J. Scott Smart

Who was J. Scott Smart?

J. Scott Smart, also known as Jack Smart, was an American radio, film and stage actor during the 1930s, 1940s and early 1950s.

Jack was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His family later moved to Buffalo, where he was a 1922 graduate of Lafayette High School. He is best known for his lead as Brad Runyon in the detective show The Fat Man, which aired on ABC Radio from 1946 to 1951. Jack was a regular on The March of Time and The Fred Allen Show. In fact, he played so many character roles during the early days of radio drama that he became known as the "Lon Chaney of Radio". Jack was also an accomplished stage actor and played roles in major productions of A Bell For Adano and Waiting for Godot. He appeared in many movies, including Kiss of Death and the movie version of The Fat Man. A running gag in the film was Smart getting in and out of the car he rented - a tiny MG! The film was an early major role for Rock Hudson. He vied with noted other rotund actor Bud Stevens for roles requiring fat fellows. In his later life, Jack lived in Ogunquit, Maine, and indulged his lifelong passion for art in becoming a well-known painter and sculptor.