Lane Smith

Born: 1936-04-29

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; he was recognized in their Hall of Fame. Smith served two years in the United States Army. After graduating, 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 recognition for his portrayal of Richard Nixon in the docudrama The Final Days. Newsweek praised the performance, writing, "Smith] is such a good Nixon that his despair and sorrow at his predicament become simply overwhelming." Smith 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. He received a Drama Desk Award for his performance. In 1990, 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. Two years later, he played a small-town district attorney opposite Joe Pesci in My Cousin Vinny, followed by a role as Coach Jack Reilly in The Mighty Ducks. In 1993 Smith landed the role of Perry White in Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, which he played for four seasons until 1997. In 1994, he portrayed New York Yankees front officeman Ron in The Scout, alongside Albert Brooks and Brendan Fraser. In 1998, Smith appeared in a major role as fictional television anchorman Emmett Seaborn in the HBO miniseries From The Earth to the Moon. His final film appearance was in The Legend of Bagger Vance (2000). Smith was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (also known as ALS, or Lou Gehrig's disease) in April 2004. He died of the disease at his home in Northridge, California on June 13, 2005 at the age of 69. He was survived by his wife, Debbie Benedict Smith and his son Robert Smith.


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as Mayor Bates
Released: 1984-08-10

It is the dawn of World War III. In mid-western America, a group of teenagers band together to...

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My Cousin Vinny

as Jim Trotter III
Released: 1992-03-13

Two carefree pals traveling through Alabama are mistakenly arrested, and charged with murder....

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Network

as Robert McDonough
Released: 1976-11-14

When veteran anchorman Howard Beale is forced to retire his 25-year post because of his age, he...

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Rooster Cogburn

as Leroy
Released: 1975-11-01

After a band of drunken thugs overruns a small Indian Nation town, killing Reverend Goodnight...

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as Grantland Rice
Released: 2000-11-02

World War I has left golfer Rannulph Junuh a poker-playing alcoholic, his perfect swing gone....

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The Mighty Ducks

as Jack Reilly
Released: 1992-10-02

After reckless young lawyer Gordon Bombay gets arrested for drunk driving, he must coach a kids...

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Air America

as Senator Davenport
Released: 1990-08-10

Air America was the CIA's private airline operating in Laos during the Vietnam War, running...

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Frances

as Dr. Symington
Released: 1982-12-03

The true story of Frances Farmer's meteoric rise to fame in Hollywood and the tragic turn her...

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Son in Law

as Walter Warner
Released: 1993-07-02

Country girl Rebecca has spent most of her life on a farm in South Dakota, and, when she goes...

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Places in the Heart

as Albert Denby
Released: 1984-09-11

In 1930s Texas, a widow and her family fight to save their home by harvesting cotton.

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Purple Hearts

as Cmdr. Markel
Released: 1984-03-30

A Navy surgeon and a nurse fall in love while serving in Vietnam during the war. Their affection...

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Prison

as Warden Eaton Sharpe
Released: 1987-12-08

After Charles Forsyth was sent to the electric chair for a crime he didn't commit, he forever...

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Blue Collar

as Clarence Hill
Released: 1978-02-10

Fed up with mistreatment at the hands of both management and union brass, and coupled with...

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The Scout

as Ron Wilson
Released: 1994-09-30

When his star recruit botches a Major League Baseball debut, humiliated talent scout Al Percolo...

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The Hi-Lo Country

as Steve Shaw
Released: 1998-12-30

An intimate story of the enduring bond of friendship between two hard-living men, set against a...

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Prince of the City

as Tug Barnes
Released: 1981-08-19

New York City detective Daniel Ciello agrees to help the United States Department of Justice...

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Dark Night of the Scarecrow

as Harless Hocker
Released: 1981-10-24

Bubba, an intellectually disabled man, is falsely accused of attacking a young girl. Disguised...

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The Distinguished Gentleman

as Dick Dodge
Released: 1992-12-04

A Florida con man uses the passing of the long time Congressman from his district, who he just...

