J. Smith-Cameron (born September 7, 1957) is an American actor. She portrayed Gerri Kellman on the HBO series Succession.
Biography[]
Early life and education[]
Jean Isabel Smith was born on September 7, 1957, in Louisville, Kentucky, the granddaughter of architect Richard Sharp Smith.[1] She was raised in Greenville, South Carolina. She attended Florida State University and was enrolled in its school of theatre. She also studied acting at HB Studio in New York City.[2] Afraid that her birth name seemed "too girlish," Smith began being credited as "J. Smith" while in college; however, she later added "Cameron" to the end of the name because there was another actor named J. Smith.[n 1][3]
Career[]
Smith-Cameron made her on-screen debut in the 1979 film Gal Young 'Un after having met the director, Victor Nuñez, in college. She made her Broadway debut in 1982, replacing Mia Dillon as Babe Botrelle in Crimes of the Heart.[4] In 1991, she appeared in a Broadway production of Our Country's Own Good, for which she was nominated for a Tony Award.[5] She continued to appear on stage, both on and off Broadway, before deciding to take more roles in film and television to focus on her family.[6] She has since starred in films such as Margaret (2011), Christine (2016), and Vengeance (2022). In 2018, she was cast as Gerri Kellman in the HBO series Succession. For this performance, she was nominated for two Primetime Emmy Awards.[7]
She has been referred to as a "veteran" stage performer, and is often compared to Carole Lombard for her "precise timing and comic verve."[8][9] She is set to make her West End debut in late 2024, in a revival of SeĂĄn OâCasey's Juno and the Paycock.[10]
Personal life[]
Smith-Cameron is married to playwright, screenwriter, and film director Kenneth Lonergan. They have one daughter, Nellie, born in either 2001 or 2002.[11][12]
Filmography[]
Theater[]
| Year | Title | Role | Venue | Theatre |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Crimes of the Heart | Babe Botrelle (replacement) | Broadway | John Golden Theatre |
| 1983 | The Knack | Nancy | Off-Broadway | 23rd Street Theater |
| 1985 | The Voice of the Turtle | Sally Middleton | Off-Broadway | Union Square Theatre |
| Alice and Fred | Alice Mitchell | Off-Broadway | Cherry Lane Theatre | |
| 1986 | Women of Manhattan | Rhonda | Off-Broadway | New York City Center |
| Wild Honey | Marya Yerfimovna Grekova | Broadway | Virginia Theatre | |
| 1989 | Lend Me a Tenor | Maggie | Broadway | Royale Theatre |
| Our Country's Good | 2nd Lt. William Faddy, Dabby Bryant | Broadway | Nederlander Theatre | |
| 1990 | Mi Vida Loca | Diana | Off-Broadway | New York City Center |
| 1992 | Little Egypt | Bernadette Waltz | Off-Broadway | Playwrights Horizons |
| The Real Inspector Hound and
The Fifteen Minute Hamlet |
Felicity
Ophelia |
Broadway | Criterion Center Stage Right | |
| On The Bum, Or The Next Train Through | Norma | Off-Broadway | Playwrights Horizons | |
| 1993 | Traps | Christie | Off-Broadway | New York Theatre Workshop |
| Owners | Marion | Off-Broadway | New York Theatre Workshop | |
| Desdemona: A Play About a Handkerchief | Desdemona | Off-Broadway | Circle Repertory Theatre | |
| 1994 | The Naked Truth | Sissy Bermiss Darnley | Off-Broadway | WPA Theatre |
| 1995 | Don Juan in Chicago | Dona Elvira | Off-Broadway | Primary Stages |
| The Play's the Thing | Ilona Szabo | Broadway | Criterion Center Stage Right | |
| 1996 | Blue Window | Libby | Off-Broadway | New York City Center |
| 1997 | As Bees In Honey Drown | Alexa Vere de Vere | Off-Broadway | Lucille Lortel Theatre |
| 1999 | The Memory of Water | Mary | Off-Broadway | New York City Center |
| Night Must Fall | Olivia Grayne | Broadway | Lyceum Theatre | |
| Tartuffe | Elmire | Off-Broadway | Delacorte Theater | |
| Fuddy Meers | Claire | Off-Broadway | New York City Center | |
| 2001 | Music from a Sparkling Planet | Tamara Tomorrow | Off-Broadway | Greenwich House Theatre |
| 2003 | Tartuffe | Dorine | Broadway | American Airlines Theatre |
| 2004 | Sarah, Sarah | Sarah Grosberg, Jeannie Grosberg | Off-Broadway | New York City Center |
| The God of Hell | Emma | Off-Broadway | Actors Studio Drama School Theatre | |
| 2005 | After the Night and the Music | Gloria, Kathleen, Mitzi Grade | Broadway | Biltmore Theatre |
| 2006 | Pen | Helen | Off-Broadway | Playwrights Horizons |
| 2008 | Good Boys and True | Elizabeth | Off-Broadway | Second Stage Theatre |
| 2009 | The Starry Messenger | Anne Williams | Off-Broadway | Theatre Three |
| 2010 | That Hopey Changey Thing | Jane Apple Halls | Off-Broadway | Anspacher Theater |
| 2011 | Sweet and Sad | Jane Apple Halls | Off-Broadway | Anspacher Theater |
| 2012 | The Maids | Madame | Off-Broadway | Theater at St. Clement's |
| Sorry | Jane Apple Halls | Off-Broadway | Anspacher Theater | |
