Toukie Smith, the model and actress who played Eva Rawley on the NBC sitcom 227 and shared two children with former partner Robert De Niro, has died at 74.
Smith died on November 4 in a New York hospital after a long battle with multiple sclerosis, according to an announcement from her children, Airyn and Julian, reported by The Hollywood Reporter. The news became public on November 9.
Her career moved from fashion campaigns and magazine photography to television comedy and film. In their tribute, her children placed that work within a wider family contribution to American fashion, including the influence of her brother, designer Willi Smith.
Her children remember a lasting presence
Airyn and Julian described their mother as a “force of nature” and said her presence had helped create opportunities for generations of Black models and designers. They remembered the impact she had on both her family and the people who knew her.
“She left an indelible mark on our hearts and on everyone lucky enough to know her,” they said in the statement quoted by The Hollywood Reporter.
People and Entertainment Weekly also reported the family’s announcement. Entertainment Weekly noted that further details about her experience with multiple sclerosis had not been publicized.
From Philadelphia to the fashion industry
Born Doris Smith in Philadelphia on September 25, 1952, she became known professionally by a childhood nickname. She told the Los Angeles Times in 1990 that her grandmother had called her Toukie after hearing a children’s record about an energetic little red fire engine, according to The Hollywood Reporter’s obituary.
Smith attended the Fashion Institute of Technology and began modeling in 1972. Her work eventually included a campaign for Yves Saint Laurent and appearances in Vogue, Ebony, Cosmopolitan, Redbook and Seventeen.
She modeled for her brother Willi as well as designers including Hubert de Givenchy, Thierry Mugler, Issey Miyake and Patrick Kelly. Her collaborators also included illustrators Alvaro and Antonio Lopez and photographers Jean-Paul Goude and Guy Bourdin.
Bloomingdale’s named Smith its model of the year in 1978. That recognition came during a period when her work was establishing a public identity in its own right, years before the relationship with De Niro that would later become a recurring feature of coverage about her life.
Her brother Willi died in 1987 at 39 from complications of AIDS. In remembering their mother, Airyn and Julian highlighted the family legacy they shared rather than treating her fashion work as merely a prelude to acting.
A television role on 227
Smith left modeling in the early 1980s and later built a screen career. In 1987 and 1988, she appeared in three episodes of Miami Vice as Angie, an assistant to singer Caitlin Davies, played by Sheena Easton.
In 1989, she joined 227, the Marla Gibbs-led comedy, as Eva Rawley. Her character was an artist who moved into the Lexington Place building and managed it for a time.
Smith appeared during the show’s final two seasons, through May 1990. The role became one of her best-known acting credits and brought her to an audience beyond the fashion industry.
Her film work included Talkin’ Dirty After Dark in 1991 and I Like It Like That in 1994. She also appeared in Joe’s Apartment and The Preacher’s Wife, both released in 1996.
Family life with Robert De Niro
Smith and De Niro were partners from 1988 to 1996. They welcomed twins Airyn and Julian in October 1995, conceived through in vitro fertilization and born via a surrogate, according to the reports.
Entertainment Weekly recalled that Smith preferred to keep her personal life private. Her relationship with De Niro ended the year after the twins were born, but their children were the ones who publicly announced her death and paid tribute to her life.
Outside modeling and acting, Smith also operated a restaurant bearing her name on West Houston Street in New York during the 1990s, The Hollywood Reporter noted.
She is survived by her children, her brother Norman Smith-Harllee and her nephew Eliazar Smith-Harllee, according to Deadline.
