Rusty Smith began drawing at an early age, while growing up on a small farm in Georgia. After attending undergraduate school at Furman University in Greenville, S.C., he received an MFA from the Yale School of Drama.

He has served as production designer on the films A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas,

Soul Surfer, Beastly, The Jane Austen Book Club, Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore, Pink Panther 2, Accepted, Meet The Fockers, Elf, Agent Cody Banks, Austin Powers in Goldmember, Serving Sara, Meet the Parents, Austin Powers in The Spy Who Shagged Me, Mystery Alaska, The Beautician and the Beast, and Dunston Checks In.  His most recent film is Won’t Back Down for Walden Media.

His first feature film design was for Roger Corman and director Talia Shire’s One Night Stand. His television credits include Billy Crystal's Emmy nominated *61. Smith served as art director on the films The Good Son, Diggstown, and The Positively True Adventures of the Alleged Texas Cheerleader Murdering Mom, and as assistant art director on A League of Their Own. Smith’s theatre credits include the Broadway production of Athol Fugard’s Blood Knot, and the Off-Broadway Second Stage production of Lynda Barry’s The Good Times Are Killing Me.

He is married to singer/actress Connie Smith, and has two children, Jackson and Emily Smith, all of whom are aspiring filmmakers and artists.