Rome, 10 Nov. (LaPresse) – Toukie Smith, the American model and actress known for her role as Eva Rawley in the sitcom ‘227’ and for her relationship with Robert De Niro, has died at the age of 74. She passed away on 4 November in a New York hospital after a long battle with multiple sclerosis. The news was announced by her twin sons, Airyn and Julian De Niro, born in 1995 through surrogacy. “She was a force of nature. She left an indelible mark on our hearts,” they told The Hollywood Reporter. Born Doris Smith in Philadelphia on 25 September 1952, she began her modelling career in 1972, after studying at the Fashion Institute of Technology. She worked with leading designers including Givenchy, Chanel, Issey Miyake and Thierry Mugler. In 1978, Bloomingdale’s named her Model of the Year. Her brother Willi Smith, the celebrated fashion designer and founder of the WilliWear label, who died in 1987 from AIDS-related complications, also helped introduce her to the industry. In the 1980s, she turned to acting, appearing in ‘Miami Vice’ and the film ‘Me and Him’. Her breakthrough came with the NBC series ‘227’, which aired from 1985 to 1990. Her other film credits include ‘Talkin’ Dirty After Dark’ (1991), ‘I Like It Like That’ (1994), ‘Joe’s Apartment’ and ‘The Preacher’s Wife’ (1996). Smith also ventured into the restaurant business, opening Toukie’s in New York in the 1990s, with part of its proceeds going to the Smith Family Foundation. Her relationship with De Niro began in 1988 and ended in 1996. Always discreet about her private life, in 1990 she described her relationship with the actor as follows: “The beautiful thing about a private life is that it stays private.” She is survived by her sons Airyn and Julian, her brother Norman Smith-Harllee and her nephew Eliazar.
Cinema: ‘227’ actress and Robert De Niro’s former partner Toukie Smith dies at 74
Rome, 10 Nov. (LaPresse) – Toukie Smith, the American model and actress known for her role as Eva Rawley in the sitcom ‘227’ and for her relationship with Robert De Niro, has died at the age of 74. She passed away on 4 November in a New York hospital after a long battle with multiple sclerosis. The news was announced by her twin sons, Airyn and Julian De Niro, born in 1995 through surrogacy. “She was a force of nature. She left an indelible mark on our hearts,” they told The Hollywood Reporter. Born Doris Smith in Philadelphia on 25 September 1952, she began her modelling career in 1972, after studying at the Fashion Institute of Technology. She worked with leading designers including Givenchy, Chanel, Issey Miyake and Thierry Mugler. In 1978, Bloomingdale’s named her Model of the Year. Her brother Willi Smith, the celebrated fashion designer and founder of the WilliWear label, who died in 1987 from AIDS-related complications, also helped introduce her to the industry. In the 1980s, she turned to acting, appearing in ‘Miami Vice’ and the film ‘Me and Him’. Her breakthrough came with the NBC series ‘227’, which aired from 1985 to 1990. Her other film credits include ‘Talkin’ Dirty After Dark’ (1991), ‘I Like It Like That’ (1994), ‘Joe’s Apartment’ and ‘The Preacher’s Wife’ (1996). Smith also ventured into the restaurant business, opening Toukie’s in New York in the 1990s, with part of its proceeds going to the Smith Family Foundation. Her relationship with De Niro began in 1988 and ended in 1996. Always discreet about her private life, in 1990 she described her relationship with the actor as follows: “The beautiful thing about a private life is that it stays private.” She is survived by her sons Airyn and Julian, her brother Norman Smith-Harllee and her nephew Eliazar.