Nathan Lane, born Joseph Lane on February 3, 1956, in Jersey City, New Jersey, is an acclaimed American actor known for his work on stage and screen. He has been active in the entertainment industry since 1975 and has received numerous awards, including three Tony Awards, seven Drama Desk Awards, a Laurence Olivier Award, three Emmy Awards, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. Lane made his professional theatre debut in 1978 in an off-Broadway production of "A Midsummer Night's Dream". He gained widespread recognition for his roles in Broadway productions such as "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum," "The Producers," and "Angels in America". His film credits include "The Lion King," "The Birdcage," "Mouse Hunt," and "The Producers". In addition to his stage and film work, Lane has appeared in various television series, including "Modern Family," "The Good Wife," and "Only Murders in the Building". He has been married to Devlin Elliott since 2015.

Filmography

• Mid-Century Modern — Bunny Schneiderman, Executive Producer
• Elsbeth — Phillip Cross
• Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story — Dominick Dunne
• 2024Spellbound — Luno - Oracle of the Moon (voice)
• 2023Beau Is Afraid — Roger
• 2023Dicks: The Musical — Harris
• Digman! — Yorbo (voice)
• 2023Once Upon a Studio — Timon (voice)
• The Gilded Age — Ward McAllister
• Only Murders in the Building — Teddy Dimas
• 2020Elegies for Angels, Punks and Raging Queens — Giacomo
• Penny Dreadful: City of Angels — Lewis Michener
• 2018The Vanishing of Sidney Hall — Harold
• 2017Carrie Pilby — Dr. Petrov
• 2017National Theatre Live: Angels In America — Part One: Millennium Approaches — Roy M. Cohn/Prior 2
• 2017National Theatre Live: Angels In America — Part Two: Perestroika — Roy M. Cohn/The Angel Antarctica
• American Crime Story — F. Lee Bailey
• 2016No Pay, Nudity — Hershel Thalkin
• Difficult People — Nathan Lane
• 2014The Nance — Chauncey Miles
• The Blacklist — Abraham Stern
• 2013The English Teacher — Carl Kapinas
• 2012Mirror Mirror — Brighton
• 2010I'm Still Here — Nathan Lane (uncredited)
• 2010The Nutcracker — Uncle Albert
• 2009Astro Boy — Hamegg (voice)
• Modern Family — Pepper Saltzman
• The Good Wife — Clarke Hayden
• 2008A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa — Officer Meany
• 2008Swing Vote — Art Crumb
• 30 Rock — Eddie
• 2006The Dish on Dolls — Stagehand in Jacqueline Susann's Valley of the Dolls (archive footage)
• 2005The Producers — Max Bialystock
• 2004Behind the Legend: Timon — Timon (voice)
• 2004Broadway's Lost Treasures II — Nathan Detroit (segment "Guys & Dolls")
• 2004Teacher's Pet — Spot Helperman / Scott Leadready II / Scott Manly-Manning (voice)
• 2004The Lion King 1½ — Timon (voice)
• 2004Timon & Pumbaa Virtual Safari 2.0 — Timon (voice)
• 2004Timon & Pumbaa's Virtual Safari 1.5 — Timon (voice)
• 2004Win a Date with Tad Hamilton! — Richard Levy the Driven
• Charlie Lawrence — Charlie Lawrence
• 2002Austin Powers in Goldmember — Mysterious Disco Man
• 2002Nicholas Nickleby — Vincent Crummles
• 2002Stuart Little 2 — Snowbell (voice)
• 2001Laughter on the 23rd Floor — Max
• Primetime Glick
• Curb Your Enthusiasm — Nathan Lane
• 2000Isn't She Great — Irving Mansfield
• 2000Love's Labour's Lost — Costard
• Teacher's Pet — Spot Helperman / Scott Leadready II (voice)
• 2000The Man Who Came to Dinner — Sheridan Whiteside
• 2000Titan A.E. — Preed (voice)
• 2000Trixie — Kirk Stans
• 1999At First Sight — Phil Webster
• George and Martha — George (voice)
• 1999Stuart Little — Snowbell (voice)
• Encore! Encore! — Joseph Pinoni
• Sex and the City — Bobby Fine
• 1998The Lion King II: Simba's Pride — Timon (voice)
• 1997Merry Christmas, George Bailey — Clarence
• 1997MouseHunt — Ernie Smuntz
• 1996Around the World With Timon & Pumbaa — Timon 2 (voice)
• 1996The Birdcage — Albert
• 1996The Boys Next Door — Norman Bulansky
• 1995Circle of Life: An Environmental Fable — Timon
• 1995Jeffrey — Father Dan
• 1995The Wizard of Oz in Concert: Dreams Come True — The Cowardly Lion
• 1994The Lion King — Timon (voice)
• 1993Addams Family Values — Desk Sergeant
• Frasier — Phil
• 1993Life with Mikey — Ed Chapman
• Mad About You — Nathan Twilley
• 1992The Last Mile — The Stage Manager
• 1992Unnatural Pursuits — Limo Passenger
• 1991Frankie and Johnny — Tim
• 1991He Said, She Said — Wallace "Wally" Thurman
• 1990Joe Versus the Volcano — Baw - The Waponi Advance Man
• 1989The Lemon Sisters — Charlie Sorrell
• 1987Ironweed — Harold Allen
• The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd — Herman in Fantasy Sequence, Bing Shalimar
• Miami Vice — Morty Price
• 1983Alice in Wonderland — Mouse
• One of the Boys — Jonathan Burns
• Live from Lincoln Center — Chauncey Miles
• Great Performances — Mouse
• Cut Off

