Julia Smith | |
|---|---|
| Born | Julia Cuthbert Smith 26 May 1917 Paddington, Greater London, England |
| Died | 19 June 1997 (aged 70) |
| Nationality | English |
| Other names | Julia Cuthbert Geary |
| Alma mater | Royal Academy of Dramatic Art |
| Occupation(s) | Television director and producer |
| Television | |
| Spouse |
David Geary
(m. 1962; div. 1966) |
| Relatives |
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Julia Cuthbert Geary (née Smith; 26 May 1927 – 19 June 1997) was an English television director and producer. She was best known as the co-creator (along with Tony Holland) of the BBC soap opera EastEnders, also working as the director and the first producer of the series.
Julia Cuthbert Smith was born in Paddington, Greater London, England on 26 May 1927, as the only child to Edward Cuthbert Smith (1897–1968), a musician who taught at the Royal Academy of Music (RAM), and Elfriede Frances Gritton (née Menges; 1897–1988).
Smith trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA). She graduated with her diploma in acting in 1946.
Smith was a maternal niece of Isolde Marie Boyd (née Menges; 1893–1976), a violinist, and Sigfried Frederick Herbert Menges (1902–1972), a composer and conductor. She was a cousin of Christopher J Menges (born 1940), a cinematographer and film producer. Her cousin credits her with being an inspiration of his own career.
Smith married David Maxwell Valentine Geary (1928–2006) in Ealing, Middlesex on 2 April 1962, when they were both 34. The couple divorced in 1966. She retained Geary's surname legally after their divorce and sometimes used it when conducting personal business, while continuing to use her maiden name professionally.
Smith resided in Chiswick, London, with her dog, Roly, an apricot coloured standard poodle. Roly portrayed Roly in EastEnders (1985–1993). Roly died on 2 August 1995, at the age of 10, following an operation for breathing problems which were aggravated by the heatwave.
Smith died from cancer at the Royal Marsden Hospital in Chelsea, London on 19 June 1997, after a short battle with the illness. She was 70. Her funeral took place at Mortlake Crematorium in Kew, London Borough of Richmond upon Thames on 30 June 1997, and was attended by several stalwart cast members from EastEnders, including; June Brown (Dot Cotton), Pam St Clement (Pat Evans), Wendy Richard (Pauline Fowler), and Leslie Grantham (Den Watts).