Walter Lane Smith III (April 29, 1936 â€" June 13, 2005) was an
American actor. His well-known roles included portraying newspaper
editor Perry White in the ABC series Lois & Clark: The New Adventures
of Superman, 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 and American President Richard Nixon in The Final Days,
for which he received a Golden Globe award nomination.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 going
off to study at the Actors Studio in the late 1950s and early 1960s
along with Dustin Hoffman and Al Pacino; there he was recognized with
their Hall of Fame. Smith served two years in the United States
Army.After his graduation, 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
great recognition for his portrayal of former Pres. Richard Nixon in
the docudrama The Final Days. Newsweek praised the performance by
stating, "[Smith] 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. 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.
American actor. His well-known roles included portraying newspaper
editor Perry White in the ABC series Lois & Clark: The New Adventures
of Superman, 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 and American President Richard Nixon in The Final Days,
for which he received a Golden Globe award nomination.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 going
off to study at the Actors Studio in the late 1950s and early 1960s
along with Dustin Hoffman and Al Pacino; there he was recognized with
their Hall of Fame. Smith served two years in the United States
Army.After his graduation, 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
great recognition for his portrayal of former Pres. Richard Nixon in
the docudrama The Final Days. Newsweek praised the performance by
stating, "[Smith] 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. 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.
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