{{Short description|American model and actress (born 1952)}} {{other people}} {{Infobox person | image = | imagesize = | caption = | name = Martha Smith | birth_name = Martha Anne Smith | birth_place = Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.<ref name=pigs /> | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1952|10|16|mf=y}} | alma_mater = Michigan State University | occupation = {{hlist |Actress|model|real estate broker}} | years_active = 1973{{ndash}}present | spouse = {{plainlist| * {{marriage|Noel Blanc<br>|1977|1986|end=divorced}} * {{marriage|Keith England<br>|2000}} }} }}
'''Martha Anne Smith''' (born October 16, 1952)<ref name=pigs>{{cite web|url=http://wekinglypigs.com/cgi-bin/nand/search/pmstat?browse=%3A%3ACONFIG%3A%3Amodelbrowse&key=smith%2C+martha&limit=0|title=Playboy Playmates – Playmate Browse: Smith, Martha|work=Playboy Database|publisher=Peggy Wilkins|access-date=February 7, 2010}}</ref> is an American actress, television personality, real estate broker, and former model, probably best-known for her role as Barbara "Babs" Jansen in the comedy film ''National Lampoon's Animal House'' (1978).
==Early life and education== Smith was born on October 16, 1952, in Cleveland, Ohio, and raised in Farmington, Michigan.<ref name="Metcalf2008">{{cite web |last=Metcalf |first=Mark |date=March 5, 2008 |title=Catching up with Martha Smith from 'Animal House' |url=https://onmilwaukee.com/articles/marthasmith |website=OnMilwaukee.com |access-date=December 11, 2025}}</ref> She was an honor student and received recognition in "Who's Who of American Students."<ref name="RewindZone2025">{{cite web |last=Turner |first=Richard |date=December 11, 2025 |title=What Happened To Martha Smith? The Animal House Star Who Built Five Careers and Never Apologised |url=https://www.rewindzone.com/what-happened-to-martha-smith-the-animal-house-star-who-built-five-careers-and-never-apologised/ |website=RewindZone |access-date=December 11, 2025}}</ref>
At age 17, Smith enrolled at Michigan State University to study psychology.<ref name="RewindZone2025"/> Her older sister was already working as a model with a Detroit agency. When Smith needed credentials for a trip showing clothing in Mexico, she contacted the same agency and was signed immediately.<ref name="RewindZone2025"/> She became an in-demand model whose travel demands eventually forced her to abandon her university studies.<ref name="RewindZone2025"/>
According to her July 1973 Playboy biography, Smith harboured ambitions beyond modelling: "My dream is to do it all, write the script, direct, be totally involved with the production of a film." At age 20, she was already shooting 16mm documentaries around Detroit and writing script outlines.<ref name="RewindZone2025"/>
==Career== ===Modeling=== In July 1973, Smith was selected as ''Playboy'' magazine's Playmate of the Month at age 20. Her centerfold feature was photographed by Pompeo Posar.<ref name=":0">{{cite web |title=Playboy Playmates – Playmate Browse: Smith, Martha |url=http://www.playboyplusplaymates.com/playmate-browse/smith-martha/ |website=Playboy Database |publisher=Peggy Wilkins |access-date=February 7, 2010}}</ref>{{Dead link|date=May 2026}} The accompanying bio revealed her aspirations to become a filmmaker, stating she was already producing small films in Detroit and considering film school in California.<ref name="RewindZone2025"/>
The photo shoots and press junkets led Smith to California and the Universal Studios Contract Department, where she began studying acting under the mentorship of actress Beverly Garland.<ref name="RewindZone2025"/>
===Television=== Smith began her career acting in television commercials. In 1976, she had small roles in several television series, including ''Quincy, M.E., Charlie's Angels, Happy Days,'' and ''Taxi''.<ref name="sitcomsonline">{{cite web |url=http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?t=291283 |title=Happy 58 to Game Show Celeb/Actress Martha Smith |work=Sitcoms Online Message Boards – Forums |access-date=April 8, 2021}}</ref>
As a television actress, Smith is best known for her role as Agent Francine Desmond, part of the regular cast on the CBS adventure series ''Scarecrow and Mrs. King''. She appeared in all four seasons from 1983 to 1987, alongside Kate Jackson and Bruce Boxleitner.{{Citation needed |date=April 2021}} In 1982, she was cast as Sandy Horton on the NBC soap opera series ''Days of Our Lives''.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Russell |first1=Maureen |title=Days of Our Lives: A Complete History of the Long-Running Soap Opera |date=1995 |publisher=McFarland & Company |location=Jefferson, N.C. |isbn=9780786459834 |page=199 |edition=reprint |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WwI5PzDiIKcC&q=martha+smith+actress&pg=PA199}}</ref>
Smith also guest-starred as Walt Driscoll's wife on ''Dallas'', and as Swamp Thing's wife (Linda Holland) on the 1990 series Swamp Thing, from DC Comics.
