Philip J. Smith, longtime Chairman of the Shubert Organization, who was inducted into ATPAM’s Diamond Club in January of 2020, died today at the age of 89. He joined the union in 1970 as a Manager.
Born in Brooklyn on July 29, 1931, Mr. Smith started as an usher at the RKO Orpheum Theatre and later managed the RKO Palace (later the Palace Theatre). In 1957, he joined the Shubert Organization as a treasurer at the Imperial Theatre. He went on to serve as a General Manager of all the theatres and then as Executive Vice-President for 17 years. Following the passing of Bernard Jacobs, Mr. Smith became President and then later Chairman, after the passing of Gerard Schoenfeld in 2008. He also served as Chair of the Shubert Foundation.
ATPAM sends its deepest condolences to Mr. Smith’s immediate family and to his family at the Shubert Organization.
photo courtesy of Broadway World