Evil Ted Smith Information

Director / Costumer
Los Angeles, CA, USA

Biography:
Ted Smith, director of the indie sci-fi cult classic Guardian of the Realm, knows moviemaking from start to finish.

He conceived the story for Guardian, co-wrote the script, built all of the creature costumes and many of the props, and personally went out to sell it at screenings and conventions. He learned firsthand what it takes to get something on screen, be it in a theater, or on Showtime or Netflix.

Smith's lifelong passion for sci-fi - yes, he was that boy, artistically inclined and enamored of Star Trek and Space 1999 - took him from St. Louis to Los Angeles, where he has spent 25 years building miniatures, props and costumes for hit TV shows and films.

Recent work includes the Klingon Gatling Gun in Star Trek: Into the Darkness, and swords and machetes for Walking Dead - all using Smith's specialized method of foam fabrication that makes light objects seem heavy and, often, deadly. Also on his extensive resume: Batman Returns, The Fifth Element, Contact, Titanic, Spy Kids, Valkyrie, The Kingdom, The Muppet Movie, Power Rangers, Alias, CSI Miami, Mad Men, and Arrested Development.

But Smith doesn't limit himself. He's donned monster suits in many movies, including Return of the Living Dead 3 and The Guyver. He toured with music legend Rob Zombie, managing the live stage and effects and appearing in several videos. His steampunk cyborgs have won attention at the annual artistic desert enclave known as Burning Man. Stylists scramble to borrow from his costume closet. And yet back in St. Louis in the late 1980s, his Batman lost out as Best Costume at Archon because no one believed it was handmade.

That only spurred Smith to keep creating. His first feature-length film was the action-packed Guardian of the Realm, released in June 2004. It went on to a long cable run and international DVD release.

Now he's got two projects in various stages of development: Space Pirates, a fun action-adventure film featuring tough women; and Steel Angel, a web show about a disgraced female soldier who's only got herself and a vintage mech suit to stop enemy invaders.