Morristown mourns Brett G. Smith: Cop, coach, Marine, actor

Brett G. Smith
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Brett G. Smith packed a lot of living into his 53 years.

He served in Operation Desert Storm with the Marines’ 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion.  In 1999, he became a Morristown cop. He coached his kids’ baseball and softball teams.

And he co-starred with Beyoncé.

Beyoncé and Brett Smith in ‘Dance for You,’ 2011.

Inspired by his idol, Elvis Presley, Smith traded his badge for a SAG card. His acting credits included Beyoncé’s steamy Dance for You video, a role in Steven Spielberg’s The Post, and appearances in The Americans, Blue Bloods, The Following, Law & Order SVU, The Blacklist.

Smith died on Thursday, a few days after his birthday.

“Unfortunately, sometimes the stars who are brightening our world the most are burning themselves out at the same time,” Morristown PBA Local 43 posted for an online drive that has raised nearly $50,000 for Smith’s widow, Leigh, and their teenaged children, Noelle, Billy and Christian.

“Like so many before him (especially in the professions he chose), Brett lost his relatively brief but torturous battle with mental illness. Suicide has taken Brett from this world too soon and he leaves behind a family who needs our help,”  the PBA said.

Brett G. Smith with his family.

 

Smith’s police career included service with the town’s emergency response (S.W.A.T.) team, plainclothes investigations of narcotics cases, and five years assisting a Morris County drug enforcement task force.

Video: Brett G. Smith with Beyond in “Dance for You” in 2011:

 

Dover Police Officer Timmy Lee said one of his greatest compliments was being called “baby Brett” by a Morristown offender he arrested.

“As I was coming up, I always heard about this mystery cop from Motown that criminals feared. The guy that would jump out of trees and climb buildings like Superman,” Lee said.

Smith lived up to his legend, Lee said. “Every good cop has that one guy we look up to and try to emulate, Brett was that guy! The amount of knowledge that guy’s brain held was amazing.”

Detective Harrison Dillard of the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office remembered Smith as one of the best cops he knew–and also one of the funniest.

“The two things I could always rely on Brett for, was to go above and beyond to do his job, and to make us all laugh, and I mean rolling on the floor, tears down your face laugh,” he posted over the weekend.

Dillard noted the paradox.

“Mental illness continues to quietly wreak havoc on the law enforcement profession,” he said. “Some of the strongest people I know are suffering in silence, often because of the stigma associated with asking for help.”

‘I AM THE STORM’

Brett Smith liked to share a story with his niece:

“The devil whispered in my ear, ‘You’re not strong enough to withstand the storm.’ Today, I whispered in the devil’s ear, ‘I am the storm!’

Smith struggled with a perfect storm of life-changing events in recent years: The death of his father, whom he revered; retirement from the police bureau in 2015; and a pandemic that made acting gigs and private security jobs harder to come by, said his younger brother, Shane.

An outpouring of stories about Smith’s outsized personality–shared by Little League coaches, Marine buddies and film directors–has buoyed the family, his brother said.

There are tales of a red-headed 8-year-old Mets fan, talking his way onto a ball team with earnest promises of hard work.  A Marine recalled how Smith’s humor–and spot-on Elvis impersonations–got him through 28-mile marches in boot camp.

“We all needed Brett during the toughest days of Marine Corp life,” said Christopher Goggin.  “He was an amazing man and I will always love him… Semper fi, my old friend.”

Smith was an infantryman with the Marines from 1990-94.

At fast food joints, Smith would order as Elvis, or as Jimmy Stewart. “When we picked up the food, all the girls would be at the window to see who the funny man was. A star and a great man gone too soon,” said Marine pal John Mendelsohn.

“I struggle to understand the tragedy that took a man that could make the most miserable conditions into a moment of laughter,”  said another Boothead from Camp Lejeune, Carlos Valenzuela.

The stories all ring true to Shane.

“I considered myself so lucky to be in a room with my brother when he was commanding everyone’s attention,” Shane said of his best friend, a “natural entertainer” with uncanny empathy.

