Charles Martin Smith is an American film actor, writer and director. Born in Van Nuys, California, Smith was discovered by a talent agent while acting in a school play, usually a rare occurrence. After a few years of working in film, he landed the role of Terry "The Toad" Fields in the George Lucas' 1973 film American Graffiti. The sequel More American Graffiti (1979), did not have the success of the original, but he gained notice in The Buddy Holly Story (1978), Never Cry Wolf (film) (1983), and the successful Starman (1984).

Smith's career continued mainly in supporting roles, but he received good reviews for his work in The Untouchables (1987). While his career was largely unremarkable in the 1990s after appearing in less successful films such as Speechless (1994) and I Love Trouble, Smith turned in a well-regarded performance in the TV miniseries Larry McMurtry's Streets of Laredo (1995) and a minor role in the big budget Deep Impact in 1998. He was also one of the directors of the TV series Space: Above and Beyond (1995) as well as the director of the initial episode ("Welcome to the Hellmouth") that launched the hit TV series "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" (1997).

Since the mid-1990s Smith has increasingly focused on his work behind the camera. He directed the feature film "Air Bud" (Disney, 1997), and two TV miniseries for Hallmark Entertainment, "Roughing It" (2001) and "Icon" (2005). He also he wrote and directed the feature film "The Snow Walker" (2003) for Lion's Gate Films, based on a story by Farley Mowat ("Never Cry Wolf") which marked a return to the Arctic for Smith. He now resides in Canada and continues to add to production, directing, acting and writing credits in a career that has spanned over 35 years.