• Ian Michael Smith is a former actor and software engineer from Elmhurst, Illinois, USA.
• He is best known for his role in the 1998 film "Simon Birch".
• Since 2016, he has been serving as a board member for Project Alloy.
• He has a Bachelor of Science degree in computer science and engineering from MIT, and a Master of Arts in linguistics from Gallaudet University.
• As of August 2020, his net worth is estimated at over $2 million.
Known for movies
Short Info
Date Of Birth | May 5, 1987 |
Fact | Attending Massachussetts Institute of Technology [2005] |
Contents
Who is Ian Michael Smith?
Ian Michael Smith was born in Elmhurst, Illinois USA, on 5 May 1987 – his zodiac sign is Taurus and he holds American nationality. He is a former actor, and a software engineer, who gained recognition in 1998 when he starred as Simon Birch in the family comedy movie “Simon Birch”, written and directed by Mark Steven Johnson and which also starred Joseph Mazzello and Ashley Judd. The story follows a young boy who believes that God has created him, and that he has a special purpose in life – the movie attracted a lot of attention and won three awards, while it was nominated for three others.
'Simon Birch' turns 21 today! The movie was quite an emotional one, and if you don't remember it, it's probably because…
Posted by Zimbio on Wednesday, 11 September 2019
Where is he today and what is he doing now?
Ian has only had a single role in movies – in “Simon Birch” – and has since been focused on educating himself. Since 2016, he has been serving as a board member for Project Alloy, the building of a technical community.
Early life and education
Ian was raised an only child in Elmhurst by his father Steve who was a taxi driver, and his mother who was a housewife. Soon after he was born, it was discovered that Ian is suffering from Morquio Syndrome which results in dwarfism.
At the age of nine, a movie scout found him and suggested to Harvey Weinstein that he cast him as Kevin in the comedy film “The Mighty”, however, Harvey decided not to allow Ian to appear in the movie, being too young, but later suggested Ian for another movie, and he then ended up appearing in “Simon Birch”.
Ian attended York Community High School, and during that time underwent multiple surgical procedures including two bilateral osteotomies, and a spinal fusion, Regardless, he was one of the best students, and upon matriculation in 2005, Ian enrolled at the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) from which he graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in computer science, engineering.
Ian continued his education at Gallaudet University in Washington DC, from which he obtained his Master of Arts degree in linguistics in 2012.
Ian’s career
Ian actually launched his career in May 2006, when he worked as an AAPD Federal IT Intern at the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) – he stayed with them for five months, and then focused on studying before becoming a student employee at MIT, developing Javascript framework for psychoacoustics testing from May 2008 to January 2009.
In June 2009, he joined Rosetta Stone as their intern, but spending only three months with them, then iIn May 2011 he started working as a contractor at ANCILE Solutions, Inc. staying with them for four months.
From August 2010 to June 2012, Ian served as the graduate assistant in the Gallaudet Linguistics Department, before starting to work as a contractor at Brilliant Echo (one year). His first important work was at Lookout where he served as a software engineer from January 2012 to November 2014 when he was offered a start working the same job at Revinate – he stayed only four months with them.
In February 2015, Ian returned to Lookout, becoming their senior software engineer, but quit in July 2016 to join PlanGrid, working there as a software engineer for one year and seven months.
In February 2018, he became a senior software engineer at Neighborly, staying with them for nine months before moving to work for Dark, until June 2020.
Love life and relationships
Ian prefers to keep his personal matters to himself and has been staying away from the spotlight since he starred in “Simon Birch”, but there are rumors circulating the internet that he might be a married man – according to these rumors, he met his other half while attending MIT, and they married in a private ceremony in 2015 attended by only a couple of their closest friends and family.
However, there are many people who believe that Ian’s condition has made it very hard for him to find love, and that he hasn’t been in any relationships (or at least not long-term) – he hasn’t been seen spending time with any women in public.
Ian hasn’t commented on any rumors regarding his love life, so as of August 2020, he is presumed still single, hasn’t married and doesn’t have children.
Hobbies and other interests
Ian is a lover of animals, and has volunteered at a local animal shelter on numerous occasions – he also has two pet dogs and has several times fostered dogs before they found a permanent home. He likes to travel and spends most of his money visiting attractive US destinations, while he has also been in Europe on many occasions, visiting countries such as Switzerland, Sweden and Norway. He prefers winter over summer as he doesn’t like hot weather – he likes to be in nature, especially high up in the mountains where there’s snow.
In his spare time, Ian likes to watch movies, and some of his favorite actors and actresses are Ryan Gosling, Vin Diesel and Emma Watson, while his favorite movies include “The Notebook”, “Pitch Black” and the franchise “Harry Potter”. He is also keen on watching comedy series, with his two favorites being “That ‘70s Show” and “Rick & Morty”.
Age, height and net worth
Ian’s age is 33. He has short brown hair and brown eyes, his height is 3ft 1ins (0.94m) because of his dwarfism, and he weighs around 53lbs (24kgs).
As of August 2020, Ian’s net worth has been estimated at over $2 million.
General Info
Full Name | Ian Michael Smith |
Date Of Birth | May 5, 1987 |
Height | 94 cm |
Profession | Actor |
Education | York Community High School, Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Nationality | American |
Family
Parents | Steve Smith |
Siblings | Brian Smith |
Accomplishments
Awards | Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Young Performer |
Movies | Simon Birch |
Social profile links
Facts
# | Fact |
---|---|
1 | Attending Massachussetts Institute of Technology [2005] |
2 | His father's name is Steve Smith. |
3 | Spoke at the National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD) annual conference in Washington, DC in 2001. |
4 | Is currently enrolled as an undergraduate at MIT. [2005] |
5 | Was considered for the role of Kevin in The Mighty (1998) but Harvey Weinstein of Miramax decided that Ian was too young and overruled the director's request to use him. He later went on to land a similar role as the lead in Simon Birch (1998). |
6 | Ian has Morquio Syndrome, also known as MPSIVA. It affects the skeletal structure causing dwarfism. His full height is three feet, 1 inch tall. He is a good student, likes school, sails a small boat, kayaks, swims, plays the trumpet and piano, and likes to play chess. |
Awards
Won Awards
Year | Award | Ceremony | Nomination | Movie |
---|---|---|---|---|
1999 | Grace Award | MovieGuide Awards | Simon Birch (1998) |
Nominated Awards
Year | Award | Ceremony | Nomination | Movie |
---|---|---|---|---|
1999 | Young Artist Award | Young Artist Awards | Best Performance in a Feature Film - Leading Young Actor | Simon Birch (1998) |
Source: IMDb, Wikipedia