Biography

David Smart was the son of Billy Smart (1893-1966) and Dolly. David was born in his parents' trailer at Hayes, Middlesex on 21 August 1929.

By the time David was seventeen years old he was already running the fun fair side of the business with his siblings, which they run alongside with the circus their father managed. The family fairground business was of considerable size travelling up to ten rides and several vending booths. However, as the circus side of the business grew, David and his siblings gradually joined their father and folded the fun fair.

Over the years David learned the trade and became Performance Director, in charge of all aspects of the production of the shows and logistics management, which became an extremely important part of the business as the Smart circus grew into one of Europe’s largest circuses.

David Smart married Olga Elleano Stey in 1951. Olga was the daughter of the wire walker Elleano, from the Stey Swiss family and they had five children, Yasmine, David, Jr., Davida, Rebecca and Gabriella.

When the family opened the Royal Windsor Safari Park in 1969, David took over the full management of the travelling circus, but by then such a grand scale operation had become financially inviable and the Smart Circus stopped travelling in 1971. However the Smarts found an innovative way to bring their circus to the audience through television through special Christmas shows, which lasted until 1979. By this times David was co-owner of Billy Smart's Circus and Windsor Safari Park, but his most significant single achievement was possibly the Royal Windsor Big Top Show to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II’s Silver Jubilee in 1977. The Silver Jubilee show was a televised Royal Command circus performance, attended by the royal family and a roaring success.

In 1980, David started his own static circus at Battersea Park in London called David Smart's Super Circus. In 1983 he was a Jury at the prestigious International Circus Festival of Monte-Carlo, hosted by the Prince of Monaco and in 1992 he produced a circus in Amsterdam. In 1993, David and his brother Ronnie re-launch the title Billy Smart's Circus but achieved little success and shortly after they rented the Smart circus name to circus impresario Tony Hopkins.

David Smart died in Clobham, Surrey, on 9 July 2007 aged 77 years old.

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