Nathan Lane has appeared on stage, screen, and television. He has starred in Broadway productions of Guys and Dolls, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Love! Valour! Compassion! and The Producers.
He has received numerous acting honors, including two Antoinette Perry (Tony) Awards. Openly gay himself, he has portrayed gay characters in several plays and also on screen in Frankie and Johnny and The Birdcage.
In 1989 Lane played his first gay role as Mendy in Terrence McNally's The Lisbon Traviata, directed by John Tillinger. His performance earned him the Drama Desk award for best actor in a play.
In 1996, Lane played drag queen Albert opposite Robin Williams' Armand in Mike Nichols's film The Birdcage, a remake of Edouardo Molinaro's 1978 film based on Jean Poiret's play, La Cage aux Folles. The film, with a script by Elaine May and Mike Nichols, was set in Miami's South Beach. Although controversial in a number of quarters, especially for its stereotypical portrait of a gay couple, the film was a commercial success, and Lane's performance was described as "wide-ranging [and] inventive."
Lane has never made a secret of his homosexuality. He came out to his family when he was twenty-one and about to move in with a lover. He did not comment publicly on his sexual orientation until 1999, however.
He has been criticized by some activists in the gay community for waiting so long to come out publicly.
In an interview in The Advocate Lane explained that he "[found] it difficult to discuss [his] personal life with total strangers" but was moved to speak out after the murder of gay college student Matthew Shepard. "At this point it's selfish not to do whatever you can," said Lane. "If I . . . say I'm a gay person, it might make it easier for somebody else. So it seems stupid not to."
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