Cotter Smith

Birth Name: Joseph Cotter Smith

Place of Birth: Washington, D.C., U.S.

Date of Birth: May 29, 1949

Ethnicity:
*father – English, with small amounts of German and Scottish, more distant French and Dutch
*mother – Irish

Cotter Smith is an American actor. His roles include the films Nickel Mountain, Lady Beware, Cameron’s Closet, K-9, X2: X-Men United, Friends with Kids, Burning Blue, The Post (2017), Unsinkable, and The Gymnast; the series Equal Justice, L.A. Law, Courthouse, Judging Amy, Tru Calling, Night Stalker, Person of Interest, The Americans, Revolution, The Following, Madam Secretary, Mindhunter, and The Code; the made-for-tv movies Blood Feud (1983), A Bunny’s Tale, The Rape of Richard Beck, A Place to Be Loved, and Run the Wild Fields; and the mini-series Mistral’s Daughter.

His father, John Lewis Smith, Jr., was Judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, from November 3, 1966 to January 31, 1983, Chief Judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, from September 18, 1981 to September 20, 1982, Presiding Judge of the U.S. Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, from May 19, 1982 to May 19, 1988, and Senior Judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, from January 31, 1983 to September 4, 1992.

Cotter is married to Heidi Mueller. He has a daughter with his former wife, actress Mel harris.

Cotter’s paternal grandfather was John Lewis Smith (the son of John Ambler Smith and Nannie Lewis). Cotter’s grandfather John was born in Washington, D.C., and had deep roots in the U.S. Cotter’s great-grandfather John was the son of Edwin Harvie Smith and Anne Gilliam Anderson. Nannie was the daughter of John Francis Lewis and Serena Helen Sheffey, whose paternal grandparents were German.

Cotter’s paternal grandmother was Claribel Cassin (the daughter of Dr. Joseph R. Cassin and Anne Elizabeth Williams). Claribel was born in Washington, D.C., and had deep American roots. Joseph was the son of Stephen Cassin and Margaret Abernathy. Anne was the daughter of Richard Humphrey Williams and Ann Attaway Biscoe.

Cotter’s maternal grandfather was named Joseph James Cotter (the son of James Joseph Cotter and Margaret A.). Cotter’s grandfather Joseph was born in Washington, D.C. Cotter’s great-grandfather James was Irish. Margaret was born in Washington, D.C., also to Irish immigrants.

Cotter’s maternal grandmother was Margaret Elizabeth Dunigan (the daughter of David Thomas Dunigan and Catherine Ignatia White). Margaret was born in Washington, D.C. David was the son of Irish emigrants, from County Kerry, Thomas Dunigan and Mary Lynch, who was from Ballylongford. Cotter’s great-grandmother Catherine was also the daughter of Irish immigrants, her father being Thomas White.

Source: Genealogy of Cotter Smith – https://www.familysearch.org