Ian Michael Smith
Ian Michael Smith (born May 5, 1987) is an American software engineer and former child actor, known for his sole starring role in Simon Birch. His short physical stature is a result of Morquio syndrome, a rare enzymatic disorder affecting the circulatory, muscular and skeletal systems.
Ian Michael Smith
- Name
- Ian Michael Smith
- Born
- 5 May 1987
- Birthplace
- Elmhurst, Illinois, U.S.
- Occupation
- Actor, software engineer
- Nationality
- United States
- Education
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology · Gallaudet University · York Community High School
- Languages
- English
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Ian Michael Smith (born May 5, 1987) is an American software engineer and former child actor, known for his sole starring role in Simon Birch. His short physical stature is a result of Morquio syndrome, a rare enzymatic disorder affecting the circulatory, muscular and skeletal systems.
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Ian Michael Smith (born 1987) is an American actor. The actor was born in Elmhurst. Ian Michael Smith studied at Gallaudet University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and York Community High School. Languages used include English.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 26 September 2026
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wikidata · Q1655595 · wikipedia · Ian Michael Smith
In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Ian Michael Smith • Born — 5 May 1987 • Birthplace — Elmhurst, Illinois, U.S. • Occupation — Actor, software engineer
Life and work
Life and work
Smith was born in Elmhurst, Illinois. A Chicago-area hospital worker approached his parents about him auditioning for the leading role in The Mighty, a feature film about a character with Morquio Syndrome. Kieran Culkin was cast instead, but Smith was recommended for the title role of Simon Birch (1998), a film based loosely on John Irving's novel A Prayer for Owen Meany, which also called for a small child actor. This was Smith’s sole acting role. After acting, he graduated from York Community High School in Elmhurst in 2005. He has undergone several operations including a spinal fusion and two bilateral osteotomies. He graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2009, and Gallaudet University in 2012 and now works as a software engineer. He is a co-founder of a nonprofit organization, Project Alloy, that gives assistance to underrepresented people in tech fields. In 2019, he joined a class action lawsuit against the City of Oakland for excluding people with disabilities from the city’s rent control program.
Activity and practice
Ian Michael Smith is recorded as having studied at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Gallaudet University and York Community High School.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Holden, Stephen. FILM REVIEW; Tiny Boy With an Enormously Consuming Quest. The New York Times. September 11, 1998.
- 2.SIMON BIRCH. British Board of Film Classification. 1998-10-06.
- 3.at Hollywood.com
- 4.Beyond Disability 101: Ian Smith's Hopes for Tech Paul K. Longmore Institute on Disability. longmoreinstitute.sfsu.edu.
- 5.Reasons to be cheerful. TechCrunch. 30 April 2017.
- 6.Renters with disabilities sue Oakland for housing discrimination. The Mercury News. 2019-08-28.
- 7.Disabled Tenants Sue Oakland Over Rent Control Laws, High Cost Of Accessible Homes. 2019-08-28.
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Ian Michael Smith studied at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Gallaudet University and York Community High School.
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 17 August 2026.
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