Smith had guest appearances on several 1980s and 1990s American television game shows, including ''The $25,000 Pyramid'', ''The $100,000 Pyramid'' with Dick Clark, ''Super Password'', ''Celebrity Hot Potato'', ''Body Language'', and ''The New Hollywood Squares''.<ref name="sitcomsonline"/>{{better source needed|date=April 2021}}
===Motion pictures=== Smith's first acting role in a feature-length film was in ''National Lampoon's Animal House'', directed by John Landis and released in 1978, as sorority girl Barbara "Babs" Jansen.<ref name="RewindZone2025"/> According to Smith, she had auditioned for a series regular role on ''General Hospital'' the same week and made it to the screen test, but forgot her lines. "I was devastated," she recalled in a 2008 interview. "It meant I would have to do that silly college comedy ''Animal House'' instead of ''General Hospital''. Which, of course, would never amount to anything."<ref name="Metcalf2008"/>
During filming in Eugene, Oregon from October to December 1977, director Landis maintained high energy on set and sent postcards to the cast's motel mailboxes announcing "We are making a classic movie!"<ref name="Metcalf2008"/><ref name="RewindZone2025"/> The film became a massive commercial success, earning $141.6 million on a $3 million budget—a 47-fold return on investment. It was the second-highest grossing film of 1978 (after ''Grease'') and the highest-grossing comedy of the 1970s decade.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Nixon |first=Rob |date=June 28, 2004 |title=National Lampoon's Animal House |url=https://www.tcm.com/articles/78388/national-lampoons-animal-house |access-date=2026-05-01 |website=Turner Classic Movies |language=en-us}}</ref>
In 2008, Smith recalled her experience working on the comedy classic: "Having just returned from the Chicago reunion event at Hollywood Boulevard, I can say it's never ceased to astonish me just how deeply this movie has carved itself into the American psyche. It's hard to know which is more impressive: the AFI Top 100 Funniest Films List, the induction into the Library of Congress National Film Registry or my personal favorite accolade – the parody issue of ''Mad Magazine''."<ref name="Metcalf2008" />
After the turn of the 21st century, Smith's acting appearances became more sporadic. Among her later film appearances were in the 2006 film ''Loveless in Los Angeles'', a romantic comedy movie that took place behind the scenes of a reality dating show,<ref name="Metcalf2008" /> and a featured role, that of Kitty Carloff, in the 2009 film ''The Seduction of Dr. Fugazzi'', which also starred Faye Dunaway.
