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{{Short description|English playwright and actress}}
'''Tricia Walsh-Smith''' (aka '''Tricia Walsh''') is a British playwright and actress. In April, 2008 she became internationally famous after posting a [[youtube]] video of herself discussing her divorce from her husband Philip Smith, president of [[The Shubert Organization]].<ref name="NYMAG">{{cite news |title=Tricia Walsh-Smith in court after YouTube rants |url=http://nymag.com/news/features/47389/
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2021}}
|publisher= ''[[New York Magazine]]''|first=Phoebe | last= Eaton |date= June 1, 2008}}</ref><ref name="NL">{{cite news |title=Spurned wife defends tell-all YouTube videos |url=http://www.news.com.au/technology/story/0,25642,23931110-5014239,00.html
{{Use British English|date=June 2011}}
|publisher= ''[[News Limited|News Limited (Australia)]]''|first=Edith| last= Honan |date= June 27, 2008}}</ref> In the video she explained that she was going to be unfairly "thrown out" of her house in addition to describing alleged personal details of Smith's life.<ref name="DT">{{cite news |title=Tricia Walsh-Smith in court after YouTube rants |url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/celebritynews/2202252/Tricia-Walsh-Smith-in-court-after-YouTube-rants.html
{{Infobox person
|publisher= ''[[The Daily Telegraph]]''|first=Tom| last= Leonard |date= June 27, 2008}}</ref><ref name="MSNBC">{{cite news |title=YouTube divorce rant has experts talking |url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24180681/
|image= Tricia Walsh-Smith.jpg
|publisher= ''[[MSNBC]]'' / ''[[The Today Show]]'' |first=Mike| last= Celizic |date= April 17, 2008}}</ref> This is considered the first known case where a spouse has used youtube to attempt to discredit the other in a divorce case.<ref name="CT">{{cite news |title=YouTube divorce video released by Tricia Walsh Smith |url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/chi-youtube-divorce-tricia-walsh-smith-080415-ht,0,7694230.story
|name=Tricia Walsh-Smith
|publisher= ''[[Chicago Tribune]]'' |first=| last= staff |date= April 16, 2008}}</ref>
|birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1956|3|24}}
|birth_place=[[Gütersloh]], North Rhine-Westphalia, [[West Germany]]
|education = [[Italia Conti Performing Arts School]]
|occupation= Actress, writer, lyricist, singer
| spouse = {{married|John Obertelli|1981|1989|reason=divorced}}<br/>{{married|Jerrold Arnold|1992|1992}}<br/>{{married|Philip Smith|1999|2008|reason=divorced}}
| children = Jamie Obertelli (b. 1982)
| website = {{URL|triciawalshsmith.com}}
}}


'''Tricia Walsh-Smith''' (born 24 March 1956) is an English playwright and actress. Her plays include ''Bonkers'', ''Addictions'', ''The Last Journey '' and musical ''Change The Day''.
⚫
Walsh-Smith's case has generated scrutiny and debate by legal and psychology experts on the implications of broadcasting personal issues using media like youtube.<ref name="MSNBC"/> Renowned psychologist [[Keith Ablow]] said, “We’re at a critical moment where people are turning to public broadcasts to express private thoughts. But I don’t think it’s connecting people necessarily. I think it’s disconnecting them from their own life stories.”<ref name="MSNBC"/> As for the legal implications in Walsh-Smith's divorce case, [[MSNBC]]'s senior legal analyst Susan Filan told the show, "A judge isn’t really going to care. In the end, a divorce, as upsetting and emotional as it is, is just a financial transaction. You’re doing backwards math. You’re trying to make one household go into two. Somebody’s going to have to give something to somebody else.”<ref name="MSNBC"/>

Previously, Walsh-Smith appeared in more than 500 commercials on British television, on the [[Benny Hill Show]] and has written a play called ''Bonkers''.<ref name="DT"/>


==Early life==
==Early life==
Born in [[RAF Gütersloh]], Germany, Walsh-Smith was part of a military family which travelled the world until her RAF father's death when she was twelve.<ref name="NYMAG"/> She then settled briefly in her mother's hometown of [[Beverley]] in the [[East Riding of Yorkshire]], England.<ref name="NYMAG"/> Walsh-Smith attended the [[Italia Conti Academy]] from the age of fifteen.<ref name="NYMAG"/>
Walsh-Smith attended the [[Italia Conti Academy]] and began appearing in commercials, most notably for [[Hellmann's and Best Foods|Hellmann's Mayonnaise]]. Later she acted in the British horror film ''[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0141897/ Terror]''.<ref name="NYMAG"/>


