Diane Lane

Diane Lane

Lane at the Screen Actors Guild Awards (2009)
Born January 22, 1965 (1965-01-22) (age 46)
New York City, New York, United States
Occupation Actress
Years active 1979–present
Spouse Christopher Lambert (1988–1994) (divorced) 1 child
Josh Brolin (2004–present)
Website
http://www.dianelane.com/

Diane Lane (born January 22, 1965) is an American film actress born and raised in New York City. Lane made her screen debut in George Roy Hill's 1979 film A Little Romance, starring opposite Sir Laurence Olivier. Soon after, she was featured on the cover of Time.

Lane has had a movie career spanning across three decades and has appeared in several notable films, including Unfaithful in 2002, which earned her Academy Award, Golden Globes and Screen Actors Guild Award nominations. Lane is also well known for her 2003 film Under the Tuscan Sun.

She was married to Christopher Lambert, and they had a daughter, Eleanor Jasmine Lambert. The couple were divorced following a prolonged separation in 1994, and she married actor Josh Brolin on August 15, 2004.

Contents

Early life

Lane was born in New York City. Her mother, Colleen Farrington, was a nightclub singer and Playboy centerfold (Miss October 1957), who was also known as "Colleen Price." Her father, Burton Eugene Lane, was a Manhattan drama coach who ran an acting workshop with John Cassavetes, worked as a cab driver, and later taught humanities at City College.[1] When Lane was 13 months old, her parents split up. Her mother went to Mexico and obtained a divorce while retaining custody of her daughter until the child was six.[1] Her father got custody of her after Farrington moved to Georgia. Lane and her father lived in a number of residential hotels in New York City and she would ride with him in his taxi.[2]

When Lane was 15 years old, she declared her independence from her father and ran away to Los Angeles for a week with actor and friend Christopher Atkins. Lane later remarked, "It was reckless behavior that comes from having too much independence too young."[2] She came back and moved in with a friend's family, paying them rent. In 1981, she enrolled in high school after taking correspondence courses. However, Lane's mother kidnapped her and took the teenager back to Georgia. Lane and her father challenged her mother in court and six weeks later she was back in New York. Lane did not speak to her mother for three years but they have since reconciled.[2]

Career

Lane at the 41st Emmy Awards on September 17, 1989.

Lane's maternal grandmother, Eleanor Scott, was a thrice-married Pentecostal preacher of the Apostolic denomination, and Lane was influenced by the theatrical quality of her grandmother's sermons.[3][4] Lane began acting professionally at the age of six at the La MaMa Experimental Theater Club in New York, where she appeared in an production of Medea. At 12 she had a role in Joseph Papp's production of The Cherry Orchard with Meryl Streep.[1] Also at this time, Lane was enrolled in an accelerated program at Hunter College High School and was put on notice when her grades suffered from her busy schedule.[1] At 13 years old, she turned down a role in Runaways on Broadway to make her feature film debut opposite Laurence Olivier in A Little Romance.[2] Lane won high praise from Olivier who declared her 'The New Grace Kelly'.[5] At the same time Lane was featured on the cover of Time, which declared her one of Hollywood's "Whiz Kids."[6][7]

In the early 1980s, Lane made a successful transition from child actor to adult roles. Her breakout performances came with back-to-back adaptations of young adult novels by S.E. Hinton, adapted and directed by Francis Ford Coppola: The Outsiders in 1982 and Rumble Fish in 1983. Both films also featured memorable performances from a number of young male actors who would go on to become leading men in the next decade (as well as members of the so-called ""Brat Pack""), including Tom Cruise, Rob Lowe, C. Thomas Howell, Emilio Estevez, Patrick Swayze, Mickey Rourke, Nicolas Cage, and Matt Dillon.[1] Lane's distinction among these heavily male casts advanced her career while affiliating her with this young generation of male actors. Andy Warhol proclaimed her, "the undisputed female lead of Hollywood's new rat pack."[8]

