Acting · Memphis, Tennessee, USA · Born April 29, 1936
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.
Well Received the Death of an Artist
2012
TVOut of Order
2003
as Frank
MovieWW3
2001
as John Sullivan
TVDAG
2000
as Agent Baxter
The Caprice
2000
as Lane
MovieThe Legend of Bagger Vance
2000
as Grantland Rice
TVBull
2000
TVJudging Amy
1999
as Mr. Radford
MovieInherit the Wind
1999
as Reverend Jeremiah Brown
MovieThe Hi-Lo Country
1998
as Steve Shaw
TVLegacy
1998
as Asa Winters
MovieGetting Personal
1998
as Dr. Maddie
TVFrom the Earth to the Moon
1998
as Emmett Seaborn
MovieAlien Nation: The Udara Legacy
1997
as Senator Silverthorne
TVThe Practice
1997
as Judge H. Finkel
TVKing of the Hill
1997
as Nate Hashaway (voice)
MovieThe War at Home
1996
as Marjorie's Husband
TVClueless
1996
as Dan Hafner
TVThe Outer Limits
1995
as Dr. Malcolm Boussard
MovieThe Scout
1994
as Ron Wilson
MovieThe Spy Within
1994
as Stephen Hahn
TVLois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman
1993
as Perry White
MovieSon in Law
1993
as Walter Warner
TVWalker, Texas Ranger
1993
as Reverend Thornton Powers
MovieThe Distinguished Gentleman
1992
as Dick Dodge
MovieThe Mighty Ducks
1992
as Jack Reilly
MovieDuplicates
1992
as Mr. Fryman
MovieMy Cousin Vinny
1992
as Jim Trotter III
MovieFalse Arrest
1991
as Martin Busey
TVGood Sports
1991
as R.J. Rappaport
MovieBlind Vengeance
1990
as Col. Blanchard
MovieAir America
1990
as Senator Davenport
MovieChallenger
1990
as Larry Mulloy
MovieThe Final Days
1989
as Richard Nixon
MovieNight Game
1989
as Whitty
MovieKiller Instinct
1988
as Dr. Butler
MoviePrison
1987
as Warden Eaton Sharpe
MovieWeeds
1987
as Claude
A Place to Call Home
1987
as Sam
MovieNative Son
1986
as Britton
Kay O'Brien
1986
TVDress Gray
1986
as Col. King
TVIf Tomorrow Comes
1986
as Warden Brannigan
MovieTerror at London Bridge
1985
as Anson Whitfield
MovieBeverly Hills Cowgirl Blues
1985
as Captain Max Rosenberg
TVThe New Alfred Hitchcock Presents
1985
as Robert Warren
TVAmazing Stories
1985
as Dr. Caruso
TVThe Twilight Zone
1985
as (segment "Profile in Silver")
TVHollywood Beat
1985
as Cp. Milton Treadwell
TVMacGruder and Loud
1985
as Richard
TVV
1984
as Nathan Bates
TVMurder, She Wrote
1984
as Pol. Chief Miles Underwood
MoviePlaces in the Heart
1984
as Albert Denby
MovieRed Dawn
1984
as Mayor Bates
MoviePurple Hearts
1984
as Cmdr. Markel
MovieSomething About Amelia
1984
as Officer Dealy
TVChiefs
1983
as Hoss Spence
MovieSpecial Bulletin
1983
as Morton Sanders
MovieThe American Snitch
1983
as Chuck Maxwell
MovieThe Member of the Wedding
1982
as Mr. Addams
MovieFrances
1982
as Docteur Symington
MovieThou Shalt Not Kill
1982
as Clarence Blake
MoviePrime Suspect
1982
as Tom Keating
TVAmerican Playhouse
1982
as Britton
MovieDark Night of the Scarecrow
1981
as Harless Hocker
MoviePrince of the City
1981
as Tug Barnes
TVHill Street Blues
1981
as Mike
MovieMark, I Love You
1980
as Don Payer
MovieThe Georgia Peaches
1980
as Randolph Dukane
MovieResurrection
1980
as Don
TVA Rumor of War
1980
as Sgt. Willliam Holgren
MovieHoneysuckle Rose
1980
as Brag
MovieOn the Nickel
1980
as Preacher
MovieGideon's Trumpet
1980
as Fred Turner
MovieCity in Fear
1980
as Brian
MovieDisaster on the Coastliner
1979
as John Carlson
MovieThe Solitary Man
1979
as Jack Collins
TVHart to Hart
1979
MovieOver the Edge
1979
as Sloan
MovieThe Crash of Flight 401
1978
MovieOn the Yard
1978
as Blake
MovieA Death in Canaan
1978
as Bob Hartman
MovieBlue Collar
1978
as Clarence Hill
MovieThe Court-Martial of George Armstrong Custer
1977
TVLou Grant
1977
as Dr. Lawrence
MovieThe Bad News Bears in Breaking Training
1977
as Officer Mackie
MovieBetween the Lines
1977
as Roy Walsh
MovieThe Displaced Person
1977
as Mr. Shortley
MovieNetwork
1976
as Robert McDonough
TVQuincy, M.E.
1976
as Dr. Paul Flynn
MovieEverybody Rides the Carousel
1976
as Stage 1 (voice)
MovieJudge Horton and the Scottsboro Boys
1976
as Tyler
MovieValley Forge
1975
as Spad
MovieRooster Cogburn
1975
as Leroy
TVThe Rockford Files
1974
as CIA Agent Donnegan
MovieMan on a Swing
1974
as Ted Ronan
TVKojak
1973
as Clyde Regan
MovieThe Last American Hero
1973
as Rick Penny
MovieMaidstone
1971
MovieUnholy Matrimony
1966
as Partygoer
TVThe Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
1962
as Self
TVHallmark Hall of Fame
1951
as Spad