==Career==
While working as a [[Playboy Bunny]] at a [[Playboy Club]] on London's [[Park Lane (road)|Park Lane]], she met her first husband John Obertelli, from which she had a son. The stormy marriage ended in divorce. She had a brief second marriage to a publicly unknown [[California]] man. <ref name="NYMAG"/>
Walsh-Smith appeared in over five hundred commercials on British and European television, including as a schoolgirl in the commercial for [[Hellmann's and Best Foods|Hellmann's Mayonnaise]].<ref name="NYMAG"/> Her television and film roles include the British horror film, ''[[Terror (1978 film)|Terror]]'' (1978), ''[[Kenny Everett]] Video Show'', ''[[Constant Hot Water]]'', ''[[Dick Emery]]'' and the children's television drama, ''[[Grange Hill]]''.<ref name="NYMAG"/>


She has written the play ''Bonkers'' which premiered in London in 1987.<ref name="NYMAG"/><ref name="DT"/>
She met her current estranged husband, Philip Smith, at a [[Park Avenue]] wedding reception in [[1995]]. The two married in [[New York City]] in [[1999]].<ref name="NYMAG"/>

In 2007, Walsh-Smith cancelled one production of the play ''Addictions'' after learning that [[Smirnoff]] [[Vodka]] had become a sponsor.<ref name="Playwright Pulls Smirnoff-Sponsored Addiction Play">{{cite magazine |url=http://www.contactmusic.com/news/playwright-pulls-smirnoff-sponsored-addiction-play_1020727|title=Playwright Pulls Smirnoff-Sponsored Addiction Play | magazine=Contactmusic.com | date=31 January 2007|accessdate=22 November 2011 }}</ref> She said: "I was absolutely stunned. I couldn't believe it. The idea of having Smirnoff sponsoring this play, which is about addiction – what were they thinking? ... If we had gone ahead, I would have been looked at as a total hypocrite."<ref name="Playwright Pulls Smirnoff-Sponsored Addiction Play" />

In December 2008, Walsh-Smith released the song "I'm Going Bonkers" on [[iTunes]] Its video featured her dancing around London.<ref name="TT1"/> The video went viral and quickly became YouTube's number one entertainment video.<ref name="TT1">{{cite news |title=The Web Watcher: Tricia Walsh-Smith Does It Again|url=https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/the-web-watcher-tricia-walsh-smith-does-it-again-tl89832zx2g |newspaper= [[The Times]]|first=Francesca| last= Steele |date= 8 December 2008 | location=London}}</ref><ref name="triciawalshsmith.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.triciawalshsmith.com/html/music.htm |title=Tricia Walsh Smith's Official Website – Music |work=Triciawalshsmith.com |date= |accessdate=22 January 2019}}</ref>

Walsh-Smith has previewed many of her comedy songs at nightclubs in London and at the [[The O2 Arena (London)|O2 Arena]] and some of the songs were featured in the 12-part television series ''[[Pineapple Dance Studios (TV series)|Pineapple Dance Studios]]'', which aired in 2010 on [[Sky1]] in the UK. In 2011 the series was [[BAFTA]] nominated and winner of the [[Royal Television Society]] Features and Lifestyle Award.<ref name="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-12755586"/> After initially indicating that a second series would be produced, Sky1 reverted this decision due to failing to come to terms with studio owner Debbie Moore.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.unrealitytv.co.uk/reality-tv/pineapple-dance-studio-cancelled-but-louie-spence-signs-sky-deal/ |title=Pineapple Dance Studios cancelled but Louie Spence signs Sky Deal |date=10 June 2010 |accessdate=29 September 2014 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006124106/http://www.unrealitytv.co.uk/reality-tv/pineapple-dance-studio-cancelled-but-louie-spence-signs-sky-deal/ |archivedate=6 October 2014 }}</ref>

In 2011, Walsh Smith appeared in ''[[Louie Spence's Showbusiness]]'', also on Sky1. For this series, she made two music videos: "Stuff Ding Dong Merrily On High!" for the Christmas Special; and "Should I Go In The Jungle?", which was reportedly a lampooning of the ITV1 series, "[[I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! (UK TV series)|I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!]]". Episode Ten featured a workshop of her musical, ''Change The Day''. ''[[Pineapple Dance Studios (TV series)|Pineapple Dance Studios]]'' was sold around the world and aired on the US network ''Ovation'' in 2014.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.broadwayworld.com/bwwtv/article/Ovation-to-Air-US-Premiere-of-PINEAPPLE-DANCE-STUDIOS-928-20140926-page2 |title=Ovation-to-Air-US-Premiere-of-PINEAPPLE-DANCE-STUDIOS |date=28 September 2013 |accessdate=29 September 2014 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006082619/http://www.broadwayworld.com/bwwtv/article/Ovation-to-Air-US-Premiere-of-PINEAPPLE-DANCE-STUDIOS-928-20140926-page2 |archivedate=6 October 2014 }}</ref>

