Coppola's Lane

Background:

Oscar nominee actress Diane Lane achieved wide recognition playing Richard Gere's wife in Unfaithful (2002). She is also known for being cast in numerous Francis Coppola's films (examples: The Outsiders, The Cotton Club) and for portraying Christina Cotter in The Perfect Storm (2000).

The gorgeous actress, who was listed as one of People Magazine's Most Beautiful People in the World in 2003, has been linked to several men including rock star Jon Bon Jovi, film director Danny Cannon, Timothy Hutton and Christopher Atkins.

In 1999, together with other Hollywood luminaries, Diane Lane raised $360,000 in the seventh annual Oscar night party, sponsored by InStyle Magazine, in order to help fund the Elton John AIDS Foundation. More recently she joined the 62nd Annual Golden Globe Awards Celebrity Clothing Auction in order to help fund the UNICEF's tsunami relief fund in Asia.

Diane's Descent

Childhood and Family:

Daughter of deceased acting coach Burt Lane (was once her manager) and Playboy centerfold mother Colleen Farrington, Diane Lane was born on January 22, 1965. After her parent's divorce, New York roots Diane lived with her mother for six years then spent the rest of her childhood with her father after he regained custody of her in 1971.

In October of 1988 Diane married Highlander star, Christopher Lambert (born March 29, 1957). One year after the birth of their daughter Eleanor Jasmine Lambert (born September 5, 1993) the couple filed for divorce.

Diane married actor Josh Brolin (born February 12, 1968) at his California ranch on August 15, 2004. Josh is the son of actor James Brolin and the stepson of world famous Barbra Streisand.

Diane enjoys her free time traveling, horseback riding, walking, practicing yoga, and spending time with her daughter.

Professional Persona

Career:

"There's a persona to being an actress that could put anyone into the shrink's office. Especially if you're fifteen, sixteen, eighteen years old going through that; realizing that the job is to have a persona." Diane Lane.

Debuting her professional acting work on stage at merely 6 years old, Diane was seen in such productions as Joseph Papp's The Cherry Orchard, Agamemnon at New York's Lincoln Center as well as La Mama's Medea in 1971. Diane finally launched into Hollywood playing Lauren King (co-starring Sir Lawrence Olivier) in the feature film A Little Romance (1979). In spite of the film's average success, Diane gained significant praise for her role and was often referred to as the" new Grace Kelly." Fourteen-year-old Diane was touted by the press and showcased in the cover of Time magazine.

The following years proved to be unfortunate ones for Diane. She worked in such box-office flops as Touched by Love (1980), Cattle Annie and Little Britches (1981), National Lampoon Goes to the Movies (1981), Ladies and Gentlemen, the Fabulous Stains (1981), and Six Pack (1982). Diane's dimming star continued fading even after director Francis Coppola placed her in The Outsiders (1983, opposite Matt Dillon), Rumble Fish (1983) and The Cotton Club, 1984, costarring Richard Gere.

Popular TV mini series Lonesome Dove (1989) polished Diane's star back to luminary brightness. She was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Special for her role as Lorena Wood. Afterwards Diane played small roles in several films including Chaplin (1992) and Indian Summer (1993). She also worked for such glittering films as Judge Dredd (1995), Jack (1996), Murder at 1600 (1997), and shared the screen with Kevin Bacon and Frankie Muniz in My Dog Skip (1999).

Diane was cast as 1960's housewife Pearl Kantrowitz in A Walk on the Moon (1999) and as Chris Cotter in the action-drama The Perfect Storm (2000, with George Clooney and Mark Wahlberg). Diane co-starred in the horror The Glass House (2001, alongside Leelee Sobieski) and in the box-office batter Hard Ball (2001, costarred Keanu Reeves).

Diane received several award nominations for her role of Connie Summer, the disloyal wife of Edward (played by Richard Gere) in the successful Unfaithful (2002). The nominations included the Academy Nomination for Best Actress in a Leading Role, Golden Globe Nomination for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture, and the Screen Actors Guild Nomination for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role.

Diane will team-up with famous Hollywood veteran Donald Sutherland in Griffin Dunne's drama Fierce People (2005) and with actor John Cusack (Identity, Runaway Jury) in the romantic comedy Must Love Dogs (2005).

Awards:

- National Society of Film Critics: Best Actress, Unfaithful, 2002
- New York Film Critics Circle: Best Actress, Unfaithful, 2002