In 2018, forty years after ''Animal House'', Smith reprised her role as Babs Jansen in the Netflix biographical film ''A Futile and Stupid Gesture'' (about ''National Lampoon'' co-founder Doug Kenney), appearing as a Universal Studios tour guide—a meta-reference to her character's ending in the original film.<ref name="RewindZone2025"/> That same year, she appeared at the TCM Classic Film Festival on April 29 for the ''Animal House'' 40th anniversary reunion panel alongside director John Landis and cast members.<ref name="Getty">{{cite web |title=Martha Smith Photos |url=https://www.gettyimages.com/photos/martha-smith-photos |website=Getty Images |access-date=December 11, 2025}}</ref><ref name="RewindZone2025"/>
===Real estate career=== Smith began a real estate career in 1995 and became a full-time real estate broker/agent for Keller Williams Realty, serving a select, high-end clientele, largely in the Beverly Hills and Hollywood Hills areas. She has operated as an exclusive, service-oriented boutique-style real estate service agent within the broader framework of the Keller Williams branded environment.<ref name="KW">{{cite web |title=Martha Smith - Real Estate Agent |url=https://kw.com/agent/martha-smith/54412 |website=Keller Williams Beverly Hills |access-date=December 11, 2025}}</ref>
Smith appeared on the HGTV real estate television series ''Selling LA'' one of Keller Williams's brokers. The third episode of the first season described her as having "an A-list Rolodex of busy clients, including legendary drummer Matt Sorum, former member of the hard rock band Guns N' Roses and member of the supergroup Velvet Revolver".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hgtv.com/shows/selling-la/episodes/rock-star-real-estate-velvet-revolver-drummer-matt-sorum-looks-for-a-new-home |title=''Selling LA'' Season 1, Episode 3: Rock Star Real Estate |website=HGTV |access-date=April 8, 2021 }}</ref>
Her professional recognitions include the Gold Circle Award for Top Production and Keller Williams Agent of the Month (2011), Platinum Award for Top Production placing in the Top 15 out of approximately 350 agents (2012), and Global Realtor designation with IRES (2012).<ref name="KW">{{cite web |title=Martha Smith - Real Estate Agent |url=https://kw.com/agent/martha-smith/54412 |website=Keller Williams Beverly Hills |access-date=December 11, 2025}}</ref> In 2023, she was ranked #3 Top Sales Agent of the Month in March and #9 Top Closed Volume Individual Agent out of over 700 agents for the year.<ref name="KW"/><ref name="RewindZone2025"/> As of 2025, at age 73, she remains active in the Los Angeles real estate market.<ref name="RewindZone2025"/>
==Personal life== Smith was raised in Farmington, Michigan, and attended Michigan State University,<ref name=":7">{{cite magazine |title=Playmate News |magazine=Playboy |date=October 2008 |volume=55 |pages=123–124}}</ref> where she acquired fluency in French and Italian.<ref name=":5">{{cite web |title=Martha Smith website |url=http://www.martha-smith.com |access-date=March 4, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151127000000/http://www.martha-smith.com |archive-date=2015-11-27 }}</ref>
Smith has been married twice. Her first marriage was to Noel Blanc, son of legendary voice actor Mel Blanc, on May 15, 1977.<ref name="RewindZone2025"/> The marriage lasted nine years, ending in divorce in 1986.<ref name="RewindZone2025"/>
On May 7, 2000, Smith married musician Keith England, formerly of The Allman Brothers Band, Montrose, and The Tubes.<ref name="RewindZone2025"/> They met while performing together in a cabaret act in 1999.<ref name="Metcalf2008"/> The couple resides in Beverly Hills, California and, as of 2025, have been married for 25 years.<ref name="RewindZone2025"/> Smith has no children from either marriage.
==References== {{reflist}}
== External links == *{{playmate|martha-smith|Martha Smith}} *{{IMDb name|id=0006700| name = Martha Smith}} *[http://marthas.yourkwagent.com/ Official real estate site], Keller Williams
{{playmates of 1973}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Martha}} Category:1952 births Category:Living people Category:1970s Playboy Playmates Category:American television actresses Category:Actresses from Cleveland Category:American film actresses Category:Michigan State University alumni Category:21st-century American women