Walsh-Smith has appeared as a guest on ''[[The Insider (TV series)|The Insider]]'' ([[CBS]]), ''[[Good Morning America]]'', ([[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]), ''[[Inside Edition]]'', ([[CBS]]), ''[[Geraldo (talk show)|Geraldo]]'', (Fox), ''[[Extra (U.S. TV program)|Extra]]'', ([[NBC]]), ''[[The Jeff Probst Show]]'', ([[CBS]]), ''[[Sunrise (Australian TV program)|Sunrise]]'' ([[Seven Network|Channel 7]]), ''[[Access Hollywood]]'', ([[NBC]]), ''[[Harry Hill's TV Burp]]'', ([[ITV (TV network)|ITV]]), ''[[The Noughties]]'', ([[BBC Three]]), and ''[[On the Record w/ Greta Van Susteren|On the Record with Greta Van Susteren]]''.<ref name="NYMAG"/><ref name="FOX">{{cite news |title= Angry YouTube Divorcee Speaks Out (transcript) |url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,359221,00.html |publisher= [[Fox News Channel]] / [[On the Record w/ Greta Van Susteren|On the Record]] |date= 28 May 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.triciawalshsmith.com/html/biog.htm |title=Tricia Walsh Smith's Official Website – Biography |work=Triciawalshsmith.com |date= |accessdate=22 January 2019}}</ref>

==Personal life==
She met her first husband John Obertelli in 1975 and married him in 1981. They had a son, Jamie. They divorced in 1989. She then had a brief second marriage to American businessman Jerald Arnold. She met her third husband, Philip J. Smith (CEO of [[The Shubert Organization]]), at a [[Park Avenue (Manhattan)|Park Avenue]] wedding reception in 1995. The two married in New York City in 1999 and divorced in 2008.<ref name="NYMAG"/>

==Divorce from Philip Smith==
In April 2008, Walsh-Smith made history and attracted international attention for posting a YouTube video of herself discussing her divorce from her husband, CEO and then president of the Shubert Organization,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.shubert.nyc/ |title=Shubert Organization |work=Shubert.nyc |date= |accessdate=22 January 2019}}</ref> [[Philip J. Smith]].<ref name="NYMAG">{{cite magazine |title=The YouTube Divorcée |url=https://nymag.com/news/features/47389/ |magazine= [[New York Magazine]]|first=Phoebe | last= Eaton |date= 1 June 2008}}</ref><ref name="Trisha Walsh-Smith, Telegraph">{{cite news |url= https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/features/3636297/Tricia-Walsh-Smith-is-revenge-now-a-dish-best-served-online.html|title="Tricia Walsh-Smith: is revenge now a dish best served online?"|accessdate=22 November 2011 | location=London|work=The Daily Telegraph|author=Bryony Gordon|author-link=Bryony Gordon|date=16 April 2008}}</ref><ref name="NL">{{cite news |title=Spurned wife defends tell-all YouTube videos |url=http://www.news.com.au/technology/story/0,25642,23931110-5014239,00.html |publisher= [[News Limited]] (Australia)|first=Edith| last= Honan |date= 27 June 2008}}</ref> In the video she stated that she was going to be unfairly evicted from her house and called her husband's secretary on speakerphone.<ref name="DT">{{cite news |title=Tricia Walsh-Smith in court after YouTube rants |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/celebritynews/2202252/Tricia-Walsh-Smith-in-court-after-YouTube-rants.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080630203541/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/celebritynews/2202252/Tricia-Walsh-Smith-in-court-after-YouTube-rants.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=30 June 2008 |work= [[The Daily Telegraph]]|first=Tom| last= Leonard |date= 27 June 2008 | location=London}}</ref><ref name="MSNBC">{{cite news |title=YouTube divorce rant has experts talking |url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24180681/ |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130104024926/http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24180681/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=4 January 2013 |publisher= [[MSNBC]] / [[Today (NBC program)|The Today Show]] |first=Mike| last= Celizic |date= 17 April 2008}}</ref><ref name="MHS">{{cite news|title=Tricia Walsh-Smith loses Philip Smith divorce case |url=http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,24059422-663,00.html |newspaper=[[Herald Sun|Melbourne Herald Sun]] |date=22 July 2008 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080726064252/http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,24059422-663,00.html |archivedate=26 July 2008 }}</ref> Some legal experts consider this the first known case where a spouse has used YouTube in an attempt to gain leverage over the other in a divorce case.<ref name="CT">{{cite news |title=YouTube divorce video released by Tricia Walsh Smith |url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/chi-youtube-divorce-tricia-walsh-smith-080415-ht,0,7694230.story |work=[[Chicago Tribune]] |date= 16 April 2008}}</ref> [[Fox News]] named the initial video one of "The Top 5 Viral Videos of 2008."<ref name="FN21">{{cite news |title=The Top 5 Viral Videos of 2008|url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,474435,00.html |publisher= [[Fox News]]|first=Paul| last= Wagenseil |date= 1 January 2009}}</ref>

