P.J. Lane

P.J. Lane
Born	Phillip Jacob Isaacson (1984-12-11)11 December 1984 Los Angeles, California
Occupation	Actor, singer, philanthropist, TV presenter
Years active	2009–present
Website	Official website

P.J. Lane (11 December 1984), born Phillip Jacob Isaacson, is an Australian actor, entertainer, philanthropist, and former professional basketball player.

Early life

Born in the United States but raised in Australia, PJ Lane is the only child of Jayne Ambrose and Logie Hall of Fame inductee Don Lane.^[1] Lane attained a Performing Arts Scholarship to The Scots College in Sydney, Australia at the age of 12.^[2] While attending Scots, Lane studied acting, voice, and classical piano.^[3]

Despite his family affiliation with show business, Lane was a young basketball prospect.^[4] Lane’s father Don was the head basketball coach at St Aloysius’ College. Lane often played for The Scots College with his father coaching the opposing team.^[5] Lane’s basketball ability led him to complete his high school education at Westlake High School in Westlake Village, California.^[6] While attending Westlake High, Lane continued his music study with former Beach Boys keyboard player Mike Meros.^[7]

Basketball career

Upon his completion of high school Lane was awarded a full basketball scholarship to Southern Connecticut State University.^[8] While attending SCSU Lane majored in music and made the Dean’s list for academic performance.^[9] After university Lane played for three seasons as a professional basketball player in the Greek league. He played for the teams of Apollon Patras BC, Aigio, and AS Manis.^[10]

Lane returned to Australia in 2009. An article in the Australian Women's Day stated that his father's deteriorating health brought him back to Australia and prevented him from returning to Europe despite some lucrative offers.^[11]

Lane continued to play basketball in the Australian Basketball Association Waratah League for the Hornsby Spiders.^[12]

Television

Early in his career Lane was the feature story on A Current Affair,^[13] performed live on Mornings with Kerri-Anne,^[14] and performed at the 2009 Carols in the Domain.^[15] After his father’s passing Lane performed a Don Lane tribute at the Logie Awards of 2010.^[16]

In late 2009 Lane began presenting stories for Sydney Weekender on the Seven Network. According to the Sydney Weekender website Lane is still a featured presenter in 2012.^[17]

Acting

In early 2010, Lane was asked to audition for the Australian film 6 Plots. It was later accepted to the 2012 Cannes Film Festival and is set for a late 2012 Australian release.^[18][19] In July, Lane appeared in the Australian television soap opera Neighbours as Sonya Mitchell's (Eve Morey) ex-boyfriend Eli Baker.^[20] He had originally auditioned for another role in May 2010, but was unsuccessful.^[20] Lane played the role of Michael Christiansen in Underbelly: Badness^[21] and had to put on 18 kg of muscle for the role.^[22]

Charity work

Lane’s father Don Lane died in October 2009 from complications with Alzheimer's disease.^[23] Since his father’s passing PJ has been an ambassador for Alzheimer’s Australia to raise funds and awareness for the disease.^[24] PJ Lane is the producer of the Memory Lane Concert which raises funds for Alzheimer’s Australia. In the variety style of The Don Lane Show, the concert showcases well-known performers in Australia.^[25] In a 2011 interview Lane said that Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia are under-funded based on the number of people affected by the disease.^[26] The concert has featured the likes of Alan Jones, Rhonda Burchmore, David Campbell, Peter Cousens, Rob Mills, and other veterans of the industry.^[27] The 2011 concert was held at Sydney’s State Theatre^[28] and plans for the 2012 concert are yet to be released.

References