Toukie Smith

Doris A. Smith (born September 25, 1952), known professionally as Toukie Smith is an American actress and model.[1] Smith is best known for her role as Eva Rawley on the NBC sitcom 227 (1989–90). She is the sister of fashion designer Willi Smith.[2]

Toukie Smith
Born
Doris A. Smith

(1952-09-25) September 25, 1952
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
Other namesTookie Smith
Occupations
  • Actress
  • model
Years active1972–present
Known forEva Rawley – 227
Partner(s)Robert De Niro
(1988–1996)
Children2
FamilyWilli Smith (brother)

Biography

Early life

Smith was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,[1] to a mother who worked at a factory and a father who was a butcher. She had two brothers, Willi Smith, the designer, and Norman Smith.[3] She attended Fashion Institute of Technology.[3]

Career

Smith started her career in 1972 as a model, working for such brands as Chanel, Versace, Geoffrey Beene, Issey Miyake, Norma Kamali, Thierry Mugler, and Patrick Kelly.[3] She also modeled for her brother Willi Smith's brand WilliWear Ltd.[4]

She also had a successful print career, including a photo campaign for Yves St. Laurent as well as appearances in the magazines Vogue, ELLE, Ebony, Cosmopolitan, Redbook, and Seventeen. In 1978, Smith was named Bloomingdale's Model of the Year and became the second African–American model to have a mannequin designed in her likeness. Besides 227, her other credits include Talkin' Dirty After Dark (1991), Joe's Apartment (1994), and The Preacher's Wife (1996). Smith had a restaurant in the West Village neighborhood of New York City called Toukie's.[5][6]

Personal life

From 1988 to 1996, Smith's long–term partner was actor Robert De Niro, with whom she had twin sons (Aaron Kendrick De Niro and Julian Henry De Niro, born 1995) [7][8] conceived by in vitro fertilization and delivered by a surrogate mother. Smith said that the name "Toukie" comes from her grandmother, who used to play her a song about a fire engine that had a lot of energy. She now resides in NYC in Battery Park City.[2]

Filmography

References
  1. Stark, John; Kevin Koffler (December 18, 1989). "The Worst of Times Are Over for 227's Red-Hot Toukie Smith". People. Vol. 32, no. 25. Retrieved March 28, 2016.
  2. Hawkins, Timothy (February 23, 1990). "Toukie Smith Puts New Angles on Style". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 28, 2016.
  3. Servin, James (June 28, 1992). "Woman About Town". The New York Times. Retrieved March 28, 2016.
  4. Morris, Bernadine (November 18, 1981). "Black Designers and Students Honored". The New York Times. Retrieved March 28, 2016.
  5. Als, Hilton (September 19, 1994). "Tou-Tou-Toukie, Hello". The New Yorker. p. 44. Retrieved March 28, 2016.
  6. Fabricant, Florence (September 14, 1994). "Off the Menu". The New York Times. Retrieved March 28, 2016.
  7. Brozan, Nadine (November 3, 1995). "Chronicle". The New York Times. Retrieved March 28, 2016.
  8. Gugliemi, Jodi (March 28, 2016). "Robert De Niro Reveals His Son Has Autism: Inside His Life as a Father". People. New York City: Meredith Corporation. Retrieved August 11, 2018.
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