Nathan Lane is a two-time Tony Award-winning American actor.
He is best known for his roles as Mendy in The Lisbon Traviata, Albert in The Birdcage,
Max Bialystock in the musical The Producers, Ernie Smuntz in MouseHunt, Nathan Detroit
in Guys and Dolls, Pseudolus in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, and his
voice work in The Lion King and Stuart Little.
In 2006 he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and in 2008 he was inducted
into the American Theatre Hall of Fame.
Early life Lane was born Joseph Lane in Jersey City,
New Jersey, to Irish-American Catholic parents Daniel and Nora Lane.
He was named after his uncle, a Jesuit priest.
Daniel was a truck driver and an aspiring tenor who died from alcoholism when Lane was
eleven.
Nora was a housewife and secretary who suffered from manic-depression, and died in 2000.
He has two older brothers, Daniel and Robert.
Lane attended Catholic schools in Jersey City, including Jesuit-run St. Peter's Preparatory
High School, where he was voted Best Actor in 1974, and years later received the 2011
Prep Hall of Fame Professional Achievement Award.
Career 1970s–1980s
Accepted to St. Joseph's College in Philadelphia on a drama scholarship, he was accompanied
on what was supposed to be his first day there by his older brother Dan.
Discovering that the scholarship would not cover enough of his expenses, he decided to
leave, and work for a year to earn some money.
"I remember him saying to me, 'College is for people who don't know what they want to
do,'" his brother said.
Because there already was a Joseph Lane registered with Actors Equity, he changed his name to
Nathan after the character Nathan Detroit from the musical Guys and Dolls.
He moved to New York City where, after a long struggle, his career began to take off, first
with some brief success in the world of stand-up comedy with partner, Patrick Stack, and later
with Off-Broadway productions at Second Stage Theatre, the Roundabout Theatre, the Manhattan
Theatre Club, and his 1982 Broadway debut in a revival of Noël Coward's Present Laughter
as Roland Maule with George C. Scott, Kate Burton, Dana Ivey, and Christine Lahti.
His second Broadway appearance was in the 1983 musical Merlin, starring Chita Rivera
and magician Doug Henning.
This was followed by Wind in the Willows as Mr. Toad, Some Americans Abroad at Lincoln
Center, and the national tour of Neil Simon's Broadway Bound.
1990s In 1991, Lane starred with George C. Scott
again in a revival of Paul Osborne's On Borrowed Time at the Circle in the Square Theatre on
Broadway.
In 1992, he starred in the hit revival of Guys and Dolls, receiving his first Tony nomination,
as well as Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards, playing the character who lent him
his name, opposite Peter Gallagher and Faith Prince.
His professional association with his close friend the playwright Terrence McNally includes
roles in The Lisbon Traviata, Bad Habits, Lips Together, Teeth Apart, Love!
Valour!
Compassion!, Dedication or the Stuff of Dreams, The Last Mile on PBS Great Performances, and
the film version of Frankie and Johnny.
The early 1990s began a stretch of successful Broadway shows for Lane.
In 1993, he portrayed Sid Caesar-like Max Prince in Neil Simon's Laughter on the 23rd
Floor, inspired by Simon's early career writing sketches for Your Show of Shows.
In 1996, he starred in the hit revival of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum,
for which he won the Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards.
His association with Sondheim began with the workshop of Assassins, and after Forum he
appeared with Victor Garber in the workshop of Wise Guys.
Their collaboration continued when he revised the original book for and starred in the Broadway
debut of the composer's The Frogs at Lincoln Center in 2004.
He also sang a song written especially for him by Sondheim in the film The Birdcage,
for which he received his first Golden Globe nomination.
In addition to the McNally plays, Lane has appeared in numerous other Off Broadway productions,
including Love, Measure for Measure directed by Joseph Papp in Central Park, for which
he received the St. Clair Bayfield Award, The Common Pursuit, The Film Society, Mizlansky/Zilinsky
or Schmucks, In a Pig's Valise, Trumbo, She Stoops to Conquer, The Merry Wives of Windsor
and A Midsummer Night's Dream.
In fact, in 1992 he won an Obie Award for Sustained Excellence of Performance.
He has also appeared at the Williamstown Theatre Festival in The School for Scandal and John
Guare's Moon Over Miami.
In 1994, Lane voiced Timon, the meerkat, in Disney's blockbuster animated film The Lion
King.
In 1995 performed The Wizard of Oz in Concert at Lincoln Center to benefit the Children's
Defense Fund.
The performance was originally broadcast on Turner Network Television.
2000s Lane won his second Tony Award for his portrayal
of Max Bialystock in the blockbuster musical version of Mel Brooks's The Producers, as
well as Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards.
He later replaced Richard Dreyfuss in the role in 2004 at London's Theatre Royal Drury
Lane at the last minute, and went on to win the Olivier Award as Best Actor in a Musical.
