Charles Lane (born December 26, 1953) is an American actor and filmmaker. While attending Purchase College as a film student, he made a short titled ''A Place in Time'' based on the famous

Kitty Genovese In the early hours of March 13, 1964, Kitty Genovese, a 28-year-old bartender, was raped and stabbed outside the apartment building where she lived in the Kew Gardens, Queens, Kew Gardens neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City, Uni ...

incident. This short gained him a certain amount of attention, including a Student Academy Award win. Lane then directed and starred in the feature film '' True Identity'', a vehicle for

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

comedian

Lenny Henry Sir Lenworth George Henry (born 29 August 1958) is a British Jamaicans, British-Jamaican comedian, actor and writer. He gained success as a Stand-up comedy, stand-up comedian and impressionist in the late 1970s and early 1980s, culminating in ' ...

funded by the

Walt Disney Company The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...

. He wrote, directed and starred in 1989's ''

Sidewalk Stories ''Sidewalk Stories'' is a 1989 American low-budget, nearly silent movie directed by and starring Charles Lane. The black-and-white film tells the story of a young African American man raising a small child after her father is murdered. The film ...

'', a black-and-white feature about a homeless street artist who becomes the guardian of a small girl after her father is murdered. The nearly silent film was an homage to

Charlie Chaplin Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin (16 April 188925 December 1977) was an English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer who rose to fame in the era of silent film. He became a worldwide icon through his screen persona, the Tramp, and is considered o ...

's '' The Kid'' and was a critical favorite. It won several festival awards, including the Prix du Publique at the

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Film Festival (; ), until 2003 called the International Film Festival ('), is the most prestigious film festival in the world. Held in Cannes, France, it previews new films of all genres, including documentaries, from all around ...

, where its 12-minute ovation set a new record. He also received three nominations at the

Film Independent Spirit Awards The Independent Spirit Awards, originally known as the FINDIE or Friends of Independents Awards, and later as the Film Independent Spirit Awards, are awards presented annually in Santa Monica, California, to independent filmmakers. Founded in ...

: Best Director, Best First Feature and Best Male Lead On its 25th anniversary in 2014, ''Sidewalk Stories'' was digitally remastered and rescreened at the Cannes Film Festival and

Tribeca Film Festival The Tribeca Festival is an annual film festival organized by Tribeca Enterprises. It takes place each spring in New York City, showcasing a diverse selection of film, episodic, talks, music, games, art, and immersive programming. The festival ...

. Lane also had a starring role in the

Mario Van Peebles Mario Van Peebles (born January 15, 1957) is a Mexican-born American director and actor. He is best known for appearing in ''Heartbreak Ridge'' in 1986, and known for directing and starring in ''New Jack City'' in 1991, and ''USS Indianapolis: ...

film ''

Posse Posse is a shortened form of posse comitatus, a group of people summoned to assist law enforcement. The term is also used colloquially to mean a group of friends or associates. Posse may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Posse'' (1975 ...

'', as Weezie, often the butt of jokes. He has worked with

James Earl Jones James Earl Jones (January 17, 1931 – September 9, 2024) was an American actor. A pioneer for black actors in the entertainment industry, Jones is known for his extensive and acclaimed roles on stage and screen. Jones is one of the few perfor ...

, and

Frank Langella Frank A. Langella Jr. (; born January 1, 1938) is an American actor. He eschewed the career of a traditional film star by making the stage the focal point of his career, appearing frequently on Broadway. He has received four Tony Awards (out of ...

and offered one of the first film roles to ''

The Sopranos ''The Sopranos'' is an American Crime film#Crime drama, crime drama television series created by David Chase. The series follows Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), a New Jersey American Mafia, Mafia boss who suffers from panic attacks. He reluct ...

'' actress

Edie Falco Edith Falco (born July 5, 1963) is an American actress. A prominent figure in American television, she is known for her roles both on stage and screen and has received numerous accolades including four Primetime Emmy Awards, two Golden Globe A ...

. Lane often casts various friends and family in his films, including brother Gerald, friend George, and daughter Nicole Alysia.

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lane, Charles 1953 births Living people African-American male actors American male actors African-American film directors People from the Bronx People from Dobbs Ferry, New York State University of New York at Purchase alumni Film directors from New York City 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American people