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The Last American Hero

as Rick Penny
Released: 1973-07-27

A young hell raiser quits his moonshine business and tries to become the best NASCAR racer the...

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The Bad News Bears in Breaking Training

as Officer Mackie
Released: 1977-07-08

A troubled, rebellious teen drives his rambunctious baseball team out to Houston where they play...

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Over the Edge

as Sloan
Released: 1979-05-18

A group of bored teenagers rebel against authority in the community of New Granada.

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Night Game

as Whitty
Released: 1989-09-15

A police detective tracks a serial killer who is stalking young women on a beach front after...

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Honeysuckle Rose

as Brag
Released: 1980-07-18

Buck Bonham is a country singer on the road caught in a romantic triangle with Dyan Cannon and...

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Inherit the Wind

as Reverend Jeremiah Brown
Released: 1999-05-29

Two great lawyers argue the case for and against a science teacher accused of the crime of...

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Disaster on the Coastliner

as John Carlson
Released: 1979-10-28

A deranged engineer, bent on revenge for the deaths of his wife and daughter, sets two passenger...

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Weeds

as Claude
Released: 1987-10-16

A San Quentin inmate, sentenced to life without parole, writes a play that catches the interest...

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Between the Lines

as Roy Walsh
Released: 1977-04-27

The staff of the Back Bay Mainline, a Boston underground newspaper that rose to prominence in...

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The Crash of Flight 401

as uncredited
Released: 1978-10-29

True story recounting the crash of Eastern Airlines, Flight 401, which crashed in the Everglades...

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The Final Days

as Richard Nixon
Released: 1989-10-29

The Final Days concerns itself with the final months of the Richard Nixon presidency.

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Man on a Swing

as Ted Ronan
Released: 1974-02-24

A small-town police chief investigating a murder is offered help by a self-described psychic....

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Native Son

as Britton
Released: 1986-12-24

In 1940s Chicago, a young black man takes a job as a chauffeur to a white family, which takes a...

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Resurrection

as Don
Released: 1980-09-26

The story of a woman who survives the car accident which kills her husband, but discovers that...

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Gideon's Trumpet

as Fred Turner
Released: 1980-04-30

True story of Clarence Gideon's fight to be appointed counsel at the expense of the state. This...

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Maidstone

as uncredited
Released: 1971-03-09

Over a booze-fueled, increasingly hectic five-day shoot in East Hampton, Norman Mailer and his...

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Out of Order

as Frank
Released: 2003-06-01

A distinctive look at a modern, troubled marriage—told from the point of view of the husband who...

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The Flight of the Dove

as Stephen Hahn
Released: 1994-06-10

An explosives expert fleeing his past and a beautiful spy trading sex for secrets find...

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Thou Shalt Not Kill

as Clarence Blake
Released: 1982-04-12

A man is wrongly convicted for murder and sent to prison, where he is accused of murdering a...

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Something About Amelia

as Officer Dealy
Released: 1984-01-09

Counseling helps family deal with the discovery that their child was sexually abused by the...

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Special Bulletin

as Morton Sanders
Released: 1983-03-20

A TV reporter and cameraman are taken hostage on a tugboat while covering a workers strike. The...

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WW 3

as John Sullivan
Released: 2001-07-12

Terrorists release a deadly biological-warfare virus in the United States.

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The Georgia Peaches

as Randolph Dukane
Released: 1980-11-08

A Southern gal who runs her family's auto repair shop, her aspiring country singer sister, and...

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Prime Suspect

as Tom Keating
Released: 1982-01-20

A respectable businessman becomes the prime suspect in the abduction and murder of several young...

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Challenger

as Larry Mulloy
Released: 1990-02-25

A profile of the astronauts, crew, and civilians who were involved in the January 28, 1986...

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Mark, I Love You

as Don Payer
Released: 1980-12-10

A distraught widower is caught in a bitter custody battle with his late wife's parents over his...

