Julia Cuthbert Smith (26 May 1927 – 19 June 1997) was an English television director and producer. She is best known for being the co-creator (along with Tony Holland) of the BBC soap opera EastEnders, also working as a director on the show and as its first producer.
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Early life
Julia Cuthbert Smith was born on 26 May 1927 in Maida Vale, west London, to Edward Cuthbert Smith and his wife, Elfriede Frances Gritton Menges. The family's residence was in Bedford Park, a planned development in Chiswick. Smith's father was a vocalist, and became the senior professor of singing at the Royal College of Music. Other maternal family members have also had careers in the arts: Herbert Menges, her uncle, was a conductor and director of music at The Old Vic; Isolde Menges, her aunt, was a violinist, and Royal College of Music professor; and Chris Menges, her cousin, became an Oscar-winning cinematographer.
During the Second World War, Smith was evacuated to Wiltshire. She subsequently attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.