History of Sorts

Hollywood has a long history of rising stars who shine brilliantly… and then, almost as quickly, vanish. One of the most poignant examples is Constance Smith, the Limerick-born actress whose life was a blend of glamour, talent, defiance, and tragedy. Though she briefly captured the imagination of Hollywood in the 1950s, today her story is largely forgotten—except for those who remember her films, her beauty, and the human story behind the headlines.

From Limerick to the Silver Screen

Born in 1929 in Limerick, Ireland, Constance was the eldest of eleven children. Her early life was shaped by poverty and responsibility, experiences that would influence her later decisions and resilience. Her father was an infantryman, working for the Irish Army. He died when Constance was just a child. Her mother was the one who told her to pursue acting, according to Smith.

At sixteen, she won a “lookalike” competition in Dublin for resembling the famous actress Hedy Lamarr. This small victory set the stage for a career in acting, as it led to a screen test with the Rank Organisation in London.

Her mother encouraged her to pursue acting, and soon Constance found herself navigating the world of British cinema. While her first roles were minor, her striking beauty and compelling presence quickly caught the attention of Hollywood scouts.

The Hollywood Dream

Constance Smith’s big break came in the early 1950s when she signed with 20th Century Fox. She appeared in films such as:

Man in the Attic (1953)

Treasure of the Golden Condor (1953)

Impulse (1954)

During this period, she was celebrated as “the Dublin Dietrich” and even presented at the 1952 Academy Awards, a sign that Hollywood had high hopes for her. She was often compared to Grace Kelly and Maureen O’Hara, which, while flattering, also placed her in a demanding and sometimes limiting mold.

She was a great beauty with a quick intellect, gifted not only in acting and singing but also possessing a natural charm that caught attention effortlessly. With little effort, she was “discovered” and carefully groomed for Hollywood stardom. In the early 1950s, as a newcomer at 20th Century Fox, she was regarded as so promising that she secured a coveted showcase role: presenting at the 1952 Academy Awards.

Conflict and Resistance

Despite her rising star, Constance often clashed with Hollywood’s rigid system. She resisted changing her name or accent, rejected roles she found demeaning, and was unafraid to speak her mind. These acts of defiance, while admirable, came at a professional cost.

Her personal life added further complexity. Reports suggest struggles with mental health, substance abuse, and tumultuous relationships—particularly with filmmaker Paul Rotha, whom she stabbed in two separate incidents, leading to legal consequences.

Hollywood, a place that often tolerates compliance but not defiance, offered little support, and Constance’s career began to decline. By the late 1950s, she was working in European films, but the spotlight of Hollywood had faded.

Smith’s first marriage took place in London in 1951, after a whirlwind romance with Bryan Forbes, then an aspiring British actor who would later become a distinguished screenwriter, director, novelist, and memoirist. Although Forbes followed her to Hollywood, their marriage had broken down by the end of that year. Under pressure from the studio, Smith terminated a pregnancy by abortion shortly before their separation. The couple divorced in 1955.

In 1956, Smith married again, this time in Italy, to Araldo Crollolanza, a photographer and the son of a former Fascist senator. Crollolanza’s father opposed the match and subsequently disinherited him. This marriage, too, ended in failure by 1959.

That same year, Smith began a relationship with Paul Rotha (1907–1984), a leading British documentary filmmaker, historian, and critic. Rotha’s notable works included No Resting Place (1951), a drama about Irish travellers, and Cradle of Genius (1958), a short documentary on the history of the Abbey Theatre that earned an Academy Award nomination. Smith accompanied Rotha to Germany and the Netherlands during the production of his documentary on Adolf Hitler (1961) and a feature film about the Dutch wartime resistance (1962).

The couple shared leftist, anti-imperialist political views and a mutual love of jazz music. Smith also pursued painting and developed a growing interest in the fine arts, while Rotha considered writing a book about her life and casting her in future film projects. However, both suffered from alcoholism, and their relationship became increasingly volatile. Their fierce arguments often turned violent.

In December 1961, during one such altercation at their London flat, Smith stabbed Rotha in the groin and then attempted suicide by slashing her wrists. She later pleaded guilty to unlawful and malicious wounding and was sentenced to three months’ imprisonment in Holloway Prison. During the trial, her defence counsel noted two prior suicide attempts and described her as “a poor but beautiful girl who was thrust into a world of sophistication and fame when she was emotionally quite unable to cope with it.”

Later Life and Legacy

In her later years, Constance lived a life far removed from Hollywood glamour. She worked as a cleaner, moved between institutions, and struggled with addiction. She died in 2003 in Islington, London, largely forgotten by the public eye.

Yet, her story is far from irrelevant. A 2018 documentary, Constance Smith – Hollywood Tragedy, retraced her life, offering insights from family members, historians, and archivists. Murals in Limerick and retrospective articles also work to preserve her memory.

Her story is a reminder of both the fleeting nature of fame and the human cost behind the silver screen. Constance was not just a “fallen star”—she was a woman of talent, spirit, and defiance, whose struggles mirror those of many artists before and since.

In November 2019 Limerick City and County Council provided funding for the series of murals depicting strong and influential women across Limerick City to be created by Draw Out.

The first piece unveiled in a series of staggered reveals is a beautiful and powerful depiction of Constance Smith in the Medieval Quarter of Limerick on the gable end of Limerick’s Treaty City Brewery on Nicholas Street, a location that was chosen as the perfect spot for this memorial piece.

sources

https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/person/mp165116/constance-smith

https://www.limerickpost.ie/2022/02/07/remembering-limerick-actress-constance-smith-on-her-birthday/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constance_Smith

Constance Smith: A Hollywood Tragedy

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0807761/

https://www.dib.ie/biography/smith-constance-mary-a9308