Candace Smith was born and raised in Dayton, Ohio, where she began performing at a young age at the Dayton Playhouse. She is an actress known for her roles in My Father Die (2016),End of Watch (2012),and Gimme Shelter (2013).
Throughout high school and college, she participated in both drama and athletics. At the University of Dayton, where she studied on a full academic scholarship, Candace pursued a summer program at the University of London, further fueling her passion for theatre on the West End. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a minor in Communications.
Candace then attended Northwestern University School of Law, where she immersed herself in the experience by volunteering at a juvenile detention center and traveling to Cuba as a group leader for a research project. Upon graduating, she returned to Ohio to be close to her family and was admitted to the Ohio Supreme Court, practicing commercial real estate. She also won the prestigious title of Miss Ohio USA 2003.
After concluding her duties as Miss Ohio USA 2003, Candace relocated to Los Angeles to pursue a career in entertainment while continuing to coach clients in life and love. She has since appeared in numerous films and television shows.
Most recently, Candace starred in ABC's Same Time, Next Christmas (2019) alongside Lea Michele and Charles Michael Davis. She also appears in the upcoming Netflix comedy, The Wrong Missy (2020),alongside David Spade and Joe Anoa'i.
Candace has had notable roles in the feature action film My Father Die (2016),the independent film Gimme Shelter (2013),and the film End of Watch (2012). She has also performed stand-up comedy at the world-famous Comedy Store on Sunset Blvd and studied at the Upright Citizens Brigade in Los Angeles.
In television, Candace has appeared on a range of shows, including CBS's Hawaii Five-0, NBC's Heroes, TBS's Conan, and HBO's Entourage. As a TV Personality, she has specialized as a lifestyle expert and love expert, appearing on Bravo's The Millionaire Matchmaker, E!'s The Platinum Life, the Hallmark Channel's Home & Family, and WE TV's Million Dollar Matchmaker.
As a producer, Candace has worked as an associate producer on several network shows and is currently developing both unscripted and scripted projects.