However, the two films that could have catapulted her to star status, Streets of Fire (she turned down Splash and Risky Business for this film)[5][9] and The Cotton Club, were both commercial and critical failures, and her career languished as a result.[1] After The Cotton Club, Lane dropped out of the movie business and lived with her mother in Georgia.[10] According to the actress, "I hadn't been close to my mom for a long time, so we had a lot of homework to do. We had to repair our relationship because I wanted my mother back".[11]

Lane returned to the business to make The Big Town and Lady Beware, but it was not until 1989's popular and critically acclaimed TV mini-series Lonesome Dove that Lane made another big impression on a sizable audience.[10] She was nominated for an Emmy Award for the role. She also enjoyed positive reviews for her performance in the independent film My New Gun, which was well received at the Cannes Film Festival. She went on to appear as actress Paulette Goddard in Sir Richard Attenborough's big-budget biopic of Charles Chaplin, Chaplin.[8]

Lane won further praise for her role in 1999's A Walk on the Moon, opposite Viggo Mortensen. One reviewer wrote, "Lane, after years in post-teenaged-career limbo, is meltingly effective."[12] The film's director Tony Goldwyn and producer Dustin Hoffman wanted Lane for the role of housewife Pearl even though she did not look or sound Jewish. Goldwyn said of the actress, "There's also this potentially volcanic sexuality that is in no way self-conscious or opportunistic. I thought all those things mattered more than her looking Jewish."[13] Lane earned an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Female Lead. At this time, she was interested in making a film about actress Jean Seberg in which she would play Seberg.[14]

In 2002, Lane starred in Unfaithful, a drama film directed by Adrian Lyne adapted from the French film The Unfaithful Wife. Lane played a housewife who indulges in an adulterous fling with a mysterious book dealer. The film featured several sex scenes. Lyne's repeated takes for these scenes were very demanding for the actors involved, especially for Lane, who had to be emotionally and physically fit for the duration.[15] Unfaithful received mostly mixed to negative reviews, though Lane earned widespread praise for her performance. Entertainment Weekly critic Owen Gleiberman said, "Lane, in the most urgent performance of her career, is a revelation. The play of lust, romance, degradation, and guilt on her face is the movie's real story".[16] She followed that film up with Under the Tuscan Sun, based on the best-selling book by Frances Mayes.

Lane, in 2008, reunited with Richard Gere for the movie Nights in Rodanthe. It is the third movie Gere and Lane filmed together. The film is based on the novel of the same title by Nicholas Sparks. Lane also starred in Jumper, and Untraceable in the same year. Her latest film is Killshot with Mickey Rourke, which was given a limited theatrical release before being released on DVD in 2009.

In 2008, Lane expressed frustration with being typecast and is "gunning for something that's not so sympathetic. I need to be a bitch, and I need to be in a comedy. I've decided. No more Miss Nice Guy".[17] The actress has even contemplated quitting acting and spending more time with her family if she is unable to get these kinds of roles. She said in an interview, "I can't do anything official. My agents won't let me. Between you and me, I don't have anything else coming out".[17]

In 2009, it was announced that Lane will star in Secretariat, a Disney film about the relationship between the 1973 Triple Crown-winning racehorse and his owner, Penny Chenery, whom the actress will be portraying.[18]

Awards

Four days before the New York Film Critics Circle's vote in 2002, Lane was given a career tribute by the Film Society of Lincoln Center. A day before that, Lyne held a dinner for the actress at the Four Seasons Hotel. Critics and award voters were invited to both.[19] She went on to win the National Society of Film Critics, the New York Film Critics Circle awards and was nominated for a Golden Globe and an Academy Award for Best Actress. In 2003, she was named ShoWest's 2003 Female Star of the Year.[20]

Lane ranked at #79 on VH1's 100 Greatest Kid Stars. She was ranked #45 on AskMen.com's Top 99 Most Desirable Women in 2005,[21] #85 in 2006[22] and #98 in 2007.[23]

Personal life

Lane with husband Josh Brolin in December 2009.

