| Toqa Hesham |
A Canadian actress, born in Penticton, British Columbia, Canada, as Margaret Alexis Fitzsimmons- Smith. She was nominated for an American Academy of Science Fiction and Horror Film Award in 1978 and a Television Emmy in 1990. She married actor Craig Stevens in 1944. Her credits include Conflict (1945), Gentleman Jim (1942), The Age of Innocence (1993), and The Two Mrs. Carrolls (1947). Smith was a stage, film, and television actress and singer. She appeared in Hollywood in the 1940s, starred on Broadway in the 1970s, and won the 1972 Tony Award for Best Musical. Alexis was born to a Scottish father and a Canadian mother. She moved with her family to Los Angeles when she was one year old. She studied ballet and became proficient in dancing at the age of 13. She danced professionally at the Hollywood Bowl, won an acting competition while studying at Hollywood High School, and graduated from Los Angeles City College after studying drama. In 1939, she and her family obtained American citizenship, and she was discovered during a theatrical performance at the university. She signed a contract with Warner Bros. in 1941 and appeared with major Hollywood male stars. She met her husband, Craig Stevens, in the movie The Doughgirls (1944), and in the mid-fifties, she joined the National Theater Company and participated with her husband in many theatrical events. She also appeared on Broadway by singing and dancing in many musical shows while continuing her film work as her best cinematic performances were in the 1950s. During the 1960s, she devoted herself to the theater with her husband. Her work on television was irregular. She owned a nightclub in the seventies where she performed, danced, and sang. Smith’s last work was the film The Age of Innocence (1993). She died in Los Angeles, California, USA, on June 9, 1993, from brain cancer.
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