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WHAT THE BUTLER SAW

Are you being served? The Hollywood butler in action

Think of the British butler and his master, and Jeeves and Bertie Wooster spring to mind. But today's new breed of butlers are a very different bunch. Inside Out follows one Tyneside butler who has traded Hebburn for Hollywood and a life inside Hugh Hefner's Playboy mansion.

For some men it's the dream job - working as a butler for an American icon - but is the reality of living the Hollywood dream as good as it sounds?

Inside Out goes above and below stairs with William Smith, whose typical day involves working with a bevvy of Playboy pin-ups.

William has worked all over Hollywood, but his current job is one that many men would give their eye teeth for.

"A good butler anticipates what a person needs before they know they needed it."
William Smith, butler to Hugh Hefner.

Tyneside to Tinseltown

William Smith was born in Hebburn in South Tyneside 48 years ago.

Now he lives in the United States where he works as a butler, but this isn't just any servant's job - William spends his working day at the Playboy mansion in Los Angeles.

At home in Hollywood - William Smith's glamorous workplace

So how did a Geordie end up with one of the most coveted jobs in Hollywood?

William arrived 24 years ago, fleeing the depressing job situation and high unemployment in Hebburn.

He'd saved all his cash to buy a one-way ticket and try his luck in the States.

His mother had been in service herself and she's taught him that it was a good way to support yourself - the profession was already in his blood.

Star struck

William struck lucky with one of his first clients, Nashville singer and TV star Dinah Shore, who introduced him to a whole new world of Hollywood glamour and sophistication.

However, things got off to a shakey start on a nerve-wracking first day, as William recalls, "She had a guest in the dining room. I bent over and the hors d'oeuvres fell onto the floor.

"I was really nervous. I didn't want to appear incompetent. She never batted an eyelid."

Things got better and William's work for Dinah introduced him to many of her Hollywood friends including Burt Reynolds, Jack Lemmon and Gregory Peck.

Being in such a star-studded environment proved to be the ideal launch pad for William's career, and he picked up an offer of work from Playboy's Hugh Hefner via his agent.

Playboy butler

William Smith has worked at the Playboy mansion for 10 years where his main job is to look after Hugh Hefner and his girlfriends - often as many as seven.

Hefner or "Hef", as he is affectionately known, has a reputation for wild parties and spending most of the day in his pyjamas.

Hugh Hefner is now a star charity fundraiser

The mansion is also a haunt for Hollywood stars from George Clooney and Rachel Hunter to famous models.

But even George Clooney was shocked by the naked men and women he saw canoodling in the jacuzzi on his first visit to the mansion.

Today the emphasis is not just on sex, but on charity events. Hugh Hefner was recently voted American Charity Events Man of the Year.

But for William the butler, it's business as usual. Despite what the butler sees, he never loses his composure.

"I've had naked ladies come up to me at parties and ask something, and I just treat them like they were perfectly fine guests."

At home in Hollywood

Although William is 8,000 miles away from home, the old adage still applies - "wherever you gaan in the world, you're bound to meet a Geordie".

Down at the King's Head on Santa Monica Boulevard, William spends time with fellow Geordies working in California.

Ironically they met not in LA but through the Hebburn online community website.

Back home - Tyneside is also becoming more sophisticated

He is often to be found reminiscing about Tyneside and the past with his fellow ex-pats.

But when William comes home to Hebburn, it's a world away from the glamour of Hugh Hefner's Hollywood.

He finds time to take in the riverfront of Newcastle and Gateshead, including its many cultural attractions.

He enthuses about the regeneration schemes, "It's giving Newcastle a cosmopolitan feel. Now it's got more class and culture, it's changing and getting a bit more modern".

But what does his dad Melvin make of William's job with the jet-set in Los Angeles?

"I'm happy that he's doing what he wants. He's achieved something. He's been like that all his life - he sets out to do what he wants."

Mind your manners

William muses on what he'd be doing if he hadn't come to Hollywood, "Back in Hebburn, I'd probably be unemployed a lot of the time, perhaps working for some company. It's hard to say".

William Smith - from Hebburn to Hollywood

"I do feel fortunate about coming to America. I've been lucky in meeting great people. I think I'm well-suited to being a butler."