“He had a knack for picking me up when I was down. He had a way of calling you up, out of the blue, a sixth sense about when you needed him.”

Smith projected a “strong, vivacious energy,” said former Morristown High School wrestling teammate Eric Ruhalter, who, like so many others, was stunned by the tragic news.

“If the world is a jungle, he was a lion, and a kindhearted one at that,” said Ruhalter.

Keith Chesnut considered Smith an older brother when they were growing up in Morris Township’s Fairchild neighborhood. They worshiped boxing and baseball. When Smith got his driver’s license, it became a passport to baseball card shows at local hotels.

Chesnut later coached Little League with Smith. He treasures their last five years of text messages. His voice catches when he tries to come to grips with his friend’s inner torment.

In his last week, Smith intervened to help a friend in trouble…yet was impervious to help from those who loved him, Chesnut said.

“Him being home, trying to figure out where he belonged and what he was supposed to do, really weighed heavily on him,” he said.

Like the late actor Robin Williams, Smith seemingly had everything going for him. That’s what Chesnut finds so frightening, and so devastating, about mental illness.

“When everything is quiet, it’s the thing he heard in his head that caused him to leave us sooner than he should have,” Chesnut said of Smith. “It’s as real as cancer, as cardiac issues, as real as kidney failure, as real as liver failure. The brain is an organ.”

‘ALOHA’…AND A GAME BALL

The Elvis connection stemmed from a father-son viewing of Presley’s 1973 Aloha from Hawaii TV special.  “Mesmerized” by the King, Smith would amass a sizable collection of Elvis memorabilia to go with his impersonations, said his brother, Shane.

Brett G. Smith as ‘Little El,’ Baltimore Civic Center, circa 1979. Photo courtesy of the Smith family.

Smith dreamed of stardom. After his tour with the Marine Corps, he took acting lessons. He didn’t need them, said Chesnut.

“He’s been on stage his whole life. Everyone he met, he put a show on for you. You’d have to sit back and laugh. It would never stop. You would go from stranger to a friend in a matter of seconds. He had a personality people wanted to be around.

“He was the director of his life. Everything that happened was a scene he would have to direct. He would be director, producer, and actor, all in one.”

Brett G. Smith as Elvis, performing with performing with Rob Young’s band Graceland, circa 1986. Photo courtesy of the Smith family.

Smith’s big break came in 2011 when, to his surprise, he aced an audition to play a hard-boiled detective wooed by Beyoncé in her Dance for You video.

Shane, who encouraged his brother’s acting aspirations, won’t forget watching that film shoot with two of his children.

“It was magic,” he said.

Smith’s agent, Jamie Harris, described him as “our resident tough guy with a heart of gold.”

“Brett was a great actor and such a joy to work with as a person. Such a rare combination in our business. He will be missed by us all,” Harris said.

Watch Brett G. Smith’s acting highlight reel

Stefon Bristol directed Smith in his final film, See You Yesterday (Netflix, 2019) produced by Spike Lee.

Billy Smith & Brett Smith, Opening Day 2017, Morristown National Little League. Photo by Berit Ollestad
Billy Smith & Brett Smith, Opening Day 2017, Morristown National Little League. Photo by Berit Ollestad

“We lost a great actor,” Bristol said online. “He was a great guy with a lot of heart… I was expecting nothing but great things from him. I will be praying for his family and kids through this difficult time.”

Smith’s association with the Morristown National Little League dated to his days as a player, in the late 1970s.

Smith’s dad, the late Bill Smith, coached for years. A banner proclaims left field at Burnham Park as “Bill’s Corner.”

There in left field, in his very first game, a young Brett Smith made a great game-ending catch.

Coach Ted France offered the game ball to the boy.

Little League Coach Ted France kept this baseball for more than 40 years. Brett G. Smith autographed it and gave it to him after making a game-saving catch.

“Brett told me, ‘No, you keep the ball, Coach. You work hard for us you deserve it.’ He said he would get other ones. There would be other games.”

The boy offered to autograph the baseball. “Of course,” France answered.

