Lane Smith 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.
12 Facts About Lane Smith
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In 1981, Lane Smith appeared in the Sidney Lumet-directed film Prince of the City.
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Lane Smith 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, Jose Ferrer and John Houseman.
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Lane Smith is credited for playing McMurphy 650 times in the 1971 Off-Broadway revival of One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest.
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In 1989, Lane Smith gained recognition for his portrayal of Richard Nixon in the docudrama The Final Days.
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Lane Smith appeared in the original Broadway stage production of David Mamet's Glengarry Glen Ross as James Lingk.
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Lane Smith received a Drama Desk Award for his performance.
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In 1990, Lane Smith appeared in Air America playing a United States Senator, a role for which he was selected based on his resemblance to then-Minority Leader Bob Dole.
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In 1998, Lane Smith appeared in a major role as fictional television anchorman Emmett Seaborn in the HBO miniseries From The Earth to the Moon.
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Lane Smith was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in April 2004.
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Lane Smith died of the disease at home in the Northridge neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, on June 13,2005, aged 69.
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Lane Smith was survived by his wife, Debbie Benedict Smith, and his son Robert Smith.