Toukie Smith, Celebrated Runway Model and '227' Actress, Passes Away at 74

Toukie Smith, a prominent runway model of the 1970s and an actress recognized for her television and film roles, has died at the age of 74. According to an announcement from her twin sons, Airyn and Julian, she passed away on Wednesday in a New York hospital following a long battle with multiple sclerosis.

Born Doris Smith in Philadelphia on September 25, she adopted the moniker Toukie after a childhood nickname given by her grandmother, who associated her high energy with a children's record about a red fire engine. After attending the Fashion Institute of Technology, she launched her professional modeling career in 1972. She quickly rose to prominence, appearing in major campaigns including Yves Saint Laurent and gracing the pages of publications such as Vogue, Ebony, Cosmopolitan, Redbook, and Seventeen.

Her striking look made her a favorite among elite international designers and photographers. She modeled extensively for her late brother, fashion designer Willi Smith, as well as for high-profile couturiers like Hubert de Givenchy, Thierry Mugler, Issey Miyake, and Patrick Kelly. Her work also captured the lenses of renowned photographers Jean-Paul Goude and Guy Bourdin, alongside fashion illustrators Alvaro and Antonio Lopez. In 1978, her contributions to the industry were recognized when Bloomingdale's named her model of the year.

After stepping away from full-time modeling in the early 1980s, Smith transitioned into acting. She gained notable television exposure during the 1987-88 television season by appearing on three episodes of the NBC crime drama Miami Vice as Angie, the assistant to pop singer Caitlin Davies. By 1989, she secured a more permanent fixture on television by joining the cast of the NBC sitcom 227, starring Marla Gibbs. On the series, she portrayed Eva Rawley, an artist who moves into Lexington Place and eventually takes on building management duties.

Her broader acting resume expanded into feature films throughout the 1990s. Smith secured supporting roles in movies such as the 1991 comedy Talkin' Dirty After Dark, the 1994 drama I Like It Like That, and the 1996 comedies Joe's Apartment and The Preacher's Wife. Beyond the screen and the runway, she also expanded into the culinary world during the 1990s, operating an eponymous restaurant located on West Houston Street in New York City.

Smith shared a significant personal and creative footprint in New York entertainment circles. She was in a relationship with actor Robert De Niro from 1988 until 1996. Together, they welcomed their twin sons, Airyn and Julian, who were conceived via in vitro fertilization and born via a surrogate mother. Her family history was also deeply connected to the fashion world through her late brother, Willi Smith, who passed away in 1987 at the age of 39 from complications related to AIDS.

The passing of Toukie Smith marks the loss of a dynamic creative force who left an indelible mark across the realms of high fashion, network television, and New York culture.