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Lane Smith

Biography

Early life

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.[2][3]

Career

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.[2]

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).

Death

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.[2] He was survived by his wife, Debbie Benedict Smith and his son Robert Smith

Actor

Well Received the Death of an Artist

2012

WW 3

2001

as John Sullivan

The Caprice

2000

The Legend of Bagger Vance

2000

as Grantland Rice

Inherit the Wind

1999

as Reverend Jeremiah Brown

The Hi-Lo Country

1998

as Steve Shaw

Getting Personal

1998

as Dr. Maddie

Alien Nation: The Udara Legacy

1997

as Senator Silverthorne

The Scout

1994

as Ron Wilson

The Flight of the Dove

1994

as Stephen Hahn

Son in Law

1993

as Walter Warner

The Distinguished Gentleman

1992

as Dick Dodge

The Mighty Ducks

1992

as Jack Reilly

Duplicates

1992

as Mr. Fryman

My Cousin Vinny

1992

as Jim Trotter III

False Arrest

1991

as Martin Busey

Blind Vengeance

1990

as Col. Blanchard

Air America

1990

as Senator Davenport

Challenger

1990

as Larry Mulloy

The Final Days

1989

as Richard Nixon

Night Game

1989

as Whitty

Killer Instinct

1988

as Dr. Butler

Prison

1987

as Warden Eaton Sharpe

Weeds

1987

as Claude

A Place to Call Home

1987

as Sam

Native Son

1986

as Britton

Terror at London Bridge

1985

as Anson Whitfield

Beverly Hills Cowgirl Blues

1985

as Captain Max Rosenberg

Places in the Heart

1984

as Albert Denby

Red Dawn

1984

as Mayor Bates

Purple Hearts

1984

as Cmdr. Markel

Something About Amelia

1984

as Officer Dealy

Special Bulletin

1983

as Morton Sanders

The American Snitch

1983

as Chuck Maxwell

The Member of the Wedding

1982

as Mr. Addams

Frances

1982

as Dr. Symington

Thou Shalt Not Kill

1982

as Clarence Blake

Prime Suspect

1982

as Tom Keating

Dark Night of the Scarecrow

1981

as Harless Hocker

Prince of the City

1981

as Tug Barnes

Mark, I Love You

1980

as Don Payer

The Georgia Peaches

1980

as Randolph Dukane

Resurrection

1980

as Don

Honeysuckle Rose

1980

as Brag

On the Nickel

1980

as Preacher

Gideon's Trumpet

1980

as Fred Turner

City in Fear

1980

as Brian

Disaster on the Coastliner

1979

as John Carlson

The Solitary Man

1979

as Jack Collins

Over the Edge

1979

as Sloan

The Crash of Flight 401

1978

On the Yard

1978

as Blake

A Death in Canaan

1978

as Bob Hartman

Blue Collar

1978

as Clarence Hill

The Court-Martial of George Armstrong Custer

1977

The Bad News Bears in Breaking Training

1977

as Officer Mackie

Between the Lines

1977

as Roy Walsh

The Displaced Person

1977

as Mr. Shortley

Network

1976

as Robert McDonough

Judge Horton and the Scottsboro Boys

1976

as Tyler

Valley Forge

1975

Rooster Cogburn

1975

as Leroy

Everybody Rides the Carousel

1975

as Stage 1 (voice)

Man on a Swing

1974

as Ted Ronan

The Last American Hero

1973

as Rick Penny

Maidstone

1971

Unholy Matrimony

1966

as Partygoer