Born in New York; educated at Columbia University. Smith was an editor at Alfred A. Knopf Inc. from 1929 until 1944. During that period, he rose to editor-in-chief and frequently edited books on American history and the American West. In 1946 he became story editor for Samuel Goldwyn, and later served in various executive positions with Paramount, Edward Small Productions, and Hecht-Hill-Lancaster. He joined MGM in 1960. In addition to his Oscar®-nominated films, Smith produced three other features: CHEYENNE AUTUMN (1964), 7 WOMEN (1966) and ALFRED THE GREAT (1969).  Nominated for Best Picture 1960: ELMER GANTRY - Producer at Lancaster-Brooks  Nominated for Best Picture 1963: HOW THE WEST WAS WON - Producer at MGM and Cinerama 2 nominations