Walter Lane Smith III, known as Lane Smith (April 29, 1936 – June 13, 2005), was an American actor. Some of his well known roles included portraying collaborator entrepreneur Nathan Bates in the NBC television series V, Mayor Bates in the film Red Dawn, newspaper editor Perry White in the ABC series Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, Coach Jack Reilly in The Mighty Ducks, district attorney Jim Trotter III in My Cousin Vinny and American President Richard Nixon in The Final Days, for which he received a Golden Globe award nomination.
It's an actor's dream to play something like this. I consider this my masterwork...Playing Nixon gave me tremendous recognition. I'd long been known in the business, but it pulled everything together. Finally people could put the name Lane Smith with my face.
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Fact
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Appeared in two films that were nominated for the Best Picture Oscar: Network (1976) and Places in the Heart (1984).
Suffered from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig's disease) in later years.
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Earned a Drama Desk Award for his role in the Broadway play "Glengarry Glen Ross" in 1984.
7
Studied drama for two years at what is now named Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh but dropped out for a two-year hitch with the Army.
8
Won critical praise and earned a Golden Globe nomination for his portrayal of a disgraced Richard Nixon in The Final Days (1989). Ardent supporters of Nixon thought that the TV docudrama was a smear campaign, while his worst critics thought that it was far too sympathetic.
9
An alumnus of the Actors Studio, he appeared on the stage in such plays as the original production of David Mamet's play, "Glengarry Glen Ross", and in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.
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He was survived by his wife, Debbie Benedict; their son Robbie, then 18; a 19-year-old stepson; a son from a previous marriage, Lane Smith Jr.; a brother, and a sister.
Actor
Title
Year
Status
Character
Well Received the Death of an Artist
2012
Out of Order
2003
TV Mini-Series
Frank
Judging Amy
2002
TV Series
Mr. Radford
The Practice
2001
TV Series
Judge H. Finkel
WW 3
2001
TV Movie
John Sullivan
DAG
2001
TV Series
Agent Baxter
The Caprice
2000
The Legend of Bagger Vance
2000
Grantland Rice
Bull
2000
TV Series
Russell Dantly
King of the Hill
2000
TV Series
Nate Hashaway / Charlie Fortner
Inherit the Wind
1999
TV Movie
Reverend Jeremiah Brown
Walker, Texas Ranger
1999
TV Series
Reverend Thornton Powers
The Hi-Lo Country
1998
Steve Shaw
Legacy
1998
TV Series
Why Do Fools Fall in Love
1998
Ezra Grahme
Getting Personal
1998
Dr. Maddie
From the Earth to the Moon
1998
TV Mini-Series
Emmett Seaborn
The Outer Limits
1998
TV Series
Dr. Malcolm Boussard
Alien Nation: The Udara Legacy
1997
TV Movie
Senator Silverthorne
Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman
1993-1997
TV Series
Perry White
Clueless
1996
TV Series
Dan Hafner
The War at Home
1996
uncredited
Dweebs
1995
TV Series
Colonel Whitmore
The Spy Within
1995
Stephen Hahn
The Scout
1994
Ron Wilson
Murphy Brown
1994
TV Series
Danger Duke
Son in Law
1993
Walter Warner
The Distinguished Gentleman
1992
Dick Dodge
The Mighty Ducks
1992
Coach Reilly
Duplicates
1992
TV Movie
Mr. Fryman
My Cousin Vinny
1992
Jim Trotter III
False Arrest
1991
TV Movie
Martin Busey
Good & Evil
1991
TV Series
Harlan Shell
Good Sports
1991
TV Series
R.J. Rappaport
Blind Vengeance
1990
TV Movie
Col. Blanchard
Air America
1990
Senator Davenport
Challenger
1990
TV Movie
Larry Mulloy
Race for Glory
1989
Joe Gifford
The Final Days
1989
TV Movie
Richard Nixon
Night Game
1989
Witty
Murder, She Wrote
1989
TV Series
Pol. Chief Miles Underwood
Jake's Journey
1988
TV Movie
Father
Killer Instinct
1988
TV Movie
Dr. Butler
In the Heat of the Night
1988
TV Series
Sonny Mims
Prison
1987
Sharpe
Weeds
1987
Claude
A Place to Call Home
1987
TV Movie
Sam
Native Son
1986
Britton
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
1986
TV Series
Robert Warren
If Tomorrow Comes
1986
TV Mini-Series
Warden Brannigan
The Twilight Zone
1986
TV Series
Prof. Joseph Fitzgerald (segment "Profile in Silver")
Amazing Stories
1986
TV Series
Dr. Caruso
Dress Gray
1986
TV Mini-Series
Col. King
Kay O'Brien
1986
TV Series
Doctor Robert Moffitt
Terror at London Bridge
1985
TV Movie
Anson Whitfield
Beverly Hills Cowgirl Blues
1985
TV Movie
Captain Max Rosenberg
Hollywood Beat
1985
TV Series
Wes Biddles
MacGruder and Loud
1985
TV Series
Richard
Hill Street Blues
1985
TV Series
Mike
V
1984-1985
TV Series
Nathan Bates
Places in the Heart
1984
Albert Denby
Red Dawn
1984
Mayor Bates
Purple Hearts
1984
Cmdr. Markel
Something About Amelia
1984
TV Movie
Officer Dealy
The American Snitch
1983
Chuck Maxwell
Chiefs
1983
TV Mini-Series
Hoss Spence
Special Bulletin
1983
TV Movie
Morton Sanders
The Member of the Wedding
1982
TV Movie
Mr. Addams
Frances
1982
Dr. Symington
Quincy M.E.
