Basic Information
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Full Name | John Jewl Smith |
| Date of Birth | February 25, 1981 |
| Age (as of September 2025) | 44 |
| Birthplace | Los Angeles, California, USA |
| Nationality | American |
| Ethnicity | White |
| Parents | Julie Newmar (mother), J. Holt Smith (father) |
| Known For | Private life as the son of actress Julie Newmar; living with Down syndrome and deafness |
| Health Notes | Born with Down syndrome; contracted meningitis at age 3 leading to hearing loss; became non-verbal a few years later |
| Residence | Los Angeles, California (lives with his mother) |
| Siblings | None publicly known |
| Occupation | Not publicly documented |
| Interests | Art and family travel (including trips to Southeast Asia) |
| Public Presence | Minimal; occasional family-shared photos and birthday videos |
Early Years and Health Milestones
John Jewl Smith entered the world in Los Angeles on February 25, 1981, the only child of actress Julie Newmar and lawyer-businessman J. Holt Smith. Born when his mother was 48, his arrival followed years of longing and loss. From the start, John’s path diverged from the ordinary. He was born with Down syndrome. At age 3, in 1984, he contracted meningitis and lost his hearing; within a few years he also lost the ability to speak. That sequence redrew the map of his life—and of his family’s.
Yet the contours of John’s story are not only medical. He responded to the world through sensation and gesture, through visual delight and the language of presence. Encouraging teachers nurtured his interest in art, offering texture, color, and pattern as alternate vocabularies. His days became mosaics pieced together with patience, structure, and love.
Family Roots and Relationships
John’s family is a tapestry woven from entertainment, athletics, scholarship, and entrepreneurship:
- Mother: Julie Newmar (born 1933), acclaimed actress and dancer best known for playing Catwoman in the 1960s Batman series. She is also a writer, designer, and an advocate who has spoken often about disability and acceptance. In later life she has lived with Charcot–Marie–Tooth disease, an inherited neurological condition, even as she continued to care for her son.
- Father: J. Holt Smith (also referred to as John Holt Smith), a lawyer and businessman. He married Julie on August 5, 1977. Reports differ on the divorce year; it is commonly placed in the mid-1980s.
- Maternal Grandparents: Don Newmeyer, an early NFL player (Los Angeles Buccaneers, 1926) and later a college physical education head; Helene “Chalene” Newmeyer, a fashion designer and real estate investor.
- Maternal Uncles: John A. Newmeyer, writer, epidemiologist, and winemaker; the late Peter Bruce Newmeyer, who died in a skiing accident.
The heartbeat of this family narrative is the bond between mother and son. Julie has often described John as the great gift of her life, the catalyst that taught her a deeper kind of attention. In the decades since his birth, she has calibrated her career and daily rhythms to his needs, with family travel and a garden-centered home life forming the ground beneath their feet.
Life at Home: Art, Travel, and Daily Rhythm
Home for John is a sunlit Los Angeles haven, noted for its gardens—places where scent and color communicate what words cannot. Routine is a quiet metronome: meals, movement, creative activity, rest. Art offers tactile engagement: paper, chalk, paint, and the simple joy of making marks. Travel, especially to parts of Southeast Asia, has punctuated the years, expanding his sensory vocabulary with new landscapes, flavors, and cultural textures.
He has not pursued a public career. There are no résumés or press kits to recount. Instead, his achievements are measured in relationships—how he anchors his mother’s days and how he has deepened the family’s understanding of care. Financially and practically, family support appears to provide stability, allowing him to live comfortably without the pressures of public scrutiny.
Public Glimpses: Birthdays, Interviews, and 2015–2018 Moments
John’s life has surfaced in brief, bright flashes—birthday gatherings, small home videos, and the occasional social media post from his mother. A sequence of joyful February celebrations stands out. In 2015, a party filled with intricate balloon art drew smiles; in 2016, a mime performance and music turned the room into a stage; in 2018, shimmering bubbles became their own spectacle. Each event distilled the essence of celebration into movement and color—a perfect medium for a man who inhabits the world beyond spoken language.
Interviews with Julie have occasionally touched on John’s upbringing and the lessons she drew from parenting a child with disabilities. She emphasized dignity, structure, and delight, and the importance of seeing capability where others might only see limitation. These moments, while public, maintained a respectful distance from medical specifics, honoring John’s privacy.
Timeline at a Glance
| Year | Age | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1977 | — | Parents marry (August 5) |
| 1981 | 0 | Born in Los Angeles (February 25) |
| 1984 | 3 | Contracts meningitis; loses hearing |
| Late 1980s | 7–9 | Becomes non-verbal |
| Mid-1980s | — | Parents’ divorce reported (year varies by account) |
| 1990s | Teens | Encouraged in artistic expression by dedicated teachers |
| 2015 | 34 | Birthday party features elaborate balloon art |
| 2016 | 35 | Birthday includes a mime performance and music |
| 2018 | 37 | Birthday “bubble show” captured on family video |
| 2023–2025 | 42–44 | Lives with mother; ongoing caregiving highlighted in human-interest features |
The Parents: A Closer Look
- Julie Newmar: Born August 16, 1933, Julie emerged from dance and theater into film and television stardom. Beyond Catwoman, she worked on stage and screen, wrote essays, designed garments, and pursued real estate with discernment. In conversation about John, she favors verbs like “listen,” “learn,” and “love.” In 2025, at 92, she is still widely portrayed as a devoted caregiver—an image that feels less like public relations and more like a daily practice.
- J. Holt Smith: A lawyer and entrepreneur whose public footprint is limited, he is primarily noted for his marriage to Julie and as John’s father. Post-divorce, he has kept a low profile.
Extended Family Threads
Family names signal a wider orbit of influence. Don Newmeyer’s athletic and academic life points to a lineage of discipline and physicality. Helene “Chalene” Newmeyer brings fashion and business savvy into the mix. John A. Newmeyer stands at the intersection of science and the arts. Peter Bruce’s early death adds a note of elegy. Within that constellation, John’s presence seems to have refocused family attention on care as a skill and compassion as a form of intelligence.
2025: Endurance, Care, and a Mother’s Daily Art
In 2025, the prevailing portrait is strikingly consistent: a 92-year-old mother tending to her 44-year-old son with the same attentiveness that first reshaped her life in the early 1980s. The phrase “caregiving” can feel utilitarian; here it reads like an art form, composed of timing, touch, patience, and a practiced choreography of routines. There are no headlines to chase, no scandals to catalogue, no promotional tour. Only two lives, deeply synchronized, moving through time together.
FAQ
Who are John Jewl Smith’s parents?
His parents are actress Julie Newmar and lawyer-businessman J. Holt Smith.
What health conditions does he have?
He was born with Down syndrome, lost his hearing after meningitis at age 3, and later became non-verbal.
How old is he now?
He is 44 years old as of September 2025.
Where does he live?
He lives in Los Angeles with his mother.
Does he have a public career?
No professional career is publicly documented; his life is largely family-centered.
What is known about his education or interests?
He showed interest in art from a young age, supported by attentive teachers and family.
Are there public controversies associated with him?
No major public controversies are associated with him.
What role does Julie Newmar play in his life today?
She remains his primary caregiver and constant companion, a role widely noted in recent years.
Did his parents divorce?
Yes; they married in 1977, and reports place the divorce in the mid-1980s, with the exact year varying by account.
Are there public videos or appearances featuring him?
Yes, a handful of family-shared birthday videos from 2015 to 2018 and interviews with his mother briefly referencing him.
