Pete Smith (announcer)

Infobox Person


image_size = 150px
name = Peter Philip Smith OAM
caption =
birth_date = Birth date and age|1939|5|29|df=y
birth_place = Melbourne, Victoria
death_date =
death_place =
occupation = Radio Announcer
spouse =
parents =
children =

Peter Philip Smith OAM (born 29 May 1939, Melbourne, Victoria) is an Australian radio and television voice-over artist. He is primarily known for his work with GTV-9 Melbourne as their announcer, as well as the announcer on "Sale of the Century".

Biography

Early life

Peter was educated at Wesley College, Melbourne.

Radio

Upon leaving school, Smith joined the Australian Broadcasting Corporation as a messenger boy before progressing through the ranks to an announcer on the home service and Radio Australia.

On radio in the 1960's, Pete worked with radio station 3AK as a "Good Guy"... with Bert Newton on the Greater 3UZ as it was known during the seventies. From 1995 to the show's end in 1998, with comedians Tony Martin and Mick Molloy he played the role of voice-over announcer amongst others on on their national drive-time show, "Martin/Molloy".

He has made regular guest appearances on comedy-based radio programmes, such as "Get This" with Tony Martin and previously "Tough Love" with Mick Molloy, both aired on Triple M.

Television

As television was introduced into Australia, Smith performed the role of announcer and host for the weekly ABC TV television program "Sports View Hit Parade", broadcast on Saturday afternoons. In 1964, Smith went to local Nine Network station GTV-9 where he appeared in Graham Kennedy’s "In Melbourne Tonight", for which he presented commercials, appeared in comedy sketches and on several occasions, acted as compere.

During his time at the network, Smith has been seen as on-camera host for numerous specials; at one stage in the seventies he was a National Nine newsreader. He was also associated for many years with network personality Bert Newton on the long running "New Faces" talent show and on Bert’s Tonight-style program. During the late seventies, Smith also hosted his his own “Tonight Show” on NWS-9 in Adelaide.

1979 saw Peter Smith awarded the Douglas Wilkie Medal for doing the least for Australian rules football in the fairest manner.

Staying with the Nine Network, Pete was involved with Ernie Sigley and Denise Drysdale on their weekday morning program "Ernie & Denise". In 1980, Smith again played the roll of voiceover man for the popular quiz program, "Sale of the Century". His voice boomed out for twenty-one years welcoming viewers to the show each night until it's demise in 2001. His announcement at the end of the show usually finished with the phrase 'Pete Smith speaking'.

He also made several appearances on "The Late Show", where he memorably performed the Aerosmith song Dude Looks Like A Lady and has also made a guest appearance on the current affairs spoof "Frontline".

Smith's current roles are warming up and giving announcements to the studio audience for "Bert's Family Feud" and "Sale of the Century's" revival, "Temptation". However, he does not appear on the show's broadcast. In 2007, he was the announcer for Mick Molloy's short-lived "The Nation".

Other Works

In film he appeared in "Crackerjack" (as a passerby) and "Bad Eggs" (as a police officer). During the 1990's he was the voiceover man for television advertisements for the Australian homewares chain Copperart, and had a small stint on the ill-fated Nine Network variety show "Micallef Tonight" parodying his usual voice over work, announcing joke prizes for their game show segment (describing an ugly couch as "a welcome subtraction from any living-room" and guests' choice to fly by aeroplane with the question "why risk death by ballooning or being fired from a giant cannon when aeroplanes are available?"), and insulting the contestants.

He has also performed in cabaret with Tony Martin, Mick Molloy and Judith Lucy and released two nostalgic double CD’s, "Pete Smith Specialties: The Great British Dance Bands Of The Thirties" and "Pete Smith Specialties: The Great British Dance Bands Of The Forties" [cite web
url = http://www.nfsa.afc.gov.au/shop.nsf/9c1712974ba60a584a2567bd0024285e/174c63eb7ab5f0e4ca2570010003c4cd?OpenDocument
title = Shop Catalogue Entry - Pete Smith Specialties - The Great British Dance Bands Of The Thirties Volume 1
accessdate = 2007-03-13
author = National Film and Sound Archive, Commonwealth of Australia
date = 2006-06-01] , containing his favourite popular music featuring classic British Dance bands of the 1930's and 1940's.

Community Involvement

Smith is currently chairman and patron of the GTV Foundation.

Awards

*Medal of the Order of Australia, 14 June, 2004, For service to the community, particularly through voluntary promotional assistance to charitable organisations [cite web
url = http://www.itsanhonour.gov.au/honours/honour_roll/search.cfm?aus_award_id=1057241&search_type=advanced&showInd=true
title = It's an Honour Record - Pete Philip Smith
accessdate = 2007-03-13
author = Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, Commonwealth of Australia
date = 2006-12-12] . This gives him the post-nominal OAM.

References

See also

* Temptation (game show)
* Martin/Molloy

External links

* [http://www.temptationtv.com.au/20.html Pete Smith Biography] , Temptation Website, Fremantle Media
*
* [http://youtube.com/watch?v=tsI5q3FUxP8 Pete Smith covering "Dude (Looks like a lady)"] on youtube.com

Persondata
NAME=Pete Smith
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION= Australian radio announcer and TV announcer
DATE OF BIRTH=29 May, 1939
PLACE OF BIRTH=Melbourne, Victoria
DATE OF DEATH=
PLACE OF DEATH=