Nathan Lane’s recurring character on Modern Family was a key part of the wedding of Cam and Mitchell, but the actor hilmsef has waited a little longer for his own nuptials. Now though, People reports that Lane married his partner of 18 years, Devlin Elliott, at City Hall in New York last Tuesday.

Lane came out publicly in 1999, something that suprised very few people, and it certainly had little effect on his career. As an actor he’s a double Tony winner (for A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum and The Producers), and has had success on screen in everything from The Birdcage and Mousehunt to The Good Wife and voicing Timon in The Lion King.

Lane has previously spoken about the fact that if he ever did marry it would be a quiet affair, something he’s followed through with a City Hall wedding and a wait of several days for it to be officially announced.

Congratulations Nathan!

When there’s a major gay role in a film or TV show, there’s often grumbling if its played by a resolutely straight person. There are actually fairly complex arguments surrounding this – it’s not just a question of whether gay people ought to play gay roles, but whether the fact gay people are so often typecast into particular types of parts, that by casting a straight person you are both perpetuating the idea that having homosexuality on-screen is okay as long as it’s not ‘real’ and that you’re taking work away from gay actors who are often overlooked for major roles.

Conversely of course, fewer people believe in the principle that gay people shouldn’t be allowed to play straight roles, even if there’s still a perverse belief in some circles in Hollywood that audiences won’t believe a man-woman romance if they know one of the people is really gay.

Now Nathan Lane has weighed into the discussion while talking to TV critics earlier this week about PBS’ presentation of his Broadway play The Nance, he was asked about his thought on straight people playing gay. He said (via Salon.com), “We just had ‘The Normal Heart’ (with straight actor) Mark Ruffalo, fantastic job. I think who’s right for the part and most talented” should be hired.

He adds that if actors had to stick to their own sexuality, “That way only madness lies… I wouldn’t have played Nathan Detroit or Max Bialystock” if he couldn’t play straight roles.

Lane won a Tony Award recently for The Nance, about a gay burlesque performer in 1930’s New York. It recently screened in US cinemas and will air on PBS in October.

Last year Nathan Lane starred in the Lincoln Center Theater’s production of out playwright Douglas Carter Beane’s play The Nance. Now many of those who couldn’t make it to New York will get a chance to see it as a filmed version is set to play at US cinemas beginning June 23rd.

It should screen in more than 300 movie theatres in an exclusive limited engagement courtesy of Lincoln Center and cinema advertising company Screenvision.

The Advocate says on the play, ‘Lane, a two-time Tony Award winner, stars as Chauncey Miles, a famous “nance,” which is an outrageously effeminate stock burlesque character. The play is set in 1930s New York, where the mayor has started cracking down on homosexual “deviants.” The cast, which features Jonny Orsini as Chauncey’s younger lover, also includes Jenni Barber, Andréa Burns, Cady Huffman, Mylinda Hull, Geoffrey Allen Murphy, and Lewis J. Stadlen.’

“Through this partnership with Lincoln Center, we are thrilled to offer moviegoers nationwide the chance to see one of the most original plays with a stellar cast of complex and enthralling characters,” says Screenvision’s Darryl Schaffer “We are pleased that we can offer it to our exhibitor partners and take part in extending the reach of such a great work of art.”

You can find out more about where it will be screening by clicking here. [Read more…]