Walter Lane Smith III (April 29, 1936 – June 13, 2005) was an American actor. His well-known roles included newspaper editor Perry White in the ABC series Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, Walter Warner in Son in Law, collaborator entrepreneur Nathan Bates in the NBC television series V, Mayor Bates in the film Red Dawn, Coach Jack Reilly in The Mighty Ducks, district attorney Jim Trotter III in My Cousin Vinny, U.S. Congressman Dick Dodge in The Distinguished Gentleman, Grantland Rice in The Legend of Bagger Vance, and U.S. President Richard Nixon in The Final Days, for which he received a Golden Globe award nomination.
Lane Smith | |
|---|---|
| Born | Walter Lane Smith III April 29, 1936 Memphis, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Died | June 13, 2005 (aged 69) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1966–2005 |
| Known for | Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman |
| Spouse(s) |
Sydnee MacCall
(m. 1986; div. 1998)Debbie Benedict Smith
(m. 2000) |
| Children | 3 |
Early life
editLane 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 studying 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 U.S. Army.[2][3]
Career
editAfter 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 powerful and corrupt United States Congressman opposite Eddie Murphy in The Distinguished Gentleman, followed by a role as a small-town district attorney opposite Joe Pesci in My Cousin Vinny, and as Coach Jack Reilly in The Mighty Ducks. In 1993, Smith was cast as 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
editSmith was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (also known as ALS, or Lou Gehrig's disease) in April 2004. He died of the disease at home in the Northridge neighborhood of Los Angeles, 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.[4]
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1966 | Unholy Matrimony | Partygoer | Uncredited |
| 1970 | Maidstone | ||
| 1973 | The Last American Hero | Rick Penny | |
| Cops and Robbers | Perpetrator | ||
| 1974 | Man on a Swing | Virginia De Leo | |
| 1975 | Rooster Cogburn | Leroy | |
| Everybody Rides the Carousel | |||
| 1976 | Network | Robert McDonough | |
| 1977 | Between the Lines | Roy Walsh | |
| The Bad News Bears in Breaking Training | Officer Mackle | ||
| 1978 | Blue Collar | Clarence Hill | |
| On the Yard | Blake | ||
| 1979 | Over the Edge | Sloan | |
| 1980 | On the Nickel | Preacher | |
| Honeysuckle Rose | Brag, Cotton's manager | ||
| Resurrection | Don | ||
| 1981 | Prince of the City | Tug Barnes | |
| Soggy Bottom, U.S.A. | Smilin' Jack | ||
| 1982 | Frances | Dr. Symington | |
| 1984 | Purple Hearts | Cmdr. Markel | |
| Red Dawn | Mayor Bates | ||
| Places in the Heart | Albert Denby | ||
| 1986 | Native Son | Britton | |
| 1987 | Weeds | Claude | |
| Prison | Warden Eaton Sharpe | ||
| 1989 | Race for Glory | Joe Gifford | |
| Night Game | Witty | ||
| 1990 | Air America | Senator Davenport | |
| 1992 | My Cousin Vinny | District Attorney Jim Trotter, III | |
| The Mighty Ducks | Coach Jack Reilly | ||
| The Distinguished Gentleman | Dick Dodge | ||
| 1993 | Son in Law | Walter Warner | |
| 1994 | The Flight of the Dove | Stephen Hahn | |
| The Scout | Ron Wilson | ||
| 1996 | The War at Home | Uncredited | |
| Why Do Fools Fall in Love | Ezra Grahme | ||
| The Hi-Lo Country | Steve Shaw | ||
| 1998 | Getting Personal | Dr. Maddie | |
| 2000 | The Caprice | Thunderhead[5] | |
| The Legend of Bagger Vance | Grantland Rice |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Kojak | Clyde Regan | Season 2 Episode 18: "Queen of the Gypsies" |
| Valley Forge | Spad | TV movie | |
| 1975-1979 | The Rockford Files | (1) Willett (2) CIA Agent Donnegan |
(1) Season 1 Episode 17: "Claire" (1975) (2) Season 5 Episode 13: "The Battle-Ax and the Exploding Cigar" (1979) |
| 1977 | The Displaced Person | Mr. Shortley | TV movie |
| The Court-Martial of George Armstrong Custer | TV movie | ||
| 1978 | A Death in Canaan | Bob Hartman | TV movie |
| Crash | Flight Engineer Romano | TV movie | |
| 1979 | The Solitary Man | Jack Collins | TV movie |
| Disaster on the Coastliner | John Carlson | TV movie | |
| 1980 | City in Fear | Brian | TV movie |
| Gideon's Trumpet | Fred Turner | TV movie | |
| A Rumor of War | Sergeant William Holgren | Miniseries Season 1 Episode 1 Season 1 Episode 2 | |
| The Georgia Peaches | Randolph Dukane | TV movie | |
| Mark, I Love You | Don Payer | TV movie | |
| 1981 | Dallas | Prosecutor | Season 5 Episode 2: "Gone, But Not Forgotten" |
| Dark Night of the Scarecrow | Harless Hocker | TV movie | |
