirty Sexy Money', 'Greek'), commercials and music videos, including starring in the New Kids on the Block '2 in the Morning' music video produced by Donnie Wahlberg. His most recent film credits include starring roles in 'Finding a Place' and 'The Road to Freedom,' the latter of which is an epic war tale based on true-life events. 'The Road to Freedom' tells the account of two photojournalists who brave the deep jungles of war-torn Cambodia to get their story of despairing humanity during the 1972 Khmer Rouge terrorism.
Through passion and determination, Joshua is well on his way of fulfilling his destiny and his grandfather's dream.
