LS
Lane Smith
Actor
Died June 13, 2005 (69 years)
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.
Filmography
| 2003 | Out of Order (TV Series) · as Frank |
| 2001 | WW 3 · as John Sullivan |
| 2000 | The Legend of Bagger Vance · as Grantland Rice |
| 1999 | Inherit the Wind · as Reverend Jeremiah Brown |
| 1999 | Judging Amy (TV Series) · as Mr. Radford |
| 1998 | The Hi-Lo Country · as Steve Shaw |
| 1998 | Why Do Fools Fall in Love · as Ezra Grahme |
| 1998 | Getting Personal · as Dr. Maddie |
| 1998 | From the Earth to the Moon (TV Series) · as Emmett Seaborn |
| 1998 | Legacy (TV Series) · as Asa Winters |
| 1997 | Alien Nation: The Udara Legacy · as Senator Silverthorne |
| 1997 | The Practice (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 1997 | King of the Hill (TV Series) · as (voice) |
| 1996 | The War at Home · as Marjorie's Husband |
| 1996 | Clueless (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 1995 | The Spy Within · as Stephen Hahn |
| 1995 | The Outer Limits (1995) (TV Series) · as Dr. Malcolm Boussard |
| 1994 | The Scout · as Ron Wilson |
| 1993 | Walker, Texas Ranger (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 1993 | Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman (TV Series) · as Perry White |
| 1993 | Son in Law · as Walter Warner |
| 1992 | The Distinguished Gentleman · as Dick Dodge |
| 1992 | Duplicates · as Mr. Fryman |
| 1992 | My Cousin Vinny · as Jim Trotter III |
| 1992 | The Mighty Ducks · as Jack Reilly |
| 1991 | False Arrest · as Martin Busey |
| 1990 | Air America · as Senator Davenport |
| 1990 | Blind Vengeance · as Col. Blanchard |
| 1990 | Challenger · as Larry Mulloy |
| 1989 | Night Game · as Whitty |
| 1989 | Race for Glory · as Joe Gifford |
| 1989 | The Final Days · as Richard Nixon |
| 1988 | In the Heat of the Night (TV Series) · as Sonny Mims |
| 1988 | Murphy Brown (TV Series) · as Danger Duke Robinson |
| 1987 | Weeds · as Claude |
| 1987 | Prison · as Warden Eaton Sharpe |
| 1986 | Native Son · as Britton |
| 1986 | If Tomorrow Comes (TV Series) · as Warden Brannigan |
| 1985 | Terror at London Bridge · as Anson Whitfield |
| 1985 | Beverly Hills Cowgirl Blues · as Captain Max Rosenberg |
| 1985 | Amazing Stories (TV Series) · as Dr. Caruso |
| 1985 | The Twilight Zone (1985) (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 1985 | Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1985) (TV Series) · as Robert Warren |
| 1984 | Red Dawn · as Mayor Bates |
| 1984 | Places in the Heart · as Albert Denby |
| 1984 | Purple Hearts · as Cmdr. Markel |
| 1984 | Something About Amelia · as Officer Dealy |
| 1984 | V (TV Series) · as Nathan Bates |
| 1984 | Murder, She Wrote (TV Series) · as Pol. Chief Miles Underwood |
| 1983 | The American Snitch · as Chuck Maxwell |
| 1983 | Chiefs (TV Series) · as Hoss Spence |
| 1982 | Frances · as Dr. Symington |
| 1982 | Prime Suspect · as Tom Keating |
| 1981 | Dark Night of the Scarecrow · as Harless Hocker |
| 1981 | Soggy Bottom, U.S.A. · as Smilin' Jack |
| 1981 | Hill Street Blues (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 1981 | Prince of the City · as Tug Barnes |
| 1980 | Honeysuckle Rose · as Brag |
| 1980 | The Georgia Peaches · as Randolph Dukane |
| 1980 | Gideon's Trumpet · as Fred Turner |
| 1980 | Resurrection · as Don |
| 1980 | On the Nickel · as Preacher |
| 1980 | A Rumor of War (TV Series) · as Sgt. Willliam Holgren |
| 1979 | Over the Edge · as Sloan |
| 1979 | Disaster on the Coastliner · as John Carlson |
| 1979 | Hart to Hart (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 1978 | Blue Collar · as Clarence Hill, Union Steward |
| 1978 | On the Yard · as Blake |
| 1978 | Crash · as actor |
| 1978 | Dallas (TV Series) · as Prosecutor Ward |
| 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 |
| 1977 | Lou Grant (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 1976 | Network · as Robert McDonough |
| 1976 | Everybody Rides the Carousel · as Stage 1 (voice) |
| 1976 | Quincy, M.E. (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 1975 | Rooster Cogburn · as Leroy |
| 1974 | Man on a Swing · as Ted Ronan |
| 1974 | The Rockford Files (TV Series) · as CIA Agent Donnegan |
| 1973 | The Last American Hero · as Rick Penny |
| 1973 | Kojak (TV Series) · as Clyde Regan |
| 1973 | Cops and Robbers · as Perpetrator |
| 1970 | Maidstone · as Unknown |
| 1951 | Hallmark Hall Of Fame (TV Series) · as Fred Turner |