Lane Smith
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- Apr 29, 1936
- Died
- Jun 13, 2005 (aged 69)
- Place of birth
- Memphis, Tennessee, USA
- Credits
- 102
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.
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
Network
1976Movie
Robert McDonough
My Cousin Vinny
1992Movie
Jim Trotter III
The Legend of Bagger Vance
2000Movie
Grantland Rice
The Mighty Ducks
1992Movie
Jack Reilly
Red Dawn
1984Movie
Mayor Bates
King of the Hill
1997TV
Charlie Fortner (voice), Nate Hashaway (voice)
Filmography
Well Received the Death of an Artist
2012Movie
Out of Order
2003TV
Frank
WW3
2001Movie
John Sullivan
DAG
2000TV
Agent Baxter
The Caprice
2000Movie
Lane
The Legend of Bagger Vance
2000Movie
Grantland Rice
Bull
2000TV
Judging Amy
1999TV
Mr. Radford
Inherit the Wind
1999Movie
Reverend Jeremiah Brown
The Hi-Lo Country
1998Movie
Steve Shaw
Legacy
1998TV
Asa Winters
Getting Personal
1998Movie
Dr. Maddie
From the Earth to the Moon
1998TV
Emmett Seaborn
Alien Nation: The Udara Legacy
1997Movie
Senator Silverthorne
The Practice
1997TV
Judge Finkel
King of the Hill
1997TV
Charlie Fortner (voice), Nate Hashaway (voice)
The War at Home
1996Movie
Marjorie's Husband
Clueless
1996TV
Dan Hafner
The Outer Limits
1995TV
Dr. Malcolm Boussard
The Scout
1994Movie
Ron Wilson
The Spy Within
1994Movie
Stephen Hahn
Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman
1993TV
Perry White
Son in Law
1993Movie
Walter Warner
Walker, Texas Ranger
1993TV
Reverend Thornton Powers
The Distinguished Gentleman
1992Movie
Dick Dodge
The Mighty Ducks
1992Movie
Jack Reilly
Duplicates
1992Movie
Mr. Fryman
My Cousin Vinny
1992Movie
Jim Trotter III
False Arrest
1991Movie
Martin Busey
Good Sports
1991TV
R.J. Rappaport
Blind Vengeance
1990Movie
Col. Blanchard
Air America
1990Movie
Senator Davenport
Challenger
1990Movie
Larry Mulloy
The Final Days
1989Movie
Richard Nixon
Night Game
1989Movie
Whitty
Killer Instinct
1988Movie
Dr. Butler
Prison
1987Movie
Warden Eaton Sharpe
Weeds
1987Movie
Claude
A Place to Call Home
1987Movie
Sam
Native Son
1986Movie
Britton
Kay O'Brien
1986TV
Dress Gray
1986TV
Col. King
If Tomorrow Comes
1986TV
Warden Brannigan
Terror at London Bridge
1985Movie
Anson Whitfield
Beverly Hills Cowgirl Blues
1985Movie
Captain Max Rosenberg
The New Alfred Hitchcock Presents
1985TV
Robert Warren
Amazing Stories
1985TV
Dr. Caruso
The Twilight Zone
1985TV
(segment "Profile in Silver")
Hollywood Beat
1985TV
Cp. Milton Treadwell
MacGruder and Loud
1985TV
Richard
V
1984TV
Nathan Bates
Murder, She Wrote
1984TV
Pol. Chief Miles Underwood
Places in the Heart
1984Movie
Albert Denby
Red Dawn
1984Movie
Mayor Bates
Purple Hearts
1984Movie
Cmdr. Markel
Something About Amelia
1984Movie
Officer Dealy
Chiefs
1983TV
Hoss Spence
Special Bulletin
1983Movie
Morton Sanders
The American Snitch
1983Movie
Chuck Maxwell
The Member of the Wedding
1982Movie
Mr. Addams
Frances
1982Movie
Docteur Symington
Thou Shalt Not Kill
1982Movie
Clarence Blake
Prime Suspect
1982Movie
Tom Keating
American Playhouse
1982TV
Britton
Dark Night of the Scarecrow
1981Movie
Harless Hocker
Prince of the City
1981Movie
Tug Barnes
Hill Street Blues
1981TV
Mike
Mark, I Love You
1980Movie
Don Payer
The Georgia Peaches
1980Movie
Randolph Dukane
Resurrection
1980Movie
Don
A Rumor of War
1980TV
Sgt. Willliam Holgren
Honeysuckle Rose
1980Movie
Brag
On the Nickel
1980Movie
Preacher
Gideon's Trumpet
1980Movie
Fred Turner
City in Fear
1980Movie
Brian
Disaster on the Coastliner
1979Movie
John Carlson
The Solitary Man
1979Movie
Jack Collins
Hart to Hart
1979TV
Over the Edge
1979Movie
Sloan
The Crash of Flight 401
1978Movie
On the Yard
1978Movie
Blake
A Death in Canaan
1978Movie
Bob Hartman
Blue Collar
1978Movie
Clarence Hill
The Court-Martial of George Armstrong Custer
1977Movie
Lou Grant
1977TV
Dr. Lawrence
The Bad News Bears in Breaking Training
1977Movie
Officer Mackie
Between the Lines
1977Movie
Roy Walsh
The Displaced Person
1977Movie
Mr. Shortley
Network
1976Movie
Robert McDonough
Quincy, M.E.
1976TV
Dr. Paul Flynn
Everybody Rides the Carousel
1976Movie
Stage 1 (voice)
Judge Horton and the Scottsboro Boys
1976Movie
Tyler
Valley Forge
1975Movie
Spad
Rooster Cogburn
1975Movie
Leroy
The Rockford Files
1974TV
CIA Agent Donnegan, Willett
Man on a Swing
1974Movie
Ted Ronan
Kojak
1973TV
Clyde Regan
The Last American Hero
1973Movie
Rick Penny
Maidstone
1971Movie
Unholy Matrimony
1966Movie
Partygoer
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
1962TV
Self
Hallmark Hall of Fame
1951TV
Spad, Fred Turner