| Hart to Hart | Roy Hamlin | Season 3 Episode 20: "Hart, Line, and Sinker" | |
| 1982 | Prime Suspect | Tom Keating | TV movie |
| Thou Shalt Not Kill | Clarence Blake | TV movie | |
| Lou Grant | Dr. Lawrence | Season 5 Episode 20: "Unthinkable" | |
| The Big Easy | Lieutenant Frank Medley | TV movie | |
| Quincy, M.E. | Dr. Paul Flynn | Season 8 Episode 7: "Science for Sale" | |
| Member of the Wedding | Mr. Addams | TV movie | |
| 1983 | Special Bulletin | Morton Sanders | TV movie |
| Chiefs | Hoss Spence | Miniseries Season 1 Episode 1 Season 1 Episode 2 Season 1 Episode 3 | |
| 1984 | Something About Amelia | Officer Dealy | TV movie |
| 1984–1985 | V | Nathan Bates | 13 episodes |
| 1985 | Hill Street Blues | Mike | Season 5 Episode 18: "El Capitan" |
| Beverly Hills Cowgirl Blues | Captain Max Rosenberg | TV movie | |
| Bridge Across Time | Anson Whitfield | TV movie | |
| 1986 | Amazing Stories | Dr. Caruso | Season 1 Episode 18: "Dorothy and Ben" |
| The Twilight Zone | Professor Joseph Fitzgerald | Season 1 Episode 20 (Segment: "Profile in Silver") | |
| Dress Gray | Colonel King | Miniseries Season 1 Episode 1 Season 1 Episode 2 | |
| If Tomorrow Comes | Warden Brannigan | Miniseries Season 1 Episode 1 | |
| Alfred Hitchcock Presents | Robert Warren | Season 1 Episode 18: "Episode: Happy Birthday" | |
| Kay O'Brien | Doctor Robert Moffitt | 13 episodes | |
| 1987 | A Place to Call Home | Sam | TV movie |
| 1988 | In the Heat of the Night | Sonny Mims | Season 1 Episode 3: "Road Kill" |
| Killer Instinct | Dr. Butler | TV movie | |
| 1989 | Murder, She Wrote | Police Chief Underwood | Season 5 Episode 11: "The Search for Peter Kerry" |
| The Final Days | Richard Nixon | TV movie Golden Globe Award (nominated) | |
| 1990 | Challenger | Larry Mulloy | TV movie |
| Blind Vengeance | Colonel Blanchard | TV movie | |
| 1991 | Good Sports | R.J. Rappaport | 21 episodes |
| Good & Evil | Harlan Shell | 5 episodes (1 uncredited) | |
| False Arrest | Martin Busey | TV movie | |
| 1992 | Duplicates | Mr. Fryman | TV movie |
| 1993–1997 | Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman | Perry White | 84 episodes |
| 1994 | Murphy Brown | Danger Duke Robinson | Voice Season 7 Episode 2: "Where Have You Gone, Joe DiMaggio?" |
| 1995 | Dweebs | Colonel Whitmore | Season 1 Episode 4: "The Cyrano Show" |
| 1996 | Clueless | Dan Hafner | Season 1 Episode 11: "Romeo & Cher" |
| 1997 | Alien Nation: The Udara Legacy | Senator Silverthorne | TV movie |
| 1998 | The Outer Limits | Dr. Malcolm Boussard | Season 4 Episode 9: "Glyphic" |
| From the Earth to the Moon | Emmett Seaborn | (1) Season 1 Episode 1: "Can We Do This?" (2) Season 1 Episode 4: "1968" (3) Season 1 Episode 6: "Mare Tranquilitatis" (4) Season 1 Episode 7: "That's All There Is" (5) Season 1 Episode 8: "We Interrupt This Program" (6) Season 12: "Le voyage dans la lune" | |
| 1999 | Walker, Texas Ranger | Reverend Thornton Powers | Season 7 Episode 21: "Power Angels" |
| Inherit the Wind | Reverend Jeremiah Brown | TV movie | |
| 2000 | King of the Hill | (1) and (2) Charlie Fortner (3) Nate Hashaway |
Voice (1) Season 4 Episode 13: "Hanky Panky" (2) Season 4 Episode 20: "Meet the Propaniacs" (3) Season 4 Episode 22: "Flush with Power" |
| 2001 | Bull | Russell Dantly | Season 1 Episode 18: "Amen" |
| DAG | Agent Baxter | Season 1 Episode 17: "The Triangle Report" | |
| WW3 | John Sullivan | TV movie | |
| The Practice | Judge H. Finkel | Season 6 Episode 1: "The Candidate" | |
| 2002 | Judging Amy | Mr. Radford | Season 4 Episode 10: "People of the Lie" |
| 2003 | Out of Order | Frank | Miniseries (all 6 episodes); final role |
References
edit- ^ "Lane Smith - About This Person - Movies & TV - NYTimes.com". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. 2007. Archived from the original on 2007-11-17. Retrieved 2012-02-13.
- ^ a b c Oliver, Myrna (2005-06-15). "Lane Smith, 69; Character Actor Gained Fame Playing Nixon in 'The Final Days'". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2012-12-08.
- ^ Garfield, David (1980). "Appendix: Life Members of The Actors Studio as of January 1980". A Player's Place: The Story of The Actors Studio. New York: MacMillan Publishing Co., Inc. p. 280. ISBN 0-02-542650-8.
- ^ "Lane Smith Obituary: The Obituary and Death Notice of Lane Smith". Legacy.com. Retrieved 2012-02-13.
- ^ "Lane Smith Biography (1936-)". Filmreference.com. Retrieved 2012-02-13.
External links
edit- Lane Smith at IMDb
- Lane Smith at the Internet Broadway Database
- Lane Smith at the Internet Off-Broadway Database
- Lane Smith at the TCM Movie Database
