Tell me about Nathan Lane

I know someone who gave him a blow-job and he never called back. This someone is smart, talented, and very cute. It happened maybe 20 years ago when he was in his mid-twenties. Nathan Lane was a boorish drunk at the time.

Alcoholic. Bitter, bitter man in real life.

That is too vague,r2. Why is he bitter? He has had phenomenal success on Broadway. With his looks, it was obvious that he was never going to be a movie star, but he did make an impression. He played my favorite character in the movie Frankie and Johnny with Michelle Pfeiffer and Al Pacino. The character was an out gay man but he didn't play him as a caricature. The character was quiet, sympathetic and kind. Does the alcoholism and bitterness come from a place of self-loathing? Is he sex negative? Or does he just have an acerbic sense of humor? I love the entire cast of The Good Wife and it struck me that Alan Cumming is one happy fella. He seems to really like his life. The complete opposite of everything we hear about Nathan Lane. And Alan is hardly the stereotypical gorgeous gay stud anymore than Nathan is. So, with all his success, why is Nathan Lane so miserable? I really want to know.

Damaged, broken man. Real name is Joe Lane. Not a pleasant person in real life. Has more baggage than a carousel at Kennedy Airport.

Y"all better leave my beloved son alone, I'm not as nice as he is, ok, bitches

I think people expect him to be funny, but he's an actor- not a comic. On talk shows he's dull and seems rehearsed.

There was an article about him several years ago where he talked about his dysfunctional family and his struggle with alcoholism. Being closeted obviously didn't help.

He's a very angry man who has been known to lash out at people indiscriminately. He's nastily funny as long as you're not the object of his venom.

It's possible that he's mellowed a wee bit over the last few years.

Can you imagine? Getting a blowjob and never calling back!? Happens every night of the week. Men are so piggish. (Thanks god.)

Most of the names booked on talk shows sound dull and rehearsed. They approve of what will be discussed before hand. None of those interviews are off the cuff. Unless you happen to be Robin Williams. No one can control him when he gets going. Which is why he is so entertaining. Yes, I said entertaining. Sue me:)

R3 what R4 said. I have a feeling he had a horrible childhood too. One of his parents ( mother?) was a drunk.

Victoria Clark has gone on record to say how mean Nathan was to her when she filled in for Faith Prince in GUYS AND DOLLS.

Hear he is as nasty a piece of work as the come.

Yikes. Are you supposed to call back?

LOL, r13.

R13, I've tried calling back ,but the number is ALWAYS disconnected, what's a guy to do.

This NY Times Magazine article may be the one that R7 is referring to - entitled, "This is it - as happy as I get, baby." Pretty much says it all.

Does he suffer from the Irish Curse (and I don't mean alcoholism)?

Bingo,R17

I'm not sure whether it's the Irish curse or the fat boys' curse. Could be either. Or both. (Wouldn't THAT be a kick in the tiny parts?)

I really can't think anything bad about Nathan Lane after Birdcage and Mousehunt. Am I shallow?

Irish? He's not Jewish?

Lane on talk shows is usually loud and often very funny but all of it sounds canned and rehearsed. He's always "ON", but there is nothing spontaneous about him.

OP, did he ask you out?

I slept with, but I ain't tellin'.

Miss Albert? His career is disa-Pirin.

[quote]Hear he is as nasty a piece of work as the come.

So his come is nasty, too?

Last night I saw Nathan's face in the audience on a preview for a Don Rickles roast.

Thanks for the link to the NYT's interview, r16. Having to be the care-taker of a parent with Bi-polar disease AND a parent struggling with alcoholism explains a lot. If you are a kid dealing with a mentally ill family member there is so much shame, embarrassment, guilt, fear, sense of abandonment and conflicted feelings about the person that it is impossible to come away unscathed from that experience. The people who actually know him seem to have a more positive opinion of him. There seems to be more than a little Starina in Nathan. I don't think that's a bad thing. People who are inherently sensitive, empathetic and kind ofter become disillusioned and bitter. I admire his work. And his work ethic. I don't blame him for being skittish around fans. It's just sad that someone who makes so many people happy is reportedly so unhappy. Or maybe people are just projecting. Or maybe I am:)

I'm from North Jersey, R21. I get that a lot, too.

Nice guy it seems

He's the type that'll fuck a person in the ass and won't have the goddamned common courtesy to give him a reach-around.

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Wow. I made it. I have a troll-dar stalker! Thanks, r35/r36! I'm a Staaah!.

He makes me laugh, I'm sure all our love, concentrated and focused upon his heart will heal his life!

Remind me not to blow him.

A friend went to Catholic grammar school with him in Jersey City. Joe's mother was an alcoholic.

He tossed my Broadway Blondies in the trash can right in front of me.

I'm in love with Nathan. I can't help it.

He's not a particularly nice person. Great actor, but a depressed human being.

Two of my friends have slept with him.