| 2013 | Juno and the Paycock | Juno Boyle | Off-Broadway | Irish Repertory Theatre |
| 2015 | Dear Elizabeth | Elizabeth (replacement) | Off-Broadway | McGinn/Cazale Theater |
| 2018 | Peace for Mary Frances | Alice | Off-Broadway | Alice Griffin Jewel Box Theatre |
Film[]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Gal Young Un | Elly | |
| 1987 | 84 Charing Cross Road | Ginny | |
| 1992 | That Night | Carol Bloom | |
| 1995 | Jeffrey | Sharon | |
| Mighty Aphrodite | Bud's Wife | ||
| A Modern Affair | Diane | ||
| Let It Be Me | Clarice | ||
| Sabrina | Carol | ||
| 1996 | Harriet the Spy | Mrs. Welsch | |
| The First Wives Club | Miss Sullivan | ||
| The Proprietor | New York Texans | ||
| 1997 | Arresting Gena | Caroline Lee | |
| In & Out | Trina Paxton | ||
| 1999 | The Rage: Carrie 2 | Barbara Lang | |
| 2000 | You Can Count on Me | Mabel | |
| 2005 | Bittersweet Place | Violet | |
| 2006 | A Very Serious Person | Carol | |
| 2011 | Margaret | Joan Cohen | |
| 2012 | Man on a Ledge | Psychiatrist | |
| 2014 | Like Sunday, Like Rain | Mayr | |
| 2016 | Christine | Peg Chubbuck | |
| No Pay, Nudity | Debra | ||
| 2018 | Nancy | Ellen Lynch | |
| 2022 | Vengeance | Sharon | |
| The Year Between | Sherri | ||
| TBA | Turtles All the Way Down | Professor Abbott | Post-production |
Television[]
| Year | Title | Role | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985, 1988, 1989 | The Equalizer | Various | 3 episodes |
| 1990 | H.E.L.P. | Mrs. Perry | 1 episode |
| 1990â1991 | The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd | Ramona Luchesse | 12 episodes |
| 1996 | Homicide: Life on the Street | Avis Griffin | 1 episode |
| 1996 | Spin City | Lisa | 1 episode |
| 1992, 1998,
2003, 2009 |
Law & Order | Various | 4 episodes |
| 1998 | American Experience | Mrs. Howard | 1 episode |
| 2001, 2007 | Law & Order: Criminal Intent | Various | 2 episodes |
| 2003 | K Street | Tommy's Wife | 3 episodes |
| 2007 | Six Degrees | Maggie Newton | 2 episodes |
| 2008 | Canterbury's Law | Elissa Shapiro | 1 episode |
| 2010 | The Big C | Vivian | 1 episode |
| 2010â2011 | True Blood | Melinda Mickens | 9 episodes |
| 2011 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Diane Eskas | 1 episode |
| 2013â2016 | Rectify | Janet Talbot | 30 episodes |
| 2014 | Madam Secretary | Alice Millevoi | 1 episode |
| 2015 | The Good Wife | Samara Steel | 1 episode |
| 2016â2018 | Divorce | Elaine Campbell | 3 episodes |
| 2017â2020 | Search Party | Mary Ferguson | 7 episodes |
| 2018 | Mozart in the Jungle | Amy Rutledge | 1 episode |
| 2018â2023 | Succession | Gerri Kellman | Series regular; 38 episodes |
| 2022 | Fleishman Is in Trouble | Barbara Hiller | 1 episode |
| 2023 | Waco: The Aftermath | Lois Roden | 4 episodes |
Notes[]
- â According to the Actors' Equity Association, no two actors can have the same stage name.
References[]
- â (1) J. Smith-Cameronđ on X: "@cameron64801772 @Variety Both my dad and grandad were architects named Richard Sharp Smith (I and II)â how are we related?!đŻđ" / X
- â HB Studio - Notable Alumni | One of the Original Acting Studios in NYC
- â Vellela, Tonyâ (October 5, 2001). "J. Smith-Cameron's role-changing, name-changing career". The Christian Science Motor. Retrieved on October 2, 2023.
- â Kaye, Kimberlyâ (December 9, 2009). "What's Up, J. Smith-Cameron? The Starry Star on Life, Art and Why She Loves Ben Brantley". Broadway Buzz. Retrieved on October 2, 2023.
- â The Tony Award Nominations | The American Theatre Wing's Tony AwardsÂź
- â Blake, Meredithâ (October 15, 2021). "Like Gerri on 'Succession' HBO, J. Smith-Cameron is in charge". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved on October 2, 2023.
- â J. Smith-Cameron - Emmy Awards, Nominations and Wins | Television Academy (emmys.com)
- â Green, Penelopeâ (March 25, 2023). "The Key to Gerri on âSuccessionâ? âInside Sheâs a Nervous Wreckâ". New York Times. Retrieved on August 27, 2024.
- â Glock, Allisonâ (December 2021). "J. Smith-Cameron on Success and Succession". Garden and Gun. Retrieved on August 27, 2024.
- â Gaaaans, Andrewâ (May 14, 2024). "Mark Rylance and J. Smith-Cameron Will Star in West End Revival of Juno and the Paycock". Playbill. Retrieved on August 27, 2024.
- â Syme, Rachelâ (November 15, 2021). "J. Smith-Cameron Knows What Youâre Thinking About Gerri". The New Yorker. Retrieved on October 2, 2023.
- â "Smith-Cameron is married to writer-director Kenneth Lonergan and they have a 17-year-old daughter." Hogan, Michaelâ (September 28, 2019). "Succession star J Smith-Cameron: âGerri is quite a badass but also relatableâ". Retrieved on August 27, 2024.
External links[]
- J. Smith-Cameron on IMDb
- J. Smith-Cameron on Instagram (@jsmithcameron)
- J. Smith-Cameron on Twitter (@j_smithcameron)