He recreated his performance for the film version, for which he received his second
Golden Globe nomination for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture, Musical or
Comedy.
Lane has performed two roles originated by Zero Mostel, Pseudolus in A Funny Thing Happened
on the Way to the Forum and Max Bialystock in The Producers.
He declined the role of Tevye in the 2004 Broadway revival of Fiddler on the Roof because
he didn't want to be seen as always following in Mostel's footsteps.
Coincidentally, both of Lane's Tony Awards were for Mostel's roles.
In 2000, he starred in the Roundabout revival of The Man Who Came to Dinner as Sheridan
Whiteside, with Jean Smart and Harriet Harris.
Prior to that he starred in the Encores!
production of Do Re Mi.
In 2005, Lane rejoined his Producers co-star Matthew Broderick for a successful limited
run of The Odd Couple.
In 2006, he took on a primarily dramatic role in a revival of Simon Gray's Butley, having
played the role to great success at The Huntington Theater in Boston in 2003.
He and Broderick were awarded adjacent stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in a joint ceremony
on January 9, 2006.
They were also immortalized as Max and Leo at Madame Tussauds Wax Museum.
He then played the President of the United States in the David Mamet political satire,
November, directed by Joe Mantello, followed by the critically acclaimed revival of Waiting
for Godot as Estragon with Bill Irwin as Vladimir.
He next starred in the musical version of The Addams Family as Gomez.
In 2008, he was inducted into the American Theatre Hall of Fame.
2010s Lane committed to starring in a revival of
the Eugene O'Neill play The Iceman Cometh at Chicago's Goodman Theatre in 2012.
Lane assumed the role of Hickey, with Brian Dennehy playing the role of Larry Slade.
The production was directed by the Artistic Director of the Goodman Theatre Robert Falls.
It received rave reviews, and became the most successful show in the history of the Goodman.
It also won six Jeff Awards, including Best Ensemble, Director, and Production.
In the spring of 2013, he returned to Broadway in The Nance, a new play by Douglas Carter
Beane; a Lincoln Center production directed by Jack O'Brien.
He received Tony and Drama Desk Award nominations, and won the Outer Critics Circle Award and
the 2013 Drama League Award for Distinguished Performance.
In autumn 2014 he will be part of an all-star ensemble for Terrence McNally's revised and
updated It's Only A Play, with F. Murray Abraham, Matthew Broderick, Stockard Channing, Rupert
Grint, Megan Mullally, and Micah Stock; in February 2015 he will reprise the role of
"Hickey" in the Robert Falls production of The Iceman Cometh at BAM.
Personal life A reporter for Us Weekly once asked Lane if
he was gay; he replied, "I'm 40, single and work a lot in the musical theater.
You do the math."
When at age 21 he told his mother he was gay, she replied, "I would rather you were dead,"
to which he replied, "I knew you'd understand."
Lane, who came out officially after the death of Matthew Shepard, has been a long-time board
member of and fundraiser for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, and has been honored by the Human
Rights Campaign, Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, and The Trevor Project for his
work in the LGBT community.
Lane resides in New York City with long-time partner Devlin Elliott.
Awards and nominations Television
He has received three Daytime Emmy nominations for George and Martha, Timon and Pumbaa and
Teacher's Pet, and won two Daytime Emmy Awards, in 1995 for Disney's Timon and Pumbaa and
in 2000 for Disney's Teacher's Pet.
He has also received six Primetime Emmy Award nominations for guest appearances on Frasier,
Mad About You, Modern Family, and The Good Wife.
In 1999 he won the People's Choice Award for Favorite Male Performer in a New TV Series.
Film 1997 Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding
Performance by a Cast – The Birdcage 1996 American Comedy Award for Funniest Actor
in a Motion Picture – The Birdcage 2002 National Board of Review Award for Best
Ensemble Performance – Nicholas Nickleby Nominations
1996 American Comedy Award for Funniest Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture – Jeffrey
1997 MTV Movie Award for Best On-Screen Duo – The Birdcage
1997 Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture, Musical or
Comedy – The Birdcage 1997 Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding
Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role – The Birdcage
2006 Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical
or Comedy – The Producers Theatre
1986 St. Clair Bayfield Award for Shakespearean Performance – Measure for Measure
1990 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Play, Lucille Lortel Award, Los Angeles
Critics Circle Award – The Lisbon Traviata 1992 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor
in a Musical – Guys and Dolls 1992 Obie Award for Sustained Excellence of
Performance 1995 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured
Actor in a Play – Love!
Valour!
Compassion!
1995 Obie Award for Ensemble Acting – Love!
Valour!
Compassion!