⚫
Walsh-Smith's case generated scrutiny and debate by legal experts on the implications of broadcasting personal issues using media like YouTube.<ref name="MSNBC" /> Regarding the legal implications in the divorce case, [[MSNBC]]'s senior legal analyst Susan Filan told the show, "A judge isn't really going to care. In the end, a divorce, as upsetting and emotional as it is, is just a financial transaction. You're trying to make one household go into two. Somebody's going to have to give something to somebody else."<ref name="MSNBC" />

On 21 July 2008 a Manhattan judge awarded Philip Smith a divorce from Tricia Walsh-Smith. The judge, Harold Beeler, criticised Walsh-Smith for her YouTube video. "She has attempted to turn the life of her husband into a soap opera by directing, writing, acting in and producing a melodrama."<ref name="DT" /><ref name="MHS" /><ref name="CNN">{{cite news |title=Husband wins divorce from angry wife in YouTube video |url=http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/07/22/youtube.divorce.ap/index.html |publisher= [[CNN]]|first=A | last= P |date= 22 July 2008}}</ref> Walsh-Smith was unimpressed with the judge's decision, saying that she would be better off in Baghdad.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/2445563/Callous-YouTube-rant-divorcee-criticises-350000-settlement.|title= 'Callous' YouTube rant divorcee criticises £350,000 settlement |first=Carolinel |last= Gammel |work= [[The Daily Telegraph]] |date= 22 July 2008}}{{dead link|date=July 2021|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>
On 25 November 2008, Shubert Organization and Shubert Foundation chairman [[Gerald Schoenfeld]] died from a heart attack.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2008-11-28 |title=Obituary: Gerald Schoenfeld |url=http://www.theguardian.com/stage/2008/nov/28/obituary-gerald-schoenfeld |access-date=2022-12-07 |website=The Guardian |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Weber |first=Bruce |date=2008-11-26 |title=He Relit Broadway: Gerald Schoenfeld Dies at 84 |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/26/theater/26schoenfeld.html |access-date=2022-12-07 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> On 2 December 2008, the Shubert Organization announced Philip Smith as Schoenfeld's successor. The [[New York Times]] said, "In an appointment that promises more continuity than change, Philip J. Smith was named chairman of the Shubert Organization and the Shubert Foundation – perhaps the single most powerful position in the theater world."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Cohen |first=Patricia |date=2008-12-03 |title=Shubert Organization Names Chairman |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/03/nyregion/03shubert.html |access-date=2022-12-07 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Coincidentally, hours after the news of Philip Smith's new position was announced Walsh-Smith released the song "I'm Going Bonkers," on [[iTunes]]. Its video featured her dancing around London, effectively stealing Smith's thunder.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://gothamist.com/2008/12/04/tricia_walshsmith_resurfaces_with_m.php |title=Tricia Walsh-Smith Resurfaces with Music Video!: Gothamist |accessdate=1 October 2014 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160124093312/http://gothamist.com/2008/12/04/tricia_walshsmith_resurfaces_with_m.php |archivedate=24 January 2016 }} |first=John| last= Del Signore|date= 4 December 2008</ref> The video went viral and quickly became YouTube's number one entertainment video.<ref name="TT1"/><ref name="triciawalshsmith.com"/>

