Bruce Edwards (actor)

Edward Lester Smith was born on October 8, 1911, in Los Angeles, California.[1] His parents were Clarence F. Smith and Susan Lotta.[1] His father, a captain in the American Expeditionary Forces in World War I, was killed in action in 1918.[2] He was raised by his mother.[3] He graduated from Los Angeles High School and Menlo College.[4]

In March 1936,[6] Smith married Virginia Brand Andrews, who had a daughter from a previous marriage.[7] The couple's only child, Edward Lester Smith Jr., died one day after birth in July 1942 due to a cerebral hemorrhage.[8][9] Virginia was often mentioned in the local press for her social and fundraising activities.[10][11][12] Virginia died in 1984.[7] In March 1987, Smith remarried to Edith Joyce Birdwell,[13] who survived him.[4]

A long-time resident of Lido Isle, Newport Beach, and La Quinta, California, Smith was a yachting enthusiast. He spent summers with his family aboard his 26 ft (7.9 m) sloop Typee in Cherry Cove, Catalina Island.[4][11] He sold Typee in 1959,[14] and in 1970 purchased a sloop named Sea Spree.[15][16]

In 1959 he and his first wife opened the Catalina Marineros Camp in Fourth of July Cove, Catalina Island.[17] A 1960 ad for the camp for boys ages 7 to 16 described the activities as "outboarding, sailing and marinero's skills plus riding, swimming, hiking, tennis, baseball and other sports".[18] Smith and his first wife were avid tennis players as well.[19]

Smith died on September 20, 2002, aged 90, in Thousand Oaks.[4] No funeral services were conducted; he was cremated and his ashes strewn at sea near Cherry Cove.[4][20]

Sources:[5][21]

• Gianakos, Larry James (1992). Television Drama Series Programming: A Comprehensive Chronicle, 1984-1986. Vol. 6. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 9780810826014.
• Library of Congress (1953), "Motion Pictures and Filmstrips", Catalog of Copyright Entries: Third series, p. 11
• Mayer, Geoff (2017). Encyclopedia of American Film Serials. McFarland. ISBN 978-1-476-62719-9.

• Bruce Edwards at IMDb