Lawrence Dane was an exceptionally fine, versatile, and shamefully underrated Canadian character actor who was equally adept at both comedy and drama alike. Standing tall and lean, with silver gray hair, a gaunt face, and a distinguished air about him, Dane was often cast as smooth business executives, physicians, police officers, and stern authority figures. Born on April 3, 1937, in Masson, Quebec, Lawrence grew up in Ottawa and initially took acting lessons in order to overcome shyness.
Dane first started acting on stage in the late 1950s. He soon amassed a substantial volume of film and TV show credits. Lawrence gave an especially terrific performance as one of five doctors who find themselves being terrorized by vicious vengeful hillbillies when they go camping in the remote Canadian wilderness in the harrowing Deliverance (1972) variant Rituals (1977); the multi-talented Dane also produced this gritty and suspenseful cult favorite thriller.
Other notable roles Dane has played are Michael Ironside's evil business partner in David Cronenberg's Scanners (1981),Melissa Sue Anderson's father in the superior slasher item Happy Birthday to Me (1981),and Peter Weller's tough, but fair boss in the excellent killer rat knockout Of Unknown Origin (1983). Moreover, Dane displayed a delightful flair for comedy in the amusing features It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time (1975) and Find the Lady (1976),in which he was nicely paired with a then-unknown John Candy.
Lawrence continued to act in both TV shows and movies with pleasing regularity well into his 70's. He died at age 84 at his home in Ontario, Canada from pancreatic cancer on March 21, 2022.
