Lane Smith

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, collaborator entrepreneur Nathan Bates in the 1984 NBC television series V, Mayor Bates in the film Red Dawn, Coach Jack Reilly in The Mighty Ducks, district attorney Jim Trotter 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.

Early life Lane 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.

Career 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.

Filmography

Film + Film Year Title Role Notes 1966 Unholy Matrimony Partygoer Uncredited 1970 Maidstone 1973 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 Officer Mackle 1978 Blue Collar Clarence Hill On the Yard Captain 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. Jack "Smilin' Jack" 1982 Frances Dr. Symington 1984 Purple Hearts Commander Markel Red Dawn Mayor Bates Places in the Heart Albert Denby 1986 Native Son Britton 1987 Weeds Claude Prison Warden Ethan 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 Dick Dodge 1993 Son in Law Walter Warner 1994 Stephen Hahn Ron Wilson 1996 Majoree's Husband Uncredited Why Do Fools Fall in Love Ezra Grahme Steve Shaw 1998 Getting Personal Dr. Maddie 2000 Thunderhead Grantland Rice

Television