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Well Received the Death of an Artist
2012 · Movie
Lane Smith
1936-04-29
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Memphis, Tennessee, USA
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.
Filmography
Out of Order
2003 · TV Show
as Frank
WW3
2001 · Movie
as John Sullivan
The Legend of Bagger Vance
2000 · Movie
as Grantland Rice
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The Caprice
2000 · Movie
as Lane
Bull
2000 · TV Show
DAG
2000 · TV Show
as Agent Baxter
Inherit the Wind
1999 · Movie
as Reverend Jeremiah Brown
Judging Amy
1999 · TV Show
as Mr. Radford
Getting Personal
1998 · Movie
as Dr. Maddie
The Hi-Lo Country
1998 · Movie
as Steve Shaw
From the Earth to the Moon
1998 · TV Show
as Emmett Seaborn
Legacy
1998 · TV Show
as Asa Winters
Alien Nation: The Udara Legacy
1997 · Movie
as Senator Silverthorne
The Practice
1997 · TV Show
as Judge H. Finkel
King of the Hill
1997 · TV Show
as Charlie Fortner (voice), Nate Hashaway (voice)
The War at Home
1996 · Movie
as Marjorie's Husband
Clueless
1996 · TV Show
as Dan Hafner
The Outer Limits
1995 · TV Show
as Dr. Malcolm Boussard
The Scout
1994 · Movie
as Ron Wilson
The Spy Within
1994 · Movie
as Stephen Hahn
Son in Law
1993 · Movie
as Walter Warner
Walker, Texas Ranger
1993 · TV Show
as Reverend Thornton Powers
Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman
1993 · TV Show
as Perry White
My Cousin Vinny
1992 · Movie
as Jim Trotter III
The Distinguished Gentleman
1992 · Movie
as Dick Dodge
The Mighty Ducks
1992 · Movie
as Jack Reilly
Duplicates
1992 · Movie
as Mr. Fryman
False Arrest
1991 · Movie
as Martin Busey
Good Sports
1991 · TV Show
as R.J. Rappaport
Air America
1990 · Movie
as Senator Davenport
Blind Vengeance
1990 · Movie
as Col. Blanchard
Challenger
1990 · Movie
as Larry Mulloy
Night Game
1989 · Movie
as Whitty
The Final Days
1989 · Movie
as Richard Nixon
Killer Instinct
1988 · Movie
as Dr. Butler
Prison
1987 · Movie
as Warden Eaton Sharpe
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A Place to Call Home
1987 · Movie
as Sam
Weeds
1987 · Movie
as Claude
Native Son
1986 · Movie
as Britton
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Kay O'Brien
1986 · TV Show
If Tomorrow Comes
1986 · TV Show
as Warden Brannigan
Dress Gray
1986 · TV Show
as Col. King
Terror at London Bridge
1985 · Movie
as Anson Whitfield
Beverly Hills Cowgirl Blues
1985 · Movie
as Captain Max Rosenberg
The Twilight Zone
1985 · TV Show
as (segment "Profile in Silver")
The New Alfred Hitchcock Presents
1985 · TV Show
as Robert Warren
Hollywood Beat
1985 · TV Show
as Cp. Milton Treadwell
MacGruder and Loud
1985 · TV Show
as Richard
Amazing Stories
1985 · TV Show
as Dr. Caruso
Places in the Heart
1984 · Movie
as Albert Denby
Something About Amelia
1984 · Movie
as Officer Dealy
Red Dawn
1984 · Movie
as Mayor Bates
Purple Hearts
1984 · Movie
as Cmdr. Markel
Murder, She Wrote
1984 · TV Show
as Pol. Chief Miles Underwood
V
1984 · TV Show
as Nathan Bates
The American Snitch
1983 · Movie
as Chuck Maxwell
Special Bulletin
1983 · Movie
as Morton Sanders
Chiefs
1983 · TV Show
as Hoss Spence
The Member of the Wedding
1982 · Movie
as Mr. Addams
Frances
1982 · Movie
as Docteur Symington
Prime Suspect
1982 · Movie
as Tom Keating
Thou Shalt Not Kill
1982 · Movie
as Clarence Blake
American Playhouse
1982 · TV Show
as Britton
Dark Night of the Scarecrow
1981 · Movie
as Harless Hocker
Prince of the City
1981 · Movie
as Tug Barnes
Hill Street Blues
1981 · TV Show
as Mike
The Georgia Peaches
1980 · Movie
as Randolph Dukane
Resurrection
1980 · Movie
as Don
Mark, I Love You
1980 · Movie
as Don Payer
Gideon's Trumpet
1980 · Movie
as Fred Turner
Honeysuckle Rose
1980 · Movie
as Brag
On the Nickel
1980 · Movie
as Preacher
City in Fear
1980 · Movie
as Brian
A Rumor of War
1980 · TV Show
as Sgt. Willliam Holgren
The Solitary Man
1979 · Movie
as Jack Collins
Disaster on the Coastliner
1979 · Movie
as John Carlson
Over the Edge
1979 · Movie
as Sloan
Hart to Hart
1979 · TV Show
The Crash of Flight 401
1978 · Movie
On the Yard
1978 · Movie
as Blake
Blue Collar
1978 · Movie
as Clarence Hill
A Death in Canaan
1978 · Movie
as Bob Hartman
The Bad News Bears in Breaking Training
1977 · Movie
as Officer Mackie
The Displaced Person
1977 · Movie
as Mr. Shortley
Between the Lines
1977 · Movie
as Roy Walsh
The Court-Martial of George Armstrong Custer
1977 · Movie
Lou Grant
1977 · TV Show
as Dr. Lawrence
Network
1976 · Movie
as Robert McDonough
Everybody Rides the Carousel
1976 · Movie
as Stage 1 (voice)
Judge Horton and the Scottsboro Boys
1976 · Movie
as Tyler
Quincy, M.E.
1976 · TV Show
as Dr. Paul Flynn
Rooster Cogburn
1975 · Movie
as Leroy
Valley Forge
1975 · Movie
as Spad
Man on a Swing
1974 · Movie
as Ted Ronan
The Rockford Files
1974 · TV Show
as CIA Agent Donnegan, Willett
The Last American Hero
1973 · Movie
as Rick Penny
Kojak
1973 · TV Show
as Clyde Regan
Maidstone
1971 · Movie
Unholy Matrimony
1966 · Movie
as Partygoer
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
1962 · TV Show
as Self
Hallmark Hall of Fame
1951 · TV Show
as Spad, Fred Turner
