Actress. Born on January 22, 1965, in New York City. Lane’s parents divorced when she was an infant, and she spent her first six years living with her mother. In 1971, Lane’s father regained custody, and she remained in his care for the rest of her childhood. Her father, Burt Lane, was a drama coach and eventually doubled as his daughter’s manager.
Lane began her film career at age 13, opposite Sir Lawrence Olivier, in A Little Romance (1979). Lane earned critical acclaim for her performance as a bright American girl living in Paris. She became very popular among teenage audiences. In 1979, she graced the cover of Time, which profiled her as Hollywood’s newest rising star.
Lane’s sultry combination of sexuality and innocence caught the attention of director Francis Ford Coppola. He bolstered her visibility by casting her in a number of his films including The Outsiders (1983), which paired her with Matt Dillon, and Rumble Fish (1983). Coppola also gave Lane the lead role in The Cotton Club (1984), which co-starred Richard Gere. The movie was a failure, and Lane’s performance was criticized as being both unconvincing and premature.
Throughout the early 90s, Lane made a number of forgettable movies including Chaplin (1992), Judge Dredd (1995), and Jack (1996). However, in 1999’s A Walk on the Moon, Lane’s dynamic performance as a frustrated 1960s housewife reestablished her career. Shortly after, she appeared in the heart-warming film My Dog Skip (1999) with Kevin Bacon and Frankie Muniz.
In 2000, Lane appeared in The Perfect Storm with George Clooney and Mark Wahlberg.
The following year, she costarred with Keanu Reeves in Hardball and in the spooky drama The Glass House, with Leelee Sobieski. She earned an Oscar nomination for her role as a wayward wife in 2002’s Unfaithful and has signed on to co-star with Bruce Willis in the mystery Me Again.
In 2004, Lane married actor Josh Brolin.