Dabney Coleman

Dabney Wharton Coleman (January 3, 1932 – May 16, 2024) was an American actor. He was recognized for his roles portraying egomaniacal and unlikeable characters in comedic performances. Throughout his career, he appeared in over 175 films and television programs and received awards for both comedic and dramatic performances.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Coleman's notable films include 9 to 5 (1980), On Golden Pond (1981), Tootsie (1982), WarGames (1983), Cloak & Dagger (1984), and You've Got Mail (1998). His significant television roles included Merle Jeeter on Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman (1976–1977), the title characters in Buffalo Bill (1983–1984) and The Slap Maxwell Story (1987–1988), and Burton Fallin on The Guardian (2001–2004). Later in his career, he portrayed Louis "The Commodore" Kaestner on Boardwalk Empire (2010–2011). His final role was an appearance on Yellowstone (2019). As a voice actor, he provided the voice of Principal Peter Prickly on Recess (1997–2001) and in several movies based on the series.

Coleman won one Primetime Emmy Award from six nominations and one Golden Globe Award from three nominations.

Early life

Dabney Coleman was born the youngest of four children in Austin, Texas, on January 3, 1932, to Randolph and Mary Johns Coleman. His father died from pneumonia when Dabney was four years old. He and three older sisters were then raised by his mother in Corpus Christi, Texas.<ref name="hollywood">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="sorrow">Template:Cite news</ref> He attended Corpus Christi High School, where he excelled at tennis and became nationally ranked as a junior tennis player.<ref name="hollywood"/><ref name="town">Template:Cite news</ref>

In 1949, at the age of 17, he enrolled at Virginia Military Institute, where he studied for two years and competed on the school's tennis team. He then attended the University of Texas at Austin for two years, graduating in 1954 with a B.A. in drama.<ref name="sorrow"/><ref name="encyclopedia">Template:Cite encyclopedia</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Coleman later recalled that he did not pass many courses and that he was "too busy playing Ping-Pong at the Phi Delta Theta house and calling girls".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He was drafted into the United States Army in 1953 and served in West Germany in the Army's Special Services for two years.<ref name="nyt">Template:Cite news</ref> He later told an interviewer, "I spent my military service either playing or teaching tennis."<ref name="baddie">Template:Cite news</ref> After being discharged by the Army in 1955, he returned to the University of Texas at Austin to enroll in law school.<ref name="sorrow"/>

Career

Early career

Coleman in The Towering Inferno (1974)

Coleman was not doing well in law school, and it seemed unlikely that he would become a lawyer. In 1957, while still in law school, Coleman married Ann Courtney Harrell. Though their marriage only lasted two years, it had a major impact on Coleman's career. A 45-minute visit from his wife's friend Zachary Scott inspired Coleman to drop out of law school and pursue acting as a career.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="guardian">Template:Cite news</ref> Coleman recounted, "I'll never forget the way he stood and asked if my wife was at home. He had style. In that moment I knew I wanted to be an actor, to be like Zachary Scott. The next day I got on an airplane and flew to New York."<ref name="sorrow"/>

Once in New York City, Coleman started applying to acting schools.<ref name="guardian"/> He enrolled in the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre, training with Sanford Meisner, and studied there from 1958 to 1960.<ref name="wapo">Template:Cite news</ref> Meisner told him: "You're ideal for us. You've lived some."<ref name="guardian"/> Another one of his instructors was the future director Sydney Pollack, with whom Coleman would soon become friends.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Soon after finishing his training under Meisner, Coleman made his Broadway debut in the short-lived A Call on Kuprin in 1961.<ref name="baddie"/><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He followed that with summer stock performances on the east coast.<ref name="town"/>

His first television role was on an episode of Naked City in 1961, which was filmed on location in New York City and he earned $90 for the role.<ref name="hollywood"/> In 1962, he and his second wife, actress Jean Hale, moved to Los Angeles. He soon signed a contract with Universal and started work in television, appearing as a guest on various shows starting in the early 1960s.<ref name="town"/> For example, in a 1964 episode of the anthology series Kraft Suspense Theatre titled "The Threatening Eye", Coleman played private investigator William Gunther.<ref name="thriller">Template:Cite news</ref>

In 1965, he landed his first movie role in The Slender Thread, which was also Pollack's directorial debut.<ref name="av">Template:Cite web</ref>

In his first recurring role on television, he played Dr. Leon Bessemer, a neighbor and friend of the protagonist, in the first season of That Girl (1966).<ref name="tcm">Template:Cite web</ref> Other early roles in his career included a U.S. Olympic skiing team coach in Downhill Racer (1969),<ref name="downhill">Template:Cite news</ref> a high-ranking fire chief in The Towering Inferno (1974),<ref name="inferno">Template:Cite web</ref> and a wealthy Westerner in Bite the Bullet (1975). He portrayed an FBI agent in Attack on Terror: The FBI vs. the Ku Klux Klan (1975).<ref name="attack">Template:Cite news</ref>

