- 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 Americanactor best known for his role asPerry White in the American television series "" and asRichard Nixon in "The Final Days", for which he received aGolden Globe award nomination.Biography
Early life
Lane Smith was born in
Memphis, Tennessee in 1936. He graduated fromThe Leelanau School , aboarding school inGlen 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 atThe Hill School inPottstown, Pennsylvania [http://www.thehill.org/home/news_item.asp?id=335&zzSec=school&newsArea=] before going off to study at theActors Studio in the late 1950s and early 1960s along withDustin Hoffman andAl 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 aDrama Desk Award .In 1990, he appeared in "Air America" playing a U.S. Senator. Two years later, he played a small-town
district attorney oppositeJoe 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 asPerry 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 onJune 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]
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