==Defrauded by Giovanni Di Stefano==
Four of the fraud counts against bogus lawyer [[Giovanni Di Stefano (fraudster)|Giovanni Di Stefano]] related to Walsh-Smith. Di Stefano claimed that he could overturn the Walsh-Smith pre-nuptial agreement, and persuaded Walsh-Smith to invest in News of the World online as Walsh-Smith had been a contributor with a weekly column, "Livin' an' Lovin' with Tricia Walsh-Smith".<ref>{{ citation |title= 'Devil's advocate' Giovanni di Stefano sets up online version of the News of the World |work= [[Sunday Mail (Scotland)|Sunday Mail]] |date= 24 July 2011 |author= Alan Carson |url= http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/2011/07/24/devil-s-advocate-giovanni-di-stefano-sets-up-online-version-of-the-news-of-the-world-86908-23293821/ }}</ref> On 23 March 2012, [[News International]], the paper's former publisher, sued Di Stefano for violating its trademark.<ref>{{citation |title = News Corp. Sues Saddam's Lawyer Over News of the World Site |date = 27 March 2012 |url = https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-03-27/news-corp-sues-saddam-s-lawyer-over-news-of-the-world-site-2-.html | work=Bloomberg |first=Erik |last=Larson}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=News International sues 'News of the World Online' website. News Group files claim against lawyer Giovanni Di Stefano and company using News of the World name|work=The Guardian|author=Mark Sweney|date=30 March 2012|url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2012/mar/30/news-of-the-world-website-sued|location=London}}</ref>

On learning that she had been conned, Walsh-Smith set up a fake TV interview with Di Stefano outside the [[Royal Courts of Justice]], to challenge him on his fraudulent behavior, and uploaded the video on YouTube.<ref name="ReferenceA">{{cite web|url=http://www.triciawalshsmith.com/html/videos.htm |title=Tricia Walsh Smith's Official Website – Videos |work=Triciawalshsmith.com |date= |accessdate=22 January 2019}}</ref> The Scottish ''[[Sunday Mail (Scotland)|Sunday Mail]]'' ran a piece headlined; "The Devil's Advocate Took me for a Mug."</ref> In the article Walsh-Smith said that Di Stefano duped her into handing over more than 100,000 pounds; "He got me to invest in an online version of the ''News of the World'' after the paper was shut down. He told me [[Rupert Murdoch]] was involved but the cash disappeared."<ref name="Russell Findlay">{{cite web|title=The Devil's Advocate Took Me for a Mug; Exclusive Actress Rages at di Stefano|date=11 March 2012|work=Sunday Mail|author=Russell Findlay|url=https://www.questia.com/library/1G1-282610279/the-devil-s-advocate-took-me-for-a-mug-exclusive}}</ref>|date=August 2018}} Subsequently, Di Stefano complained to the Press Complaints Commission about the article.<ref name="ReferenceA" /><ref name="Russell Findlay" /> ''The Sunday Mail'' then agreed to print a statement stating, "Giovanni Di Stefano has denied ripping off Tricia Walsh-Smith."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pcc.org.uk/news/index.html?article=NzgxMw==|title=Mr Giovanni Di Stefano v Sunday Mail|date=4 May 2012|publisher=Press Complaints Commission|accessdate=13 May 2012|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120515042106/http://www.pcc.org.uk/news/index.html?article=NzgxMw==|archivedate=15 May 2012}}</ref>

On 27 March 2013, Di Stefano was found guilty on all four counts relating to Walsh-Smith; nine counts of obtaining a money transfer by deception, eight counts of fraud, three counts of acquiring criminal property, two counts of using a false instrument, one count of attempting to obtain a money transfer by deception, one count of obtaining property by deception and one count of using criminal property.<ref name="BBC-27-03-2013">{{cite news | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-21957686 | title=Bogus Italian lawyer Giovanni di Stefano found guilty | work=BBC News | date=27 March 2013 | accessdate=27 March 2013}}</ref> He subsequently pleaded guilty to two additional counts: defrauding a couple out of £160,000, including a woman's life savings of £75,000, and stealing £150,000 from a man who had been in a car accident and lost a limb.<ref name=bbc032813 /> He was sentenced to fourteen years in prison.<ref name=bbc032813>{{cite news|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/jailed-bogus-lawyer-who-conned-1m-from-clients-8553184.html |title=Jailed: Bogus lawyer who conned £1m from clients|last=Cheston|first=Paul|work=Evening Standard|location=London|date=28 March 2013}}</ref>

On 4 April 2014, eight and a half years were added to Di Stefano's fourteen-year sentence, unless he compensated his victims immediately. The judge who jailed him in March 2013 at Southwark Crown Court, Alistair McCreath, told him to "pay back £1.4million forthwith or serve the extra time." He said Di Stefano had no intention of paying and had "stuck up two fingers to the court".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sundayworld.com/top-stories/news/liar-lawyer-stefano-to-get-extra-time |title='Liar' lawyer Stefano to get extra time / Sunday World |accessdate=30 September 2014 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006122833/http://www.sundayworld.com/top-stories/news/liar-lawyer-stefano-to-get-extra-time |archivedate=6 October 2014 |first=Eamon| last= Dillon |date= 4 April 2014}}</ref> |date=August 2018}}


