Mark Smith (actor)

Mark Smith (born 30 September 1969) is a British actor and body builder who starred as Rhino on the ITV show Gladiators until its cancellation in 1999. Shortly after, Smith started acting, his credits include Renford Rejects (1999-2000), EastEnders (2005), Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy (2005), Batman Begins (2005), Rollin' with the Nines (2006), Sinchronicity (2006), Trial & Retribution (2007), Robin Hood (2007), Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011), Argo (2012), The Last Ship (2015), Yardie (2018), The Harder They Fall (2021), and The Enforcer (2022).

Early life
Smith was born in Acton, London on 30 September 1969. He lives in Los Angeles as of 2016.

Gladiators
He starred as Rhino on the ITV show Gladiators, from 1995 to 1999. In 1996, he guest-starred in a single episode of American Gladiators (1996). After Gladiators ended in 1999, due to poor viewing figures, he became an actor and producer in Los Angeles.

On 4 June 2005, at London's infamous York Hall, Smith went head to head with lottery winner Michael Carroll in a boxing match. The fight drew much publicity with the press conference ending in a brawl after Carroll lunged for Smith. On the day, the fight had to be stopped three times due to Carroll's inability to continue. The former binman later stated "I will definitely get back in the ring with him. I will train harder next time." The charity re-match took place at the Manchester Evening News Arena in September 2005. This time Carroll was knocked out in the 2nd round.

In 2022, the BBC were considering bringing back the series for a reboot after 23 years, with Rhino expressing an interest.

Other projects
Smith starred as 'Leo' in the Nickelodeon (UK & Ireland) show Renford Rejects (1999-2000) and also guest starred as 'Johnson' in the hit BBC soap EastEnders (2005). He has also appeared as a bouncer in both Sinchronicity (2006), and Trial & Retribution (2007). He starred as Karim in Robin Hood (2007).

Smith moved with his family to LA and has built his resume with projects including Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011|), Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy (2005), Rollin' with the Nines and an appearance as 'Shadow Warrior' in the film Batman Begins (2005). He starred in Argo in 2012, and was a regular in the series The Last Ship (2015). In 2018, he played Raggz in the film Yardie.

In 2021, he starred in the western film The Harder They Fall. In 2022, he appeared in The Enforcer.

Boxing match
On 31 October 2023, it was announced that Rhino would face English politician Adam Brooks on the preliminary card of MF & DAZN: X Series 011 at York Hall, Bethnal Green, London, England on 17 November 2023. On the night of the fight, Rhino was defeated by Brooks via 2nd round KO.