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City in Fear

as Brian
Released: 1980-03-30

A psycho-on-the-loose story, about a burned-out newspaper columnist and his circulation-hungry...

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Unholy Matrimony

as Partygoer
Released: 1966-12-28

Sexual indiscretions are used as a basis for blackmail.

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The Solitary Man

as Jack Collins
Released: 1979-10-09

A family man must make an adjustment after his wife of fifteen years one day blurts out that she...

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Terror at London Bridge

as Anson Whitfield
Released: 1985-11-22

London Bridge, London, England, 1888: Jack the Ripper dies in the Thames river. London Bridge,...

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Judge Horton and the Scottsboro Boys

as Tyler
Released: 1976-04-22

In 1930s Alabama, nine young black men are accused of raping two white women. The judge in the...

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Duplicates

as Mr. Fryman
Released: 1992-03-18

A family falls victim to a scientific institute that removes memories and transfers them to a...

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Killer Instinct

as Dr. Butler
Released: 1988-11-22

Woody Harrelson stars in the story of psychiatrist Lisa DaVito and her battle to save a tortured...

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False Arrest

as Martin Busey
Released: 1991-11-03

A luxury home, a handsome husband and terrific children. But it all comes crashing down when she...

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On the Yard

as Blake
Released: 1978-09-16

Chilly is "top con" on the yard, a title that gives him absolute power. Power to make the rules....

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Blind Vengeance

as Col. Blanchard
Released: 1990-08-22

A man seeks revenge on the white supremacists acquitted in the murder of his son

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Valley Forge

as uncredited
Released: 1975-12-03

George Washington struggles to hold his army together at a critical point during the...

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Everybody Rides the Carousel

as Stage 1 (voice)
Released: 1975-06-08

Everybody Rides The Carousel invites the viewer along on eight "rides" through the different...

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The Displaced Person

as Mr. Shortley
Released: 1977-04-12

A conscientious but driven Polish refugee disrupts the hierarchy of power on a Georgia farm in...

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Alien Nation: The Udara Legacy

as Senator Silverthorne
Released: 1997-07-29

Matt and George investigate a series of strange occurrences involving newcomers, who are found...

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Getting Personal

as Dr. Maddie
Released: 1998-06-13

Young professionals Christopher and Melissa meet and fall hard for each other. As their...

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A Death in Canaan

as Bob Hartman
Released: 1978-03-01

When a teenager is accused of his mother's murder, the community of Canaan rallies to his defense.

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The Member of the Wedding

as Mr. Addams
Released: 1982-12-20

12-year-old tomboy Frankie Addams dreams of going away with her brother and his bride-to-be on...

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On the Nickel

as Preacher
Released: 1980-05-08

Sam, a recovering alcoholic, feels dissatisfied with his life of sobriety and goes back in...

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The Rockford Files

as Willett
First aired: 1974-09-13

Cranky but likable L.A. PI Jim Rockford pulls no punches (but takes plenty of them). An ex-con...

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The Rockford Files

as CIA Agent Donnegan
First aired: 1974-09-13

Cranky but likable L.A. PI Jim Rockford pulls no punches (but takes plenty of them). An ex-con...

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King of the Hill

as Charlie Fortner (voice)
First aired: 1997-01-12

Set in Texas, this animated series follows the life of propane salesman Hank Hill, who lives...

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King of the Hill

as Nate Hashaway (voice)
First aired: 1997-01-12

Set in Texas, this animated series follows the life of propane salesman Hank Hill, who lives...

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The Twilight Zone

as uncredited
First aired: 1985-09-27

This 1980s revival of the classic sci-fi series features a similar style to the original...

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Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman

as Perry White
First aired: 1993-09-12

A much more lavish version of the popular Superman television series which had first aired forty...

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Quincy, M.E.

as uncredited
First aired: 1976-10-03

Quincy, M.E. is an American television series from Universal Studios pert in several of the...

