Lane Smith
Lane Smith was born in 1936 in Memphis, Tennessee. 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. 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.
Known For
Credits
- 2012 · Well Received the Death of an Artist as
- 2003 · Out of Order as Frank
- 2001 · WW3 as John Sullivan
- 2000 · DAG as Agent Baxter
- 2000 · The Caprice as
- 2000 · The Legend of Bagger Vance as Grantland Rice
- 2000 · Bull as
- 1999 · Judging Amy as Mr. Radford
- 1999 · Inherit the Wind as Reverend Jeremiah Brown
- 1998 · The Hi-Lo Country as Steve Shaw
- 1998 · Getting Personal as Dr. Maddie
- 1998 · From the Earth to the Moon as Emmett Seaborn
- 1997 · Alien Nation: The Udara Legacy as Senator Silverthorne
- 1997 · The Practice as Judge H. Finkel
- 1997 · King of the Hill as Charlie Fortner (voice)
- 1997 · King of the Hill as Nate Hashaway (voice)
- 1996 · Clueless as
- 1995 · The Outer Limits as Dr. Malcolm Boussard
- 1994 · The Scout as Ron Wilson
- 1994 · The Flight of the Dove as Stephen Hahn
- 1993 · Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman as Perry White
- 1993 · Son in Law as Walter Warner
- 1993 · Walker, Texas Ranger as Reverend Thornton Powers
- 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 · Good & Evil as
- 1991 · Good Sports as R.J. Rappaport
- 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 · Kay O'Brien as
- 1986 · If Tomorrow Comes as Warden Brannigan
- 1985 · Terror at London Bridge as Anson Whitfield
- 1985 · Beverly Hills Cowgirl Blues as Captain Max Rosenberg
- 1985 · Amazing Stories as Dr. Caruso
- 1985 · The New Alfred Hitchcock Presents as Robert Warren
- 1985 · The Twilight Zone as
- 1985 · Hollywood Beat as
- 1985 · MacGruder and Loud as Richard
- 1984 · V as Nathan Bates
- 1984 · Murder, She Wrote as Pol. Chief Miles Underwood
- 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 · Chiefs as Hoss Spence
- 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 Dr. Symington
- 1982 · Thou Shalt Not Kill as Clarence Blake
- 1982 · Prime Suspect as Tom Keating
- 1981 · Dark Night of the Scarecrow as Harless Hocker
- 1981 · Prince of the City as Tug Barnes
- 1981 · Hill Street Blues as Mike
- 1980 · Mark, I Love You as Don Payer
- 1980 · The Georgia Peaches as Randolph Dukane
- 1980 · Resurrection as Don
- 1980 · A Rumor of War as Sgt. Willliam Holgren
- 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 · Hart to Hart as
- 1979 · Over the Edge as Sloan
- 1978 · The Crash of Flight 401 as
- 1978 · On the Yard as Blake
- 1978 · A Death in Canaan as Bob Hartman
- 1978 · Blue Collar as Clarence Hill
- 1977 · The Court-Martial of George Armstrong Custer as
- 1977 · Lou Grant as
- 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 · Quincy, M.E. as
- 1976 · Judge Horton and the Scottsboro Boys as Tyler
- 1975 · Valley Forge as
- 1975 · Rooster Cogburn as Leroy
- 1975 · Everybody Rides the Carousel as Stage 1 (voice)
- 1974 · The Rockford Files as CIA Agent Donnegan
- 1974 · The Rockford Files as Willett
- 1974 · Man on a Swing as Ted Ronan
- 1973 · Kojak as Clyde Regan
- 1973 · The Last American Hero as Rick Penny
- 1971 · Maidstone as
- 1966 · Unholy Matrimony as Partygoer
- 1951 · Hallmark Hall of Fame as Spad
- 1951 · Hallmark Hall of Fame as Fred Turner