Who Played The Banker In Places In The Heart?
The 1984 film "Places in the Heart" drew acclaim upon its release, acclaim that has endured in the years since. The period drama, which received an Oscar nomination for best picture, revolves around Edna Spalding, played by Sally Field, who must navigate life without her husband after he's shot dead in an accident, leaving her and her children to manage a farm alone in Texas in 1935.
The film is filled with a number of characters who are played by a supporting cast that includes Danny Glover, Ed Harris, and John Malkovich. These characters include Moses "Moze" Hadner (Glover), a drifter who stays to help Edna on the farm, and Wayne Lomax (Harris), Edna's brother-in-law who cheats on his wife. Another key character in the film is Albert Denby, a banker in the town who informs Edna that the bank has a note out against the farm, first insisting she must sell the farm to be able to pay off the debt. When she refuses to do so, Denby then coerces Edna into taking Mr. Will (Malkovich), his brother-in-law who was blinded during World War I, as a paid lodger.
The person who played Denby in "Places in the Heart" was a veteran actor who appeared in several other noteworthy films, but who was he?
Denby was played by familiar face Lane Smith
The banker in "Places in the Heart" was played by Lane Smith. Prior to his death in 2005, he was a staple in movies and television since the 1970s, making a guest appearance in the crime drama TV series "Kojak" in 1975, and playing Robert McDonough in the 1976 Oscar Best Picture nominee "Network." 1984 also saw Smith appear in the invasion drama "Red Dawn," in which he plays the town's Mayor, Mayor Bates. Smith also played Nathan Bates in the science fiction miniseries "V," alongside Robert Englund and Michael Ironside.
Smith's most famous movie roles came in 1992, when he starred in the comedy "My Cousin Vinny," playing prosecuting attorney Jim Trotter III, who squares off against Vinny Gambini, played by Joe Pesci. 1992 also saw Smith appear in the sports comedy-drama "The Mighty Ducks," in which he plays Coach Jack Reilly, the former coach and current nemesis of Gordon Bombay, played by Emilio Estevez.
Smith's most notable television role came in the ABC series "Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman." In the series, Smith plays Perry White, the lead editor of the newspaper The Daily Planet, where both Lois Lane (Teri Hatcher) and Superman's alter-ego, Clark Kent (Dean Cain) work. Smith remained a main cast member for the duration of the show's run, appearing in all 87 episodes.