==References==
==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}
<references/>


==External links==
==External links==
*[http://www.triciawalshsmith.com/ Official website].
*{{official website|http://www.triciawalshsmith.com}}
*{{IMDb name|0909903}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Walsh-Smith, Tricia}}
[[Category:1956 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:British Internet celebrities]]
[[Category:20th-century English actresses]]
[[Category:English dramatists and playwrights]]
[[Category:Alumni of the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts]]
[[Category:Actors from Beverley]]
[[Category:English television actresses]]
[[Category:Actresses from the East Riding of Yorkshire]]
[[Category:Actors from Gütersloh]]
[[Category:Actresses from North Rhine-Westphalia]]

Latest revision as of 01:32, 15 November 2024

Tricia Walsh-Smith
Born (1956-03-24) 24 March 1956 (age 68)
Gütersloh, North Rhine-Westphalia, West Germany
EducationItalia Conti Performing Arts School
Occupation(s)Actress, writer, lyricist, singer
Spouse(s)
John Obertelli
​
​
(m. 1981; div. 1989)​

Jerrold Arnold
​
(m. 1992⁠–⁠1992)​

Philip Smith
​
​
(m. 1999; div. 2008)​
ChildrenJamie Obertelli (b. 1982)
Websitetriciawalshsmith.com

Tricia Walsh-Smith (born 24 March 1956) is an English playwright and actress. Her plays include Bonkers, Addictions, The Last Journey and musical Change The Day.

Early life

[edit]

Born in RAF Gütersloh, Germany, Walsh-Smith was part of a military family which travelled the world until her RAF father's death when she was twelve.[1] She then settled briefly in her mother's hometown of Beverley in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England.[1] Walsh-Smith attended the Italia Conti Academy from the age of fifteen.[1]

Career

[edit]

Walsh-Smith appeared in over five hundred commercials on British and European television, including as a schoolgirl in the commercial for Hellmann's Mayonnaise.[1] Her television and film roles include the British horror film, Terror (1978), Kenny Everett Video Show, Constant Hot Water, Dick Emery and the children's television drama, Grange Hill.[1]

She has written the play Bonkers which premiered in London in 1987.[1][2]

In 2007, Walsh-Smith cancelled one production of the play Addictions after learning that Smirnoff Vodka had become a sponsor.[3] She said: "I was absolutely stunned. I couldn't believe it. The idea of having Smirnoff sponsoring this play, which is about addiction – what were they thinking? ... If we had gone ahead, I would have been looked at as a total hypocrite."[3]

In December 2008, Walsh-Smith released the song "I'm Going Bonkers" on iTunes Its video featured her dancing around London.[4] The video went viral and quickly became YouTube's number one entertainment video.[4][5]

Walsh-Smith has previewed many of her comedy songs at nightclubs in London and at the O2 Arena and some of the songs were featured in the 12-part television series Pineapple Dance Studios, which aired in 2010 on Sky1 in the UK. In 2011 the series was BAFTA nominated and winner of the Royal Television Society Features and Lifestyle Award.[6] After initially indicating that a second series would be produced, Sky1 reverted this decision due to failing to come to terms with studio owner Debbie Moore.[7]

In 2011, Walsh Smith appeared in Louie Spence's Showbusiness, also on Sky1. For this series, she made two music videos: "Stuff Ding Dong Merrily On High!" for the Christmas Special; and "Should I Go In The Jungle?", which was reportedly a lampooning of the ITV1 series, "I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!". Episode Ten featured a workshop of her musical, Change The Day. Pineapple Dance Studios was sold around the world and aired on the US network Ovation in 2014.[8]

Walsh-Smith has appeared as a guest on The Insider (CBS), Good Morning America, (ABC), Inside Edition, (CBS), Geraldo, (Fox), Extra, (NBC), The Jeff Probst Show, (CBS), Sunrise (Channel 7), Access Hollywood, (NBC), Harry Hill's TV Burp, (ITV), The Noughties, (BBC Three), and On the Record with Greta Van Susteren.[1][9][10]

Personal life

[edit]