1996 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Musical – A Funny Thing Happened on
the Way to the Forum 1996 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical
– A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
2001 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Musical – The Producers
2001 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical – The Producers
2005 Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical – The Producers
2013 Drama League Award for Distinguished Performance - The Nance * 2013 The Joan and
Joseph F. Cullman Award for Extraordinary Creativity - The Nance
Nominations 1983 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured
Actor in a Play – Present Laughter 1990 Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Performance
by a Leading Actor in a Play – The Lisbon Traviata
1992 Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical – Guys and Dolls
2006 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Play – Dedication or the Stuff of Dreams
2009 Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play – Waiting For
Godot 2010 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor
in a Musical – The Addams Family 2010 Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Performance
by a Leading Actor in a Musical – The Addams Family
2013 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Play - The Nance
2013 Tony Award for Leading Actor in a Play - The Nance
Also the winner of 5 Outer Critics Circle Awards for Guys and Dolls, Love!
Valour!
Compassion!, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, The Producers, and The Nance,
and two GQ Man Of The Year Awards for Theater in 1997 and 2000
Other 2002 GLAAD Media Awards Vito Russo Award * 2003
Hollywood Bowl Hall of Fame 2006 American Theatre Wing Honor for his commitment
to and achievement in theatre 2006 Hollywood Walk of Fame Star
2007 The Trevor Project Hero Award 2007 Human Rights Campaign Equality Award
* 2009 The Barrow Group Sustained Excellence in Theater Award
2010 The Drama League – Distinguished Achievement in Musical Theater
2010 National Corporate Theatre Fund – Theatre Artist Award
2012 COAF Humanitarian Award * 2012 Tribute Award from League of Chicago Theaters
2013 Guild Hall Lifetime Achievement Award For the Performing Arts
2014 Sir Peter Ustinov Comedy Award - Banff Media Festival
Work Television
His television credits include One of the Boys with Mickey Rooney and Dana Carvey, The
Days and Nights of Molly Dodd, the title role in The Man Who Came to Dinner, broadcast live
on P.B.S., and the voices of the title characters in two Disney animated series, Teacher's Pet
and Timon & Pumbaa, and George and Martha for HBO.
He has also made guest appearances on Miami Vice, Mad About You, Sex and the City, Frasier,
Curb Your Enthusiasm, Absolutely Fabulous, and 30 Rock, as well as recurring characters
on Modern Family and The Good Wife.
He has hosted Saturday Night Live, The Tony Awards, and appeared on Great Performances.
He has starred in two television films, The Boys Next Door and Laughter on the 23rd Floor.
With the Boston Pops, he performed a tribute concert of Danny Kaye material, as well as
appearing in the Harry Connick Christmas Special; Merry Christmas, George Bailey; The Wizard
of Oz in Concert; and A Muppet Christmas: Letters to Santa.
His attempts at a regular series of his own, Encore!
Encore! and Charlie Lawrence, were ratings disappointments.
Filmography Film
Theater A Midsummer Night's Dream as Francis Flute
Present Laughter as Roland Maule Merlin as Prince Fergus
Love as Harry Berlin She Stoops to Conquer as Tony Lumpkin
Measure for Measure as Pompey Wind in the Willows as Toad
The Common Pursuit as Nick Finchling Claptrap as Harvey Wheatcraft
Broadway Bound as Stanley The Film Society as Jonathan Balton
In a Pig's Valise as James Taxi The Lisbon Traviata as Mendy
Assassins as Sam Byck Bad Habits Jason Pepper, M.D./Hugh Gumbs
Some Americans Abroad as Henry McNeil Lips Together, Teeth Apart as Sam Truman
On Borrowed Time as Mr. Brink Guys and Dolls as Nathan Detroit
Laughter on the 23rd Floor as Max Prince Love!
Valour!
Compassion!
as Buzz Hauser A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
as Pseudolus Angela Lansbury: A Celebration as Host
Mizlansky/Zilinsky or "Schmucks" as Davis Mizlansky
Do Re Mi as Hubert Cram Wise Guys as Addison Mizner
The Frogs as Dionysus The Man Who Came to Dinner as Sheridan Whiteside
The Producers as Max Bialystock The Play What I Wrote as Mystery Guest Star
Trumbo: Red White and Blacklisted as Dalton Trumbo
Butley as Ben Butley The Frogs as Dionysus
The Producers as Max Bialystock Dedication or the Stuff of Dreams as Lou Nuncle
Catch Me If You Can as Hanratty The Odd Couple as Oscar Madison
Catch Me If You Can as Hanratty Butley as Ben Butley
Catch Me If You Can as Hanratty November as Charles Smith
Waiting for Godot as Estragon The Addams Family as Gomez Addams
The Iceman Cometh as Theodore "Hickey" Hickman The Nance as Chauncey Miles
It's Only A Play as Jimmy Wicker Other
Presented Mike Birbiglia's Off-Broadway show Sleepwalk With Me.
Lane provided the voice of Tom Morrow, the Audio-Animatronic host of Disneyland's Innoventions
attraction.
References
External links Nathan Lane at DMOZ
Nathan Lane at the Internet Broadway Database Nathan Lane at the Internet Movie Database
Nathan Lane at the Internet Off-Broadway Database Lane interview, 2004, The Guardian