Well, now, this sucks — I just learned that one of my favorite character actors, Lane Smith, has died.
He’s one of those guys whose name you probably don’t recognize, but you’d know his face instantly; he did a lot of movies in the ’70s and ’80s that qualify as minor classics, including Rooster Cogburn, Network, Prince of the City, Frances, Places in the Heart, and one of the most incredibly jingoistic and far-fetched (yet entertaining) movies to emerge from the Reagan Era, Red Dawn. More recently, he’s appeared in lighter fare such as My Cousin Vinny, The Mighty Ducks, and Son-in-Law, which has the dubious distinction of being the only Pauly Shore movie that is remotely watchable.
Fans of genre TV will remember Smith as Nathan Bates, the power-hungry industrialist who collaborated with the alien Visitors in V: The Series, as well as the Elvis-obsessed editor Perry White in Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman. Also, all the obituaries I’ve scanned note that Smith played Nixon in a TV miniseries called The Final Days, which I’m sorry to say I’ve never seen. (Personally, I tend to picture him in the opening credits of V, parked behind a big desk with an oily smile, an ugly suit, and a cigar the size of a car muffler.)
The best obituary I’ve found indicates that he died from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, better known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease. I mention this little factoid only because I’ve had some personal experience with ALS, and my ears tend to prick up when I hear of someone being afflicted with it. Trust me, it’s not a pretty way to go, and it breaks my heart that this talented man had to face such a miserable end.
For the record, he was 69 years old, only a few years older than my parents and way too damn young for this…
Yes, I know that guy. Until I read your blog, I didn’t know his name, but I did know his face. His most memorable role for me was his not-very-big but important role as the newscaster Emmett Seaborn in the series From the Earth to the Moon. He plays a character that is almost unheard of today–that of a newsman who actually knows about his subject–and who quickly becomes obsolete because he has a soul. I would highly recommend this episode–and the series in general–to all of you jasonbennionites out there.
Anyway, I was moved to hear of his passing and I am glad you brought this to my attention. But now I must go before I use any more emdashes.
Dave
I didn’t know Smith was in From the Earth to the Moon. One more reason I need to see that one…