She met her first husband John Obertelli in 1975 and married him in 1981. They had a son, Jamie. They divorced in 1989. She then had a brief second marriage to American businessman Jerald Arnold. She met her third husband, Philip J. Smith (CEO of The Shubert Organization), at a Park Avenue wedding reception in 1995. The two married in New York City in 1999 and divorced in 2008.[1]

Divorce from Philip Smith

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In April 2008, Walsh-Smith made history and attracted international attention for posting a YouTube video of herself discussing her divorce from her husband, CEO and then president of the Shubert Organization,[11] Philip J. Smith.[1][12][13] In the video she stated that she was going to be unfairly evicted from her house and called her husband's secretary on speakerphone.[2][14][15] Some legal experts consider this the first known case where a spouse has used YouTube in an attempt to gain leverage over the other in a divorce case.[16] Fox News named the initial video one of "The Top 5 Viral Videos of 2008."[17]

Walsh-Smith's case generated scrutiny and debate by legal experts on the implications of broadcasting personal issues using media like YouTube.[14] Regarding the legal implications in the divorce case, MSNBC's senior legal analyst Susan Filan told the show, "A judge isn't really going to care. In the end, a divorce, as upsetting and emotional as it is, is just a financial transaction. You're trying to make one household go into two. Somebody's going to have to give something to somebody else."[14]

On 21 July 2008 a Manhattan judge awarded Philip Smith a divorce from Tricia Walsh-Smith. The judge, Harold Beeler, criticised Walsh-Smith for her YouTube video. "She has attempted to turn the life of her husband into a soap opera by directing, writing, acting in and producing a melodrama."[2][15][18] Walsh-Smith was unimpressed with the judge's decision, saying that she would be better off in Baghdad.[19] On 25 November 2008, Shubert Organization and Shubert Foundation chairman Gerald Schoenfeld died from a heart attack.[20][21] On 2 December 2008, the Shubert Organization announced Philip Smith as Schoenfeld's successor. The New York Times said, "In an appointment that promises more continuity than change, Philip J. Smith was named chairman of the Shubert Organization and the Shubert Foundation – perhaps the single most powerful position in the theater world."[22] Coincidentally, hours after the news of Philip Smith's new position was announced Walsh-Smith released the song "I'm Going Bonkers," on iTunes. Its video featured her dancing around London, effectively stealing Smith's thunder.[23] The video went viral and quickly became YouTube's number one entertainment video.[4][5]

Defrauded by Giovanni Di Stefano

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Four of the fraud counts against bogus lawyer Giovanni Di Stefano related to Walsh-Smith. Di Stefano claimed that he could overturn the Walsh-Smith pre-nuptial agreement, and persuaded Walsh-Smith to invest in News of the World online as Walsh-Smith had been a contributor with a weekly column, "Livin' an' Lovin' with Tricia Walsh-Smith".[24] On 23 March 2012, News International, the paper's former publisher, sued Di Stefano for violating its trademark.[25][26]

On learning that she had been conned, Walsh-Smith set up a fake TV interview with Di Stefano outside the Royal Courts of Justice, to challenge him on his fraudulent behavior, and uploaded the video on YouTube.[27] The Scottish Sunday Mail ran a piece headlined; "The Devil's Advocate Took me for a Mug."</ref> In the article Walsh-Smith said that Di Stefano duped her into handing over more than 100,000 pounds; "He got me to invest in an online version of the News of the World after the paper was shut down. He told me Rupert Murdoch was involved but the cash disappeared."[28]|date=August 2018}} Subsequently, Di Stefano complained to the Press Complaints Commission about the article.[27][28] The Sunday Mail then agreed to print a statement stating, "Giovanni Di Stefano has denied ripping off Tricia Walsh-Smith."[29]

On 27 March 2013, Di Stefano was found guilty on all four counts relating to Walsh-Smith; nine counts of obtaining a money transfer by deception, eight counts of fraud, three counts of acquiring criminal property, two counts of using a false instrument, one count of attempting to obtain a money transfer by deception, one count of obtaining property by deception and one count of using criminal property.[30] He subsequently pleaded guilty to two additional counts: defrauding a couple out of £160,000, including a woman's life savings of £75,000, and stealing £150,000 from a man who had been in a car accident and lost a limb.[31] He was sentenced to fourteen years in prison.[31]

On 4 April 2014, eight and a half years were added to Di Stefano's fourteen-year sentence, unless he compensated his victims immediately. The judge who jailed him in March 2013 at Southwark Crown Court, Alistair McCreath, told him to "pay back £1.4million forthwith or serve the extra time." He said Di Stefano had no intention of paying and had "stuck up two fingers to the court".[32] |date=August 2018}}

