Nathan Lane Takes Stephen Colbert on a Tour of His Home

On April 23, three-time Tony winner and five-time Emmy nominee Nathan Lane appeared on A Late Show With Stephen Colbert at Home in anticipation of the premiere of Showtime’s new series Penny Dreadful: City of Angels. Lane stars as Detective Lewis Michiner in the show written by John Logan (Moulin Rouge!). “It’s the best and most emotionally complex character I've ever gotten to play in film or television,” says Lane.

Lane joined Colbert remotely from his home in the Hamptons and Colbert asked for a little tour. Stepping into the guest bedroom, Lane showed a signed photo of Walter Matthau, Carole Shelley, and Monica Evans in The Odd Couple film and reminisced with stories of the first time Lane met Matthau. “Late in his life, I met and socialized a little with Walter in Los Angeles,” Lane says. “He was adorable and we sat and we talked. He knew that I had played Nathan Detroit in a 1992 production of Guys and Dolls and he had played Nathan Detroit at City Center and he said that’s where Neil Simon had first seen him. And he said, ‘If it wasn't for Neil Simon I would be an obscure actor in regional theatre right now.’”

Also hanging proudly: a pair of Eugene O’Neill’s monogrammed boxer shorts that Lane received from director Doug McGrath on the opening night of The Iceman Cometh, one of O’Neill’s epics.

Lane most recently starred on Broadway in Taylor Mac’s Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus. He won a Tony Award for his performance as Roy Cohn in the 2018 revival of Angels in America. Lane has appeared on Broadway in shows including The Front Page (Tony nomination), It’s Only a Play, The Nance (Tony nomination), The Producers (Tony win), A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (Tony win), and Guys and Dolls (Tony nomination). He has also been nominated for six Primetime Emmy Awards and two Golden Globes.

Penny Dreadful premieres April 26 at 10:10PM ET on Showtime.