One said it was the best sex he'd ever had, the other said the worst. That incredible contrast is consistent with his reported mood swings.

An amazing talent with some demons.

Some demons? [italic][bold]Some?[/italic][/bold]

And Hitler was a guy with a few quirks.

[quote]One said it was the best sex he'd ever had,

Gaaaaah!

I wouldn't want to see the others your friend has had sex with.

R40,

He might be difficult, and depressed, but do you really want to compare him to Hitler? Hitler?

R41,

I can't speak to the sexual taste level of the two friends who enjoyed Nathan's Lane. Or didn't.

Nathan Lane will perform "The Nance" LIVE tomorrow at 9 PM EST across PBS stations.

It's not "LIVE," but was recorded right after the show closed.

"The Nance" will be on at 9 PM on PBS.

Just saw him in The Front Page. He was fantastic!

I caught The Nance.

His dramatic moments were downright cringeworthy.

And the one playing his young love interest?

Well, I the words of the character Joe/Nathan played in that short-lived sitcom about the opera singer...

[quote]He has had phenomenal success on Broadway.

LOL...That's like winning a red ribbon in the fifth grade sack race

[quote]Nathan Lane was a boorish drunk at the time.

Compared to now when he's an OLD boorish drunk

He slapped Mickey Rooney but don't worry, the old Mickster kicked his flaming ass, till he cried like the sissy boy he is

Never liked him. Hate most Broadway actors. He overacts, playing to the cheap seats in the back. Look at him in the Birdcage. He made Robin Williams look subtle by comparison.

Talks about when Oprah tried to out him on her show.

Lane opted to avoid the topic of his sexuality while promoting the film. But just as his publicists predicted, the subject came up, most notably on an episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show.

Says Lane: "We had to discuss this beforehand and I said, 'I'm not ready to discuss whether I'm gay or not with Oprah. I can barely deal with meeting Oprah, let alone telling her I'm gay.'"

"She says to me something like, 'Oh, you're so good at that girly stuff.' Or whatever it was. And Robin sensed she might be going toward the sexuality question and he immediately swoops in and diverts the interview to protect me," he continues.

In fact, on the show, Winfrey asks of Lane point blank, "Were you afraid of being typecast as 'are you, are you not?' 'Is he, isn't he...?'" Williams then breaks in to make light of Winfrey's playful intonation while asking the uncomfortable question. When he was later asked by Us magazine, 'Are you gay?' he had a response ready: "I said, 'I'm 40, single and I work a lot in the musical theater. You do the math. What do you need — flash cards?' I thought I had come out, but apparently I didn't. That wasn't enough," Lane says.

Lane finally came out in no uncertain terms in a 1999 cover profile in The Advocate. "And then people were just annoyed that I came out. 'Yeah, we already knew! Fuck you.' So there was no winning there," he says. "It was all so intimidating. Honestly, it was terrifying."

Robin Williams was a saint.

Didn't an orchestra player introduce himself to Nathan at some event for their show with a "Nice to meet you," to which Nathan replied sarcastically "Oh, we're meeting now?"

A broken man with only two levels. Sullen and withdrawn and insecure, or manic and in your face. Neither mode allows him to interact with people on any sort of human level.

If you are not will to be a fan and syncophant, best to avoid him altogether.

How would you know r55?

How? I worked a lot in the business offices of Broadway. Managing Nathan's behavior is always something that gets attention. He doesn't always play nice with people. Sometimes he doesn't always play nice with the press. He creates problems.

Of course, he is not alone in this sort of thing. But this is the Nathan Lane thread, not the Betty Buckley thread, so my comments were about Lane.

I worked with Nathan on a Broadway show. I found him to be very serious about his work, friendly and approachable offstage, and he has a wicked sense of humor. I've never seen him drunk, so maybe when he was drinking he was a different man. But the guy I worked with was nice, and easy to get along with. The cast seemed to feel the same way.

It's my experience that people tend to trash stars as a means of "proving" how well they know them. I can think of several who have nasty diva reputations that are just not deserved, based on my experiences with them. I know of a few shitheads out there in show biz -They are in every profession. But my opinions are based on first-hand experiences rather than gossip sites and rumors. No, I'm not going to name names -It would just open up a can of worms with at the various sycophants and fans who are outraged by my opinions. And that's all they all, folks. Opinions.

[Quote] But my opinions are based on first-hand experiences rather than gossip sites and rumors. No, I'm not going to name names -It would just open up a can of worms with at the various sycophants and fans who are outraged by my opinions. And that's all they all, folks. Opinions.

And you're the only one with first hand experiences, of course.

"Nice" is not an adjective that is used to describe him.

[quote]R1 I know someone who gave him a blow-job and he never called back.

Did he call the cops??

I was backstage one night when he started throwing metal chairs. The stage manager had told him he was being unprofessional for cynically addressing the audience, which wasn’t reacting the way he wanted them to.

The room emptied quickly.

I think he stopped drinking shortly after that.