Early life and acting
Smart was born in Adelaide, Australia on 30 November 1935. Initially after leaving school, he joined his family business of building, restoring and tuning pianos, which sparked an interest in becoming a professional pianist and he studied at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music.
Smart started in amateur dramatics, after appearing in a production of Dragon's Mouth he travelled to England and started his career there in 1953, in French playwright Jean Cocteau's L'Aigle à deux têtes (The Eagle with Two Heads), at the Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham. He also appeared in productions like Winter's Journey and Three Sisters.
After returning to Australia he appeared in a production of Shakespeare's Macbeth and Jean Anouilh's The Lark.
In 1960, Smart returned to the United Kingdom and appeared in theatre roles in Filumena Marturano at the Belgrade Theatre, Coventry and the James Bridie written Mr. Bolfrey, performing and touring with England's only theatre on wheels, the Century Theatre Company based in Leicester, whilst he expanded his career to television in England, where he appeared in televised plays and series, including comedy The Seven Faces of Jim and featuring in anthology teleplay series including ITV Play of the Week and Comedy Playhouse and dramas like Emergency Ward 10.
An early television role for Smart when returning to Australia was the 1963 teleplay The Right Thing, the ABC's first TV drama co-production with an international company, in which he played the role of visiting Spaniard, Jose.
He returned to Australia in 1963 and featured in a theatre production of King Henry VI in 1964 and toured in Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf in 1965 and recreated his role in Henrik Ibsen's Three Sisters in 1966.
Smart appeared in guest roles in soap operas and made for-television movies, including 1966's The House for anthology serial Australian Playhouse, playing the role of an abusive husband, opposite Nancye Stewart. In 1969, he appeared in the film It Takes All Kinds, playing the role of Ray.
He had a prominent role as a new character, in the film version of series Number 96 as newspaper journalist Duncan Hunter, the new husband of Sonia (Lynn Rainbow), whom with Diana Moore is trying to send her insane in order to gain her late husband's inheritance. He later appeared in the series the film was based on, playing Frank Hobson, a married man who has an affair with Jane Chester (Suzanne Church) in 1976.
The following year, he had a role in the TV movie Roses Bloom Twice and in 1978, he played the role of Stewart in Plunge Into Darkness.
His other Australian television credits included Riptide, Skippy, The Sullivans, Glenview High, Barrier Reef, Cop Shop and Rafferty's Rules.
Television presenter
Smart is known for his role as a presenter on the long-running children's TV program Play School, the Australian adaptation of the original British version of the same title. He made his first appearance in the debut episode in July 1966, and continued in this role for 22 years appearing in over 200 editions and was on air in repeats until he retired in 1993. It was one of the longest stints on television in Australia. During his tenure, he co-hosted alongside Anne Haddy (1966–1969), Lorraine Bayly (1966–1978), Benita Collings, Don Spencer, Jan Kingsbury, John Hamblin, Noni Hazlehurst, John Waters, Philip Quast and during the first year, Diane Dorgan.
He was also recognised for his appearances with fellow Play School hosts, including Don Spencer on tie-in records released for ABC Music, as well as in audiobooks.