Appearances as themselves (41)

• Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man! — Self - Actor
• 2025The Lion King at the Hollywood Bowl — Self
• 2023Finally Home: Making Beau is Afraid — Self
• Be My Guest with Ina Garten — Self
• 2021Too Soon: Comedy After 9/11 — Self
• 2019Bully. Coward. Victim. The Story of Roy Cohn — Self
• Today with Jenna & Sheinelle — Self
• 2018Every Act of Life — Self
• 2016Mike Nichols: An American Master — Self
• The Late Show with Stephen Colbert — Self, Self - Guest/Musical Guest
• Late Night with Seth Meyers — Self - Guest
• 2014Showing Up — Self
• The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon — Self
• 2013Elaine Stritch: Shoot Me — Self
• 2013Mel Brooks: Make a Noise — Self
• 2011Pride of The Lion King — Self
• The Marriage Ref — Self - Panelist
• 2009Waking Sleeping Beauty — Self (archive footage)
• Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen — Self - Guest
• 2007ShowBusiness: The Road to Broadway — Self
• 2007The Roots of 'Hairspray' — Self (voice)
• 2007Trumbo — Self
• 2004Sesame Street: What's the Name of That Song? — Self (archive footage)
• The Ellen DeGeneres Show — Self
• 2001My Favorite Broadway: The Love Songs — Self - Perfomer
• 2001Recording the Producers: A Musical Romp with Mel Brooks — Self
• 1999Get Bruce! — Self
• 1999Saturday Night Live: 25th Anniversary Special — Self
• 1999Stuart Little: Making It Big — Self
• The View — Self, Self - Guest
• 1996A Benefit Celebration: A Tribute to Angela Lansbury — Self
• The Daily Show — Self
• The Rosie O'Donnell Show — Self - Guest
• Inside the Actors Studio — Self
• Late Night with Conan O'Brien — Self - Guest, Self - Musical Guest
• Late Show with David Letterman — Self - Guest
• 1992Guys and Dolls: Off the Record — Himself / Nathan Detroit
• Saturday Night Live — Self - Host
• Tony Awards — Self - Host, Self - Host / Winner / Performer, Self - Presenter
• Broadway: The Next Generation — Self
• Untitled Nathan Lane Documentary — Self