Lane Smith
68 movies · 33 TV shows
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- Apr 29, 1936
- Died
- Jun 13, 2005 (age 69)
- Place of birth
- Memphis, Tennessee, USA
- Also known as
- Лейн Смит
Biography
Lane Smith (April 29, 1936 – June 13, 2005) was an American actor . He graduated from the Leelanau School, a boarding school in Glen Arbor, Michigan, and spent one year boarding at the Hill School in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, before going off to study at the Actors Studio in the late 1950s and early 1960s along with Dustin Hoffman and Al Pacino; he was recognized in their Hall of Fame. Smith served two years in the United States Army.
After graduating, Smith found steady work in New York theater before making his film debut in Maidstone in 1970. During the 1970s, he regularly made appearances in small film roles including Rooster Cogburn in 1975 and Network in 1976. In 1981, Smith appeared in the Sidney Lumet-directed film Prince of the City. He also acted on television, notably playing a United States Marine in Vietnam in the television miniseries A Rumor of War and in the 1980 Hallmark Hall of Fame TV movie Gideon's Trumpet starring Henry Fonda, José Ferrer and John Houseman. Smith is also credited for playing McMurphy 650 times in the 1971 Off-Broadway revival of One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest.
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Smith made a major breakthrough in 1984 with significant roles in Red Dawn, Places in the Heart and the television series V. He also played on Quincy, M.E. in season 8, episode 7, "Science for Sale" as an oncologist searching for a cure to cancer. In 1989, Smith gained recognition for his portrayal of Richard Nixon in the docudrama The Final Days. Newsweek praised the performance, writing, "Smith] is such a good Nixon that his despair and sorrow at his predicament become simply overwhelming." Smith earned a Golden Globe nomination for his performance. He also appeared in the original Broadway stage production of David Mamet's Glengarry Glen Ross as James Lingk. He received a Drama Desk Award for his performance.
In 1990, Smith appeared in Air America playing a United States Senator, a role for which he was selected based on his resemblance to then-Minority Leader Bob Dole. Two years later, he played a small-town district attorney opposite Joe Pesci in My Cousin Vinny, followed by a role as Coach Jack Reilly in The Mighty Ducks. In 1993 Smith landed the role of Perry White in Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, which he played for four seasons until 1997. In 1994, he portrayed New York Yankees front officeman Ron in The Scout, alongside Albert Brooks and Brendan Fraser. In 1998, Smith appeared in a major role as fictional television anchorman Emmett Seaborn in the HBO miniseries From The Earth to the Moon. His final film appearance was in The Legend of Bagger Vance (2000).
Smith was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (also known as ALS, or Lou Gehrig's disease) in April 2004. He died of the disease at his home in Northridge, California on June 13, 2005 at the age of 69. He was survived by his wife, Debbie Benedict Smith and his son Robert Smith.
Profiles IMDb
Known for
Lane Smith: movies and TV shows
Acting (101)
- 2012
- 2003
- 2001 WW3
as John Sullivan
- 2000
- 2000 The Caprice
as Lane
- 2000 The Legend of Bagger Vance
as Grantland Rice
- 2000
- 1999
- 1999 Inherit the Wind
as Reverend Jeremiah Brown
- 1998 The Hi-Lo Country
as Steve Shaw
- 1998
- 1998 Getting Personal
as Dr. Maddie
- 1998
- 1997 Alien Nation: The Udara Legacy
as Senator Silverthorne
- 1997
- 1997
- 1996 The War at Home
as Marjorie's Husband
- 1996
- 1995
- 1994 The Scout
as Ron Wilson
- 1994 The Spy Within
as Stephen Hahn
- 1993
- 1993 Son in Law
as Walter Warner
- 1993
- 1992 The Distinguished Gentleman
as Dick Dodge
- 1992 The Mighty Ducks
as Jack Reilly
- 1992 Duplicates
as Mr. Fryman
- 1992 My Cousin Vinny
as Jim Trotter III
- 1991 False Arrest
as Martin Busey
- 1991
- 1990 Blind Vengeance
as Col. Blanchard
- 1990 Air America
as Senator Davenport
- 1990 Challenger
as Larry Mulloy
- 1989 The Final Days
as Richard Nixon
- 1989 Night Game
as Whitty
- 1988 Killer Instinct
as Dr. Butler
- 1987 Prison
as Warden Eaton Sharpe
- 1987 Weeds
as Claude
- 1987 A Place to Call Home
as Sam
- 1986 Native Son
as Britton
- 1986
- 1986
- 1986
- 1985 Terror at London Bridge
as Anson Whitfield
- 1985 Beverly Hills Cowgirl Blues
as Captain Max Rosenberg
- 1985
- 1985
- 1985
- 1985
- 1985
- 1984
- 1984
- 1984 Places in the Heart
as Albert Denby
- 1984 Red Dawn
as Mayor Bates
- 1984 Purple Hearts
as Cmdr. Markel
- 1984 Something About Amelia
as Officer Dealy
- 1983
- 1983 Special Bulletin
as Morton Sanders
- 1983 The American Snitch
as Chuck Maxwell
- 1982 The Member of the Wedding
as Mr. Addams
- 1982 Frances
as Docteur Symington
- 1982 Thou Shalt Not Kill
as Clarence Blake
- 1982 Prime Suspect
as Tom Keating
- 1982
- 1981 Dark Night of the Scarecrow
as Harless Hocker
- 1981 Prince of the City
as Tug Barnes
- 1981
- 1980 Mark, I Love You
as Don Payer
- 1980 The Georgia Peaches
as Randolph Dukane
- 1980 Resurrection
as Don
- 1980
- 1980 Honeysuckle Rose
as Brag
- 1980 On the Nickel
as Preacher
- 1980 Gideon's Trumpet
as Fred Turner
- 1980 City in Fear
as Brian
- 1979 Disaster on the Coastliner
as John Carlson
- 1979 The Solitary Man
as Jack Collins
- 1979
- 1979 Over the Edge
as Sloan
- 1978
- 1978 On the Yard
as Blake
- 1978 A Death in Canaan
as Bob Hartman
- 1978 Blue Collar
as Clarence Hill
- 1977
- 1977
- 1977 The Bad News Bears in Breaking Training
as Officer Mackie
- 1977 Between the Lines
as Roy Walsh
- 1977 The Displaced Person
as Mr. Shortley
- 1976 Network
as Robert McDonough
- 1976
- 1976 Everybody Rides the Carousel
as Stage 1 (voice)
- 1976 Judge Horton and the Scottsboro Boys
as Tyler
- 1975 Valley Forge
as Spad
- 1975 Rooster Cogburn
as Leroy
- 1974
- 1974 Man on a Swing
as Ted Ronan
- 1973
- 1973 The Last American Hero
as Rick Penny
- 1971
- 1966 Unholy Matrimony
as Partygoer
- 1951
Talk shows and appearances (1)
- 1962 The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
1 episode