In the early 1980s, Lane dated actors Timothy Hutton, Christopher Atkins, Matt Dillon, and later rock star Jon Bon Jovi.[1] Lane met actor Christopher Lambert in Paris while promoting The Cotton Club in 1984.[2] They had a brief affair and split up. They met again two years later in Rome to make a film together, entitled After the Rain, and in two weeks they were a couple again. Lane and Lambert married in October 1988 in Santa Fe, New Mexico.[2] They had a daughter, Eleanor Jasmine Lambert (born September 5, 1993), and were divorced following a prolonged separation in 1994.[24] While making Judge Dredd in 1995, Lane began dating the film's director, Danny Cannon.[25]

Lane became engaged to actor Josh Brolin in July 2003[26] and they were married on August 15, 2004.[27] On December 20 of that year, she called police after an altercation with him, and he was arrested on a misdemeanor charge of domestic battery. Lane declined to press charges, however, and the couple's spokesperson described the incident as a "misunderstanding".[28]

Filmography

Year Film Role Other notes
1979 A Little Romance Lauren King
1980 Touched by Love Karen aka To Elvis, with Love
1981 Great Performances Charity Royall TV (1 episode)
Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains Corinne Burns
Cattle Annie and Little Britches Jenny (Little Britches)
Child Bride of Short Creek Jessica Rae Jacobs TV
1982 National Lampoon Goes to the Movies Liza
Six Pack Breezy
Miss All-American Beauty Sally Butterfield TV
1983 The Outsiders Sherri 'Cherry' Valance
Rumble Fish Patty
1984 Streets of Fire Ellen Aim
The Cotton Club Vera Cicero
1987 Lady Beware Katya Yarno
The Big Town Lorry Dane
1988 Priceless Beauty China
Lonesome Dove Lorena Wood TV miniseries
1990 Vital Signs Gina Wyler
Descending Angel Irina Stroia TV
1992 Knight Moves Kathy Sheppard
My New Gun Debbie Bender
The Setting Sun Cho Renko
Chaplin Paulette Goddard
1993 Indian Summer Jahnvi
Fallen Angels Bernette Stone TV (1 episode)
1994 Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All Lucy Honicut Marsden TV
1995 A Streetcar Named Desire Stella TV
Judge Dredd Judge Hershey
1996 Wild Bill Susannah Moore
Jack Karen Powell
Mad Dog Time Grace Everly aka Trigger Happy (UK)
1997 The Only Thrill Katherine Fitzsimmons
Murder at 1600 Agent Nina Chance
1998 Gunshy Melissa
Grace & Glorie Gloria TV
1999 A Walk on the Moon Pearl Kantrowitz Nominated — Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead
Nominated — Las Vegas Film Critics Society Award for Best Actress
2000 My Dog Skip Ellen Morris
The Virginian Molly Stark TV
The Perfect Storm Christina Cotter
2001 Hardball Elizabeth Wilkes
The Glass House Erin Glass
2002 Unfaithful Connie Sumner National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actress
New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress
Satellite Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture Drama
Nominated — Academy Award for Best Actress
Nominated — Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress
Nominated — Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress
Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture Drama
Nominated — Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Actress
Nominated — Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Actress
Nominated — Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Actress - Motion Picture
2003 Under the Tuscan Sun Frances Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
Nominated — Satellite Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
2005 Fierce People Liz Earl
Must Love Dogs Sarah Nolan
2006 Hollywoodland Toni Mannix
2008 Untraceable Jennifer Marsh
Jumper Mary Rice
Nights in Rodanthe Adrienne Willis
2009 Killshot Carmen Colson
2010 Secretariat Penny Chenery

