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Jeffrey Lane, an Emmy-winning writer and shaper pinch TV credits spanning nan sitcom Mad About You, nan dramas Cagney & Lacey and Lou Grant, soap opera Ryan’s Hope arsenic good arsenic Tony Awards broadcasts and nan Broadway philharmonic Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, died Wednesday, May 20, successful New York pursuing a lengthy illness. He was 71.
Over nan people of his agelong career, Lane was nominated for 5 primetime Emmys (winning three, successful summation to sharing a Daytime Emmy for Ryan’s Hope), 3 Writer’s Guild Awards, 2 Peabodys, and a Golden Globe, and was, arsenic he wrote, “the comparatively good-natured loser of galore more.”
Lane launched his tv profession successful 1977 arsenic a accumulation adjunct connected ABC’s New York-based daytime play Ryan’s Hope. Within a twelvemonth he was connected nan show’s penning staff.
In 1981, Lane, pinch an oculus connected primetime, submitted a spec book to MTM’s newspaper play Lou Grant, and sewage an contiguous greenish light. He moved to Los Angeles arsenic a unit writer, and yet communicative editor, for CBS’s deed Cagney & Lacey.
Lane’s versatility was matched by his liking successful Broadway: In 1987 and 1988, he wrote and co-produced The Tony Awards; nan ’88 ceremonial won Emmys for penning and outstanding typical event. (That aforesaid twelvemonth his AFI Life Achievement Award typical honoring Gregory Peck besides won an Emmy.)
Lane took an progressive domiciled connected Broadway successful 2004 erstwhile he wrote nan book for nan shape adjustment of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, teaming pinch composer David Yazbek (who would spell connected to constitute The Band’s Visit, Tootsie, Dead Outlaw, and Buena Vista Social Club, among others). Lane and Yazbek would reunite successful 2010 connected nan Broadway philharmonic adjustment of Pedro Almodóvar’s film Women connected nan Verge of a Nervous Breakdown.
Born Jeffrey Scott Lane connected August 10, 1954, successful St. Louis, Missouri, he grew up successful Wantagh, Long Island, wherever he ran a teen theatrical troupe which performed passim Nassau County. In 1976, he received his B.A. successful some Film History and Theatre astatine Connecticut’s Wesleyan University, wherever he studied pinch renowned movie historian, Jeanine Basinger. His knowledge and emotion of movies fueled his penning and co-producing connected nan American Film Institute’s Salutes not only to Peck but to Gene Kelly, Billy Wilder, Barbara Stanwyck and Jack Lemmon.
Other TV penning credits see nan NBC comedy-drama bid The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd starring Blair Brown and nan miniseries The Murder of Mary Phagan.
He branched into business drama successful 1992 arsenic a writer-producer for Mad About You starring Paul Reiser and Helen Hunt. By nan show’s 3rd season, he was executive shaper and showrunner of nan series. Both The Murder of Mary Phagan and Mad About You earned Lane Peabody Awards.
After creating nan 1997 CBS bid Ink for Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen, and, successful 2000 (for nan aforesaid network), Bette for Bette Midler, Lane returned to New York to embark connected his Broadway career. His first task pinch Yazbek, 2004’s Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, earned him Tony nominations for Best Book of a Musical and Best Musical, and nan show ran for 626 performances and is still performed successful master and amateur productions astir nan world.
The duo’s Women connected nan Verge of a Nervous Breakdown was produced astatine Lincoln Center successful a constricted tally starring Patti LuPone, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Laura Benanti and Sherie Rene Scott. The philharmonic was subsequently staged successful London.
At nan clip of his death, Lane and Yazbek had completed activity connected a caller original musical. The 2 were known to person precocious worked connected a play philharmonic called Whiz-Bang!, astir a teenage inventor that’s reportedly inspired by classical young big fictional heroes specified arsenic nan Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew.
Lane is survived by his brothers Michael Lane, a erstwhile casting director, and playwright and writer Eric Lane; sister Lisa Lane Crawley; their spouses, Meredith Wechter Lane, Bob Barnett and John Crawley; six nephews and 1 niece.
In lieu of flowers, nan family requests that donations beryllium made to World Central Kitchen and Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. Memorial services successful New York and Los Angeles will beryllium scheduled successful nan adjacent fewer weeks.
