Smooth muscle cells have developed a contractile machinery that allows them to exert tension on the surrounding extracellular matrix over their entire length. This has been achieved by coupling obliquely organized contractile filaments to a more‐or‐less longitudinal framework of cytoskeletal elements. Earlier structural data suggested that the cytoskeleton was composed primarily of intermediate filaments and played only a passive role. More recent findings highlight the segregation of actin isotypes and of actin‐associated proteins between the contractile and cytoskeletal domains and raise the possibility that the cytoskeleton performs a more active function. Current efforts focus on defining the relative contributions of myosin cross‐bridge cycling and actin‐associated protein interactions to the maintenance of tension in smooth muscle tissue.