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Sager, Mike (2000-06-01). "The Happy Life of Diane Lane". Esquire. http://www.esquire.com/happy-life-diane-lane-0600. Retrieved 2008-05-02. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Dougherty, Margot; David Hutchings (1989-02-13). "Diane Lane, with a New Husband and No Fear of Flying, Takes Wing Again in Lonesome Dove". People. http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20119558,00.html. Retrieved 2008-05-01. 
  3. ↑ "Diane Lane". Inside the Actors Studio. Bravo. 2004-02-06. No. 9, season 10.
  4. ↑ Cagle, Jess (2002-05-19). "Diane Lane Gets Lucky". Time. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,238601,00.html. Retrieved 2008-05-01. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Bhattacharya, Sanjiv (2002-05-26). "Memory Lane". The Guardian. http://film.guardian.co.uk/interview/interviewpages/0,6737,722253,00.html. Retrieved 2008-05-02. 
  6. ↑ "Cover of Time Magazine". Time. 1979-08-13. http://www.time.com/time/covers/0,16641,19790813,00.html. Retrieved 2008-05-01. 
  7. ↑ Skow, John (1979-08-13). "Hollywood's Whiz Kids". Time. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,948564,00.html. Retrieved 2008-05-01. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Williamson, K (1993-01-02). "Child Star Lane Makes a Comeback — at 28!". Herald Sun. 
  9. ↑ Saroyan, Strawberry (2008-10-05). "Diane Lane: a fortysomething sex symbol". Daily Telegraph. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2008/10/05/st_dianelane.xml. Retrieved 2008-10-06. 
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Wolk, Josh (2002-05-24). "Meet Unfaithfuls Diane Lane". Entertainment Weekly. http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,238385~1~0~,00.html. Retrieved 2008-05-02. 
  11. ↑ Kleinedler, Clare (2003). "That Exposed Feeling". Los Angeles Times. http://www.clareiswriting.com/article_film_dianelane.php. Retrieved 2010-04-22. 
  12. ↑ Lacey, Liam (1999-04-09). "A Walk on the Moon". Globe and Mail. 
  13. ↑ Arnold, Gary (1999-04-02). "Moon finally shines". Washington Times. 
  14. ↑ Braun, Liz (1999-04-11). "Looking for Lane Change". Toronto Sun. 
  15. ↑ Kobel, Peter (2002-05-05). "Smoke to Go With the Steam". New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B04EFD91731F936A35756C0A9649C8B63&scp=1&sq=%22Smoke+to+Go+With+the+Steam%22&st=nyt. Retrieved 2008-06-19. 
  16. ↑ Gleiberman, Owen (2002-05-05). "Unfaithful". Entertainment Weekly. http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,237208,00.html. Retrieved 2008-06-19. 
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 "Lane Contemplates Quitting Acting". Showbiz Spy. 2008-09-23. http://www.showbizspy.com/article/Lane-Contemplates-Quitting-Acting/172998. Retrieved 2008-09-25. 
  18. ↑ Fleming, Michael (2009-06-10). "Diane Lane takes reins of Secretariat". Variety. http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118004795.html?categoryId=13&cs=1. Retrieved 2009-06-11. 
  19. ↑ Bowles, Scott (2003-01-15). "Studio keeps Unfaithful out in open". USA Today. http://www.usatoday.com/life/music/news/2003-01-15-unfaithful_x.htm?loc=interstitialskip. Retrieved 2008-06-19. 
  20. ↑ Garvey, Spencer (2003-01-30). "ShoWest Salutes Diane Lane". FilmStew.com. http://www.filmstew.com/ShowArticle.aspx?ContentID=5094. Retrieved 2008-04-24. 
  21. ↑ "Top 99 Most Desirable Women - 2005". AskMen.com. 2005. http://www.askmen.com/specials/2005_top_99/45.html. Retrieved 2008-04-24. 
  22. ↑ "Top 99 Most Desirable Women - 2006". AskMen.com. 2006. http://www.askmen.com/specials/2006_top_99/diane-lane-85.html. Retrieved 2008-04-24. 
  23. ↑ "Top 99 Most Desirable Women - 2007". AskMen.com. 2007. http://www.askmen.com/specials/2007_top_99/98/diane-lane/picture-1.html. Retrieved 2008-04-24. 
  24. ↑ Spines, Christine (May 2005). "Diane on Top". Red. 
  25. ↑ Pratt, Steve (1995-07-22). "In Love with a Lady Judge". The Northern Echo. 
  26. ↑ Eimer, David (2004-03-14). "Diane Lane". The Times (London). http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/film/article1044436.ece. Retrieved 2008-05-02. 
  27. ↑ Schneller, Johanna (January 2005). "Changing Lane". In Style. 
  28. ↑ Rush, George (2004-12-20). "Lane calls cops & hubby's arrested". New York Daily News. http://web.archive.org/web/20041229225352/http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime_file/story/263757p-225852c.html. Retrieved 2008-05-05. 

Further reading

External links