He believes that good manners were one of the things that got him the job in the first place, and they came from his parents.

"I was raised with good manners from a young age, treating people with respect. Good manners - they aren't that well known in America."

Rich and famous

William relishes working in the rich and glamorous world of Hefner's mansion, where his boss has lived since 1972.

"The mansion is a very special place, of course, because it's so unique and has a mystique about it.

"It's that special Shangri-La, and it's known all over the world. In so many ways I feel fortunate to say that I work there."

William is now used to rubbing shoulders with the rich and famous, but one of the secrets of his success is his professionalism.

"I never dreamed I'd be around big name celebrities. If it's a big star, I get a big kick out of it like anyone else.

All part of the service - bunnies are on hand to give tours

"But if I need to interact with them, it's professional - 'good evening, sir' - they're just a person, after all.

"You've got to maintain your professionalism, otherwise you wouldn't be in your line of work.

"The British are renowned for their professionalism - our manners, keeping cool when it's getting crazy.

"I'm told by a lot of people that I'm very proper, but I don't want to be seen as stuffy or snobby."

William has had a small share of the Hollywood dream himself, starring as an extra in several film and TV shows including Star Trek and Deep Space Nine.

Even though the parts only amounted to heavily made-up aliens, he clearly relishes the experience.

"I'm proud that I'm part of the Star Trek legacy as it's a fun show. I'm really lucky."

Service with a smile

British butlers are much in demand in Hollywood - they are seen as having three valuable assets - class, sophistication and discretion.

So what does the work of a modern butler entail and how does he serve his master?

William explains his role, "Generally you're there to make their life comfortable and easy.

"In some houses you do a bit of housework. In others you do errands.

"In a staffed home you run the staff."

Today's butlers can play a myriad of roles including house manager, personal assistant, valet, chef, chauffeur and even body guard.

Some butlers perform light housekeeping duties, whilst others are more like super secretaries, booking hotels and restaurants, organising the household chores, and keeping their boss' diary.

One modern innovation is that butlers are no longer attached for life to one master.

Modern butlers are free to work for more than one client, as is the case with William.

The work can also be lucrative. Butlers can earn between $50,000 and $150,000 per year in the United States, plus benefits.

Salaries are based on a number of factors including experience, formal training and the duties and hours included in the job description.

One of America's highest paid butlers is said to earn in excess of $400,000 per annum.

In the UK the best butlers can earn around 拢100,000 per year.

The International Guild of Professional Butlers estimates that there are some 50,000 professional butlers in the world today.

Becoming a butler

Most butlers do not train specifically for the job, although there an increasing number of butler schools in the UK.

The Guild of Professional English Butlers also runs four week training courses and runs a website featuring butler vacancies.

Butlers who come out of training usually start on around 拢25,000 in the UK, although this can double in the United States.

Today's butlers are more like super efficient administrators than servants. They need a very wide rang of skills including:

• excellent social and communication skills
  good manners and etiquette
  organisational and management skills
  initiative, dependability, and good judgement
  diplomacy, tact and discretion
  a good knowledge of wines, spirits and food

The best butlers have a pleasant personality, are good at multitasking and are able to think on their feet.

It goes without saying that butlers also need to be well presented, smart and perfectly groomed.

A smart suit and pristine attire demand respect so jeans and leather jackets are best avoided at job interviews.

A good relationship between a butler and his employer is based on achieving the right balance between being too familiar or too detached.

24/7

Butlers may have to be on call 24 hours a day, making this a demanding job, as William will testify.

Above and below stairs - always the model of discretion

Some butlers live in an apartment in the main house or on their employer's estate, which can put a strain on their private life, especially if they have family.

William Smith has his own apartment in Culver, Los Angeles, a 20 minute drive from the Hefner mansion.

But he is sometimes required to stay over at the Playboy mansion especially on late night party nights.

Naturally he's required to keep his distance from the guests and girls, and he's not allowed to date any of the playmates.

"I've never been on a date with a Playmate. I'm not that lucky!"

Like all good butlers, he keeps what he sees to himself, and is the model of a perfect gentleman's gentleman.