Singing telegram the standup start for Lane
Nathan Lane has a snarky accordion player and money-flinging wedding party in Greenwich Village to thank for his short- lived career as a standup comedian.
The Tony- winning theatre, TV and film actor, who was at the Banff World Media Festival this week to collect the prestigious Sir Peter Ustinov Award for Comedy, said he was always “funny in school and school plays.”
But his brief stint in standup came while he was a young struggling theatre actor in New York City.
“One of my survival jobs was delivering singing telegrams and I delivered a singing telegram to a small wedding in the village in New York,” says Lane, in a recent interview.
Lane said he is “humbled and touched” to win the award, which in the past has gone to John Cleese, Ricky Gervais and Martin Short.
Still, while Lane may be best known for his comedic roles, they are only one facet of his career. It was Jackie Gleason, an actor known for both his comedic and dramatic chops, who first inspired the 58- yearold to become an actor.
“As funny as he could be, he was also wonderful at serious stuff,” Lane says.
“He carried with him a lot of pain and sadness and I think I was fascinated by that.”
Currently, Lane plays flamboyant event- planner Pepper Saltzman on the sitcom Modern Family and Clarke Hayden, a button- down bankruptcy trustee on the legal drama, The Good Wife.
He has received Emmy nods for both roles.