1982
TV Series
Dr. Paul Flynn
Chicago Story
1982
TV Series
Miller
Lou Grant
1982
TV Series
Dr. Lawrence
Thou Shalt Not Kill
1982
TV Movie
Clarence Blake
Hart to Hart
1982
TV Series
Roy Hamlin
Prime Suspect
1982
TV Movie
Tom Keating
Dark Night of the Scarecrow
1981
TV Movie
Harless Hocker
Dallas
1981
TV Series
Prosecutor Ward
Soggy Bottom, U.S.A.
1981
Smilin' Jack
Prince of the City
1981
U.S. Marshal Tug Barnes
Mark, I Love You
1980
TV Movie
Don Payer
The Georgia Peaches
1980
TV Movie
Randolph Dukane
Resurrection
1980
Don
Honeysuckle Rose
1980
Brag--Cotton's Manager
On the Nickel
1980
Preacher
Gideon's Trumpet
1980
TV Movie
Fred Turner
City in Fear
1980
TV Movie
Brian
A Rumor of War
1980
TV Mini-Series
Sgt. Willliam Holgren
Disaster on the Coastliner
1979
TV Movie
John Carlson
The Solitary Man
1979
TV Movie
Jack Collins
Over the Edge
1979
Sloan
The Rockford Files
1975-1979
TV Series
CIA Agent Donnegan / Willett
Having Babies
1979
TV Series
Ken
Crash
1978
TV Movie
On the Yard
1978
Blake
A Death in Canaan
1978
TV Movie
Bob Hartman
Blue Collar
1978
Clarence Hill
The Court-Martial of George Armstrong Custer
1977
TV Movie
The Bad News Bears in Breaking Training
1977
Officer Mackie
Between the Lines
1977
Roy Walsh
The Displaced Person
1977
TV Movie
Mr. Shortley
Network
1976
Robert McDonough
Everybody Rides the Carousel
1975
Stage 1 (voice)
Valley Forge
1975
TV Movie
Spad
Rooster Cogburn
1975
Leroy
Kojak
1975
TV Series
Clyde Regan
Man on a Swing
1974
Ted Ronan
Cops and Robbers
1973
Perpetrator
The Last American Hero
1973
Rick Penny
Maidstone
1970
Unholy Matrimony
1966
Partygoer (uncredited)
Soundtrack
Title
Year
Status
Character
Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman
1993-1994
TV Series performer - 2 episodes
Self
Title
Year
Status
Character
E! True Hollywood Story
2001
TV Series documentary
Himself
Late Night with Conan O'Brien
1996
TV Series
Himself
Archive Footage
Title
Year
Status
Character
E! True Hollywood Story
2009
TV Series documentary
Himself
Prince of the City: The Real Story
2007
Video documentary short
Tug Barnes
12th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards
2006
TV Special
Himself - In Memoriam
From Rivals to Romance: The Making of Lois and Clark
2005
Video short
Perry White (uncredited)
Nominated Awards
Year
Award
Ceremony
Nomination
Movie
1990
Golden Globe
Golden Globes, USA
Best Performance by an Actor in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television