Son of missing Hollywood executive says few clues so far

Gavin Smith, 57, a 20th Century Fox distribution executive is shown in this undated photograph released by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. Smith has been missing since May 1, 2012.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The son of a Hollywood studio executive who has been missing for a week said Monday that his father had not used his cellphone or credit cards, leaving no clues to his disappearance.

Gavin Smith, a 57-year-old film distribution executive for 20th Century Fox, was last seen on Tuesday night driving away from a friend's house in the community of Oak Park, north of Los Angeles, in his black Mercedes.

Police have issued a missing person bulletin for Smith - also known for playing on UCLA's 1975 national championship basketball team under legendary coach John Wooden - and asked for the public's help in finding him.

"We're just doing our best to get as many people looking as possible," Evan Smith, a forward for the University of Southern California basketball team, said in an interview. "We're trying to find my dad. We need our father."

The younger Smith has also taken to Twitter to get the word out, tweeting such messages as: "I will not stop until I find my father" and "A son never gives up on his father."

Smith said that family members first became concerned when his dad failed to turn up at the film studio, a job he loves.

"My dad's a good guy, a very responsible man, and it all really took hold for us when he didn't show up for work," he said. He added that his father, who stands 6 foot, 6 inches tall, with an athletic build and "looks like a movie star" should be easy to spot.

He said family members have since been unable to "ping" the missing man's cellphone, which appears to be off, and that his credit cards have not been used since Tuesday night.

"We are extremely worried about our friend and colleague Gavin Smith and are actively doing what we can to assist the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department in their search for him," Chris Aronson, vice president of domestic distribution for Fox, said in a statement.

Police have said that Gavin Smith was last seen wearing purple pants and black and gray shoes and has gray hair and wears a goatee.

(Reporting by Dan Whitcomb)