Mark Smith (actor)

Mark Smith (actor)
Mark Smith (born 30 September 1969) is a British actor and body builder who starred as Rhino on the ITV show Gladiators until its cancellation in 1999. Shortly after, Smith started acting, his credits include Renford Rejects (1999-2000), EastEnders (2005), Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy (2005), Batman Begins (2005), Rollin' with the Nines (2006), Sinchronicity (2006), Trial & Retribution (2007), Robin Hood (2007), Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011), Argo (2012), The Last Ship (2015), Yardie (2018), The Harder They Fall (2021), and The Enforcer (2022).
Early life
Smith was born in Acton, London on 30 September 1969. His bloodline includes a mixture of Jamaican, Ghanaian, Chinese, Cherokee Indian and White/Caucasian. He lives in Los Angeles as of 2016.
Career
Gladiators and boxing
He starred as Rhino on the ITV show Gladiators, from 1995 to 1999. In 1996, he guest-starred in a single episode of American Gladiators (1996). After Gladiators ended in 1999, due to poor viewing figures, he became an actor and producer in Los Angeles.
On 4 June 2005, at London's infamous York Hall, Smith went head to head with lottery winner Michael Carroll in a boxing match. The fight drew much publicity with the press conference ending in a brawl after Carroll lunged for Smith. On the day, the fight had to be stopped three times due to Carroll's inability to continue. The former binman later stated "I will definitely get back in the ring with him. I will train harder next time." The charity re-match took place at the Manchester Evening News Arena in September 2005. This time Carroll was knocked out in the 2nd round.
In 2022, the BBC were considering bringing back the series for a reboot after 23 years, with Rhino expressing an interest.
On 31 October 2023, it was announced that Rhino would face English political Adam Brooks on the undercard of MF & DAZN: X Series 11 at York Hall in London, England on 17 November.
Acting
Smith starred as 'Leo' in the Nickelodeon (UK & Ireland) show Renford Rejects (1999-2000) and also guest starred as 'Johnson' in the hit BBC soap EastEnders (2005). He has also appeared as a bouncer in both Sinchronicity (2006), and Trial & Retribution (2007). He starred as Karim in Robin Hood (2007).
Smith moved with his family to LA and has built his resume with projects including Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011|), Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy (2005), Rollin' with the Nines and an appearance as 'Shadow Warrior' in the film Batman Begins (2005). He starred in Argo in 2012, and was a regular in the series The Last Ship (2015). In 2018, he played Raggz in the film Yardie.
In 2021, he starred in the western film The Harder They Fall. In 2022, he appeared in The Enforcer.
Filmography
Film
Television
Video games
References
External links
Official website (archive)
Living people
1969 births
Black British sportsmen
British bodybuilders
English emigrants to the United States
English expatriates in the United States
English male film actors
English male television actors
English male voice actors
Black British male actors
20th-century English male actors
21st-century English male actors
English people of Jamaican descent
English people of Ghanaian descent
English people of Indian descent
English people of Chinese descent
Gladiators (1992 British TV series)
People from Acton, London
Male actors from London