“In my life I have met many people…….many good ones,” he said. “But there was only one Brett Smith. Nobody could make me laugh like he did. Nobody!”

Brett Smith would coach his own children, and many others, over the last 14 years. His  “quick wit and contagious enthusiasm” for his players were cited on the league’s Facebook page.

“Brett’s voice could be heard on the fence rooting on the kids of MNLL at many of the games at Burnham. His presence will be surely missed,” the league stated.

A CURIOUS WEDDING SONG

Smith retired from the police force in 2015 to pursue acting full time. The Morristown High School graduate (’86) also did stunt work in Muhammad Ali’s Greatest Fight, Blindspot, Port Authority and Now You See Me.

Brett G. Smith and his family. Photo courtesy of the family.

But the roles he cherished most were at home, the PBA said.

“More than a Marine and Police Officer, Brett was a devoted husband and father first. He was also a loving son and brother and a loyal friend and colleague.”

A few days before he died, Smith took his boys fishing. He exchanged light-hearted texts with his sister, who had shared a funny Elvis video with him, shortly before the end.

Through good times and bad, Smith’s wife Leigh was steadfast, Shane said.

Leigh and Brett G. Smith. Photo courtesy of the Smith family.

“A strong woman stands up for herself. A stronger woman stands up for everyone,” Smith tweeted in 2017, sharing a photo of his wife and daughter on International Women’s Day.

His choice of a wedding song seemed curious at the time.

It was Elvis’ cover of Bridge Over Troubled Water.

 

In addition to Leigh and their children Noelle, Billy, and Christian, Brett G. Smith is survived by his mother Irene; siblings Cindy Maietta (Jimmy), Sherry MacDonald (Bill), and Shane Smith (Helena). His extended family includes his in-laws, Bob and Beverly Diering; nieces and nephews Nicole, Dominick, Cal, Kelly, Tyler, Cameron, Melanie; and many Marine and law enforcement brothers and sisters.

A wake is scheduled for Tuesday, April 13, 2021, from 3 pm to 8 pm at the Doyle Funeral Home, 106 Maple Ave., Morristown.  A funeral Mass will follow on Wednesday, April 14, at 10 am, at St. Virgil’s Church, 250 Speedwell Ave., Morris Plains. The service will be livestreamed from the church website and Facebook page.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Morristown PBA Local 43’s Become a Star for Brett campaign. All proceeds will go toward funeral costs and helping meet the needs of Brett’s family in the coming months and years.

If you or anyone you know is contemplating suicide—whether in crisis or not—call or live chat the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

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4 COMMENTS

  1. Brett was like a big brother to me when I was growing up in Morris Plains. So much so that I went out of my way to stop by and catch up with him in his front yard 5 years ago when I was in town visiting my folks. My heart aches for his family. This is such a beautifully written tribute to him. I hope somehow he now knows he had a purpose outside a paying profession and that was to be himself in all his antics and kindness. He was a bright soul. You’ll be missed Brett!

  2. “ Brett Smith: “ Great man. Public servant, husband , father , brother , friend .

    If I had a son I would want him to be like him. If I wanted a friend I would want him to be just like him. And he was!

    If Brett could contact me here is what he would say:

    I am fine
    It is true that Jesus is Lord
    Don’t cry for me
    Heaven is a wonderful place
    Tell my family and friends I love them
    Serve the Lord with all of your heart
    I’ll see you you when are done on this earth.

  3. I worked with Brett for a week while he was a security guard in my office. My heart goes out to his family. He was truly a nice guy. He told me some of his stories and journeys in life he talked about the love for his wife and kids. God speed Brett. Thanks for the talks and the friendship you forever touched my heart..

  4. Brett was an outstanding member of the Morris County Narcotics Task Force under command of the Morris County Prosectuor’s Office during my tenure. It was my privilege to personally commend him for his leadership on several cases in which major drug traffickers were successfully prosecuted. He was also a friend whose dedication to duty was unrivaled. May his memory always be a blessing to his family and all who knew him.

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