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Eaton, Phoebe (1 June 2008). "The YouTube Divorcée". New York Magazine.
  2. ^ a b c Leonard, Tom (27 June 2008). "Tricia Walsh-Smith in court after YouTube rants". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 30 June 2008.
  3. ^ a b "Playwright Pulls Smirnoff-Sponsored Addiction Play". Contactmusic.com. 31 January 2007. Retrieved 22 November 2011.
  4. ^ a b c Steele, Francesca (8 December 2008). "The Web Watcher: Tricia Walsh-Smith Does It Again". The Times. London.
  5. ^ a b "Tricia Walsh Smith's Official Website – Music". Triciawalshsmith.com. Retrieved 22 January 2019.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-12755586 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ "Pineapple Dance Studios cancelled but Louie Spence signs Sky Deal". 10 June 2010. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 29 September 2014.
  8. ^ "Ovation-to-Air-US-Premiere-of-PINEAPPLE-DANCE-STUDIOS". 28 September 2013. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 29 September 2014.
  9. ^ "Angry YouTube Divorcee Speaks Out (transcript)". Fox News Channel / On the Record. 28 May 2008.
  10. ^ "Tricia Walsh Smith's Official Website – Biography". Triciawalshsmith.com. Retrieved 22 January 2019.
  11. ^ "Shubert Organization". Shubert.nyc. Retrieved 22 January 2019.
  12. ^ Bryony Gordon (16 April 2008). ""Tricia Walsh-Smith: is revenge now a dish best served online?"". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 22 November 2011.
  13. ^ Honan, Edith (27 June 2008). "Spurned wife defends tell-all YouTube videos". News Limited (Australia).
  14. ^ a b c Celizic, Mike (17 April 2008). "YouTube divorce rant has experts talking". MSNBC / The Today Show. Archived from the original on 4 January 2013.
  15. ^ a b "Tricia Walsh-Smith loses Philip Smith divorce case". Melbourne Herald Sun. 22 July 2008. Archived from the original on 26 July 2008.
  16. ^ "YouTube divorce video released by Tricia Walsh Smith". Chicago Tribune. 16 April 2008.
  17. ^ Wagenseil, Paul (1 January 2009). "The Top 5 Viral Videos of 2008". Fox News.
  18. ^ P, A (22 July 2008). "Husband wins divorce from angry wife in YouTube video". CNN.
  19. ^ Gammel, Carolinel (22 July 2008). "'Callous' YouTube rant divorcee criticises £350,000 settlement". The Daily Telegraph.[dead link‍]
  20. ^ "Obituary: Gerald Schoenfeld". The Guardian. 28 November 2008. Retrieved 7 December 2022.
  21. ^ Weber, Bruce (26 November 2008). "He Relit Broadway: Gerald Schoenfeld Dies at 84". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 7 December 2022.
  22. ^ Cohen, Patricia (3 December 2008). "Shubert Organization Names Chairman". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 7 December 2022.
  23. ^ "Tricia Walsh-Smith Resurfaces with Music Video!: Gothamist". Archived from the original on 24 January 2016. Retrieved 1 October 2014. |first=John| last= Del Signore|date= 4 December 2008
  24. ^ Alan Carson (24 July 2011), "'Devil's advocate' Giovanni di Stefano sets up online version of the News of the World", Sunday Mail
  25. ^ Larson, Erik (27 March 2012), "News Corp. Sues Saddam's Lawyer Over News of the World Site", Bloomberg
  26. ^ Mark Sweney (30 March 2012). "News International sues 'News of the World Online' website. News Group files claim against lawyer Giovanni Di Stefano and company using News of the World name". The Guardian. London.
  27. ^ a b "Tricia Walsh Smith's Official Website – Videos". Triciawalshsmith.com. Retrieved 22 January 2019.
  28. ^ a b Russell Findlay (11 March 2012). "The Devil's Advocate Took Me for a Mug; Exclusive Actress Rages at di Stefano". Sunday Mail.
  29. ^ "Mr Giovanni Di Stefano v Sunday Mail". Press Complaints Commission. 4 May 2012. Archived from the original on 15 May 2012. Retrieved 13 May 2012.
  30. ^ "Bogus Italian lawyer Giovanni di Stefano found guilty". BBC News. 27 March 2013. Retrieved 27 March 2013.
  31. ^ a b Cheston, Paul (28 March 2013). "Jailed: Bogus lawyer who conned £1m from clients". Evening Standard. London.
  32. ^ Dillon, Eamon (4 April 2014). "'Liar' lawyer Stefano to get extra time / Sunday World". Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
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