In the satirical soap opera Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman (1976–1977), Coleman was initially cast for six episodes as Merle Jeeter, the duplicitous father of a child preacher, but his performance secured him a regular role on the show. The part was also the first time he played an unsavory character for comedic effect, which would become a frequent theme in his career.<ref name="av"/><ref name="boardwalk"/>

In his earliest roles such as in That Girl, he did not have facial hair.<ref name="girl">Template:Cite web</ref> He first grew the mustache that would be associated with many of his roles in 1973.<ref name="nyt"/> He later said, "Without the mustache, I looked too much like Richard Nixon." He also reflected, "There's no question that when I grew that mustache, all of a sudden, everything changed."<ref name="boardwalk">Template:Cite web</ref>

9 to 5 and leading roles

Template:Quote box Coleman landed the role of primary antagonist Franklin Hart Jr. in the 1980 film 9 to 5, in which he portrayed a sexist boss on whom three female office employees get their revenge.<ref name="tcm"/> It was this film that firmly established Coleman in the character type with which he was most identified, and frequently played afterwards—a comic relief villain. Coleman followed 9 to 5 with the role of the arrogant, sexist, soap opera director in Tootsie (1982), also directed by Sydney Pollack.<ref name="bbc">Template:Cite web</ref> He also portrayed a con artist Broadway producer in The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984),<ref name="muppets">Template:Cite web</ref> played the nefarious raisin tycoon Tyler Cane in the satirical miniseries Fresno (1986), and evoked Hugh Hefner as a lisping magazine mogul in the comedy Dragnet (1987).<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Coleman broke from type somewhat in other film roles. He appeared in the feature film On Golden Pond (1981), playing the sympathetic fiancé of Chelsea Thayer Wayne (Jane Fonda).<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He also played a military computer scientist in WarGames (1983), and he played a dual role as a loving but busy father, as well as his son's imaginary hero, in Cloak & Dagger (1984).<ref name="jackflack">Template:Cite web</ref> Coleman played an aging cop who thinks he is terminally ill in the 1990 comedy Short Time.<ref name="shorttime">Template:Cite web</ref>

While Coleman frequently transitioned between roles in film and television, it was his television performances that earned him the most formal recognition and awards. He received his first Emmy Award nomination for his lead role as a skilled but self-centered TV host in Buffalo Bill. In 1987, he received an Emmy Award for his role in the television film Sworn to Silence.<ref name="sworn">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Later that year, Coleman starred in The Slap Maxwell Story (1987–1988), playing a cantankerous sportswriter. Although the show was short-lived, Coleman won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Musical or Comedy for the role in 1988.<ref name="goldenglobes">Template:Cite web</ref>

Despite these accolades, many of Coleman's television shows, including award-winning shows like Buffalo Bill and The Slap Maxwell Story, were noted for struggles with low ratings and brief runs. Other series he appeared in, like Drexell's Class (1991–1992) and Madman of the People (1994–1995), faced similar challenges.<ref name="nyt"/>

Other roles

In other comedic film roles, he played Bobcat Goldthwait's boss in the 1988 talking-horse comedy Hot to Trot, and befuddled banker Milburn Drysdale in the feature film The Beverly Hillbillies (1993), which reunited him with 9 to 5 co-stars Lily Tomlin and Dolly Parton. Continuing his streak of comic foils, Coleman played Charles Grodin's sleazy boss, Gerald Ellis, in Clifford (1994), co-starring Martin Short.<ref name="av"/> From 1997 to 2001, Coleman provided the voice of Principal Prickly on the animated series Recess and several films based on the series.<ref name="btva">Template:Cite web</ref> He also played a philandering father in You've Got Mail (1998), and a police chief in Inspector Gadget (which reunited him with his WarGames co-star Matthew Broderick).<ref name="gadget">Template:Cite web</ref>

Later career

Template:Quote box In his later career, Coleman took on more consistently serious roles, notably portraying Burton Fallin in the TV series The Guardian (2001–2004). In an interview with the Associated Press, Coleman described his dream job as a "serious show about a serious subject, good writing, good actors" and said that his role on The Guardian was "kind of that dream come true".<ref name="guardian"/> He also appeared as a casino owner in 2005's Domino. In 2009, Coleman served as an interviewer and participant in Char·ac·ter, a documentary about the craft of acting with Peter Falk, Charles Grodin, Sydney Pollack, Mark Rydell, and Harry Dean Stanton.<ref name="character">Template:Cite web</ref> For two seasons, from 2010 to 2011, Coleman was a series regular on HBO's Boardwalk Empire, sharing two Screen Actors Guild Awards for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series.<ref name="av"/>

On November 6, 2014, Coleman received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and was honored with the 2017 Mary Pickford Award for his contributions to the entertainment industry.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref name="pickford">Template:Cite web</ref>

His final roles included a small part in Warren Beatty's comedy Rules Don't Apply