Lane Smith

Infobox actor
name = Lane Smith


caption = Smith as Perry White in "Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman"
birthname = Walter Lane Smith III
birthdate = April 29, 1936
birthplace = Memphis, Tennessee
deathdate = death date and age|2005|6|13|1936|4|29
deathplace = Northridge, California
restingplace =
othername =
occupation = Actor, Presenter
yearsactive = 1966-2005
spouse = Debbie Benedict (2000-2005) (his death)
Sydne MacCall [http://movies.nytimes.com/person/66475/Lane-Smith] (?-?)(Divorced)
website =
awards =

Walter Lane Smith III (born April 29, 1936 - June 13, 2005) was an American actor best known for his role as Perry White in the American television series "" and as Richard Nixon in "The Final Days", for which he received a Golden Globe award nomination.

Biography

Early life

Lane Smith was born in Memphis, Tennessee in 1936. He graduated from The Leelanau School, a boarding school in Glen Arbor, Michigan where he is enshrined in the school's Hall of Fame [http://www.leelanau.org/al_hallFame.asp] , and spent one year boarding at The Hill School in Pottstown, Pennsylvania [http://www.thehill.org/home/news_item.asp?id=335&zzSec=school&newsArea=] before going off to study at the Actors Studio in the late 1950s and early 1960s along with Dustin Hoffman and Al Pacino. [http://www.vh1.com/movies/person/58615/bio.jhtml]

Career

After his graduation, he 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. He also acted on television, notably playing a U.S. Marine in Vietnam in the made for television miniseries "A Rumor of War".

He made a major breakthrough in 1984 with significant roles in "Red Dawn", "Places in the Heart" and the television series "V". In 1989, Smith gained great recognition for his portrayal of former President Richard Nixon in the docudrama "The Final Days". Newsweek praised Smith's role by stating, "is such a good Nixon that his despair and sorrow at his predicament become simply overwhelming." Smith later earned a Golden Globe nomination for his performance. [http://www.rideforlife.com/archives/001353.html] He also appeared in the original Broadway stage production of David Mamet's "Glengarry Glen Ross" as James Lingk. For his role, he received a Drama Desk Award.

In 1990, he appeared in "Air America" playing a U.S. Senator. 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". However, it was not until 1993 that Smith landed his first major television role as Perry White in "". The show last for four seasons before ending in 1997. Smith's final film appearance was in "The Legend of Bagger Vance" in 2000.

Personal life

Smith was married twice. His first marriage was to writer Sydne MacCall. The couple had one son together: Robby Smith born on January 24, 1987. In 2000, he remarried to Ruth Benedict who had one son from a previous marriage.

Smith was previously in a relationship with actress Mariette Hartley before the two split. [http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/contributor/1800057812/bio]

Death

Smith was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's Disease in April 2005. He died of the disease at his home in Northridge, California on June 13, 2005. He was 69 years old.

Filmography

References

External links

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* [http://www.allmovie.com/cg/avg.dll?p=avg&sql=2:66475~C All Movie Guide article on Lane Smith]