Lane Pryce

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Born in London on 10 May 1916, Lane was raised by middle-class traveling salesman Robert Pryce in a strict and regimented home. He served in the British Army as a supply assistant in Rosyth and, although he never saw combat, was later thanked by a British veteran of World War II who said his resupply effort saved lives. After his military career, Lane attended accounting school and married a woman named Rebecca, with whom he had a son named Nigel. He was hired by advertising agency Putnam Powell and Lowe, and eventually promoted to an executive position responsible for mergers and takeovers. PPL sends Lane to recent acquisition Sterling Cooper and tasks him with trimming costs. He begins by firing many employees, including long-time employee and head of accounts Burt Peterson. He names Pete Campbell and Ken Cosgrove as Burt's joint successors. Lane angers Creative Director Don Draper and becomes isolated from the company when he expresses PPL's lack of interest in a potentially lucrative account with Madison Square Garden. Later, Don, Roger Sterling and Bertram Cooper convince him to join them in starting a new agency and make him a named partner in exchange for him "firing" the three of them in order to void their contracts' non-compete clauses.

In Their Own Story

In Season 4, Lane's marriage falls apart when Rebecca, who genuinely loves him, finds the strains of homesickness and culture shock too much to bear and returns with their son to London indefinitely. Lane and Don meet at work and then get drunk and go for a night out on the town, which includes seeing Gamera. Lane makes monster noises and slurred Japanese remarks to a woman in the audience, which Don considers hilarious. Lane then sleeps with a prostitute supplied by Don. Lane reimburses Don for the money he spent on the prostitute and thanks him for the "welcome distraction". In Season 5, Lane faces severe financial troubles due to a tax demand. His investment in SCDP has yielded no return, for the agency has yet to make a profit. As a partner, Lane is required to invest a further $50,000 in order to keep the company afloat when it loses the Lucky Strike account. He liquidates the majority of his savings, but his lawyer tells him he must pay $8,000 in back taxes within two days or face jail. Lane embezzles $7,500 from the company, forging Don's signature on a Christmas bonus. Cooper discovers the forged cheque and Don confronts Lane. Don says he will cover the $7,500 himself and not tell the police or the other partners but that Lane is fired and gives Lane the weekend to "think of an elegant exit" and resign on Monday. Upon returning home, Lane discovers that his wife Rebecca, unaware of their financial situation, has bought him a new Jaguar as a surprise and paid by cheque. He puts his affairs in order and tries to kill himself by carbon monoxide poisoning.

Reader's Guide

Lane Pryce's professional journey is defined by his role as the agency's financial officer. He is shown to enjoy the newfound freedom that came with living in America, free from the rigidity of the social class structures of England. He says — with understated delight — "yes, I've been here 10 months and no one's ever asked me where I went to school." He struggles with the expectations placed upon him by the leadership of PPL to be subservient and eventually breaks free from them when he realises that, no matter how hard he works, he will never be considered equal to his upper-class superiors. At Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce, it becomes clear that Lane has a knack for managing company revenues and controlling costs. Lane and office manager Joan Harris are credited with keeping the company running and managing the day-to-day operations. Lane later gets Joan a 5-percent speaking partnership, making the suggestion to her as a means of covering up his embezzlement. His key relationships include Don Draper, who offers comfort after discovering the embezzlement and says that Lane can start again somewhere else. Being fired will not cancel Lane's share in the company but will lose him his visa, forcing him to return to the UK.

Did You Know?

• Lane was born in London on 10 May 1916.
• He served in the British Army as a supply assistant in Rosyth and never saw combat.
• He was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series in 2012.
• Lane embezzled $7,500 from the company by forging Don's signature on a Christmas bonus cheque.
• His wife Rebecca bought him a new Jaguar as a surprise, unaware of their financial troubles.