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Murder, She Wrote

as Pol. Chief Miles Underwood
First aired: 1984-09-30

An unassuming mystery writer turned sleuth uses her professional insight to help solve real-life...

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Hill Street Blues

as uncredited
First aired: 1981-01-15

A realistic glimpse into the daily lives of the officers and detectives at an urban police station.

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Walker, Texas Ranger

as Reverend Thornton Powers
First aired: 1993-04-21

Modern-day Texas Ranger, Cordell Walker's independent crime-solving methods have their roots in...

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The Outer Limits

as Dr. Malcolm Boussard
First aired: 1995-03-26

Anthology series of composed of distinct story episodes, sometimes with a plot twist at the end,...

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Hart to Hart

as uncredited
First aired: 1979-09-22

Wealthy couple Jonathan and Jennifer Hart, a self-made millionaire and his journalist wife,...

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The New Alfred Hitchcock Presents

as Robert Warren
First aired: 1985-09-29

The New Alfred Hitchcock Presents is an American anthology series that aired on NBC from 1985 to...

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Judging Amy

as Mr. Radford
First aired: 1999-09-19

Judging Amy is an American television drama that was telecast from September 19, 1999, through...

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From the Earth to the Moon

as Emmett Seaborn
First aired: 1998-04-05

The story of the United States' space program, from its beginnings in 1961 to the final moon...

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Lou Grant

as uncredited
First aired: 1977-09-20

The trials of a former television station manager turned newspaper city editor, and his...

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The Practice

as Judge H. Finkel
First aired: 1997-03-04

A provocative legal drama focused on young associates at a bare-bones Boston firm and their...

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Amazing Stories

as Dr. Caruso
First aired: 1985-09-29

A truly amazing, fantastical, science fiction, funny and odd, and sometimes scary, sad and...

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MacGruder and Loud

as Richard
First aired: 1985-01-21

MacGruder and Loud is an American crime drama from Aaron Spelling Productions that aired on ABC...

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V

as Nathan Bates
First aired: 1984-10-26

Once again, Earth is the battleground. But now the aliens whose human guise hides their true...

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Out of Order

as Frank
First aired: 2003-06-01

A husband-and-wife writing team struggle to maintain their troubled marriage and careers.

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Hallmark Hall of Fame

as Spad
First aired: 1951-12-24

Hallmark Hall of Fame is an anthology program on American television, sponsored by Hallmark...

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Hallmark Hall of Fame

as Fred Turner
First aired: 1951-12-24

Hallmark Hall of Fame is an anthology program on American television, sponsored by Hallmark...

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Kojak

as Clyde Regan
First aired: 1973-10-24

A bald, lollipop sucking police detective with a fiery righteous attitude battles crime in New...

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If Tomorrow Comes

as Warden Brannigan
First aired: 1986-03-16

Tracy Whitney was in love, pregnant and engaged to marry into one of America's best family. And...

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Clueless

as uncredited
First aired: 1996-09-20

CLUELESS is a television series spun off from the 1995 teen film of the same name. The series...

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A Rumor of War

as Sgt. Willliam Holgren
First aired: 1980-09-24

Miniseries based on the 1977 autobiography by Philip Caputo about his service in the United...

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Bull

as uncredited
First aired: 2000-08-15

Bull is a short-lived American drama series created by Michael S. Chernuchin, who had worked on...

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Good Sports

as R.J. Rappaport
First aired: 1991-01-10

Good Sports is an American sitcom that aired on the CBS network in 1991, starring Farrah Fawcett...

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Hollywood Beat

as uncredited
First aired: 1985-09-21

Hollywood Beat is a mid-1980s American television police drama starring Jack Scalia, Jay...

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DAG

as uncredited
First aired: 2000-11-14

DAG is an American sitcom that aired from November 2000 to May 2001 on NBC. It was named after...

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Chiefs

as Hoss Spence
First aired: 1983-11-13

Three different police chiefs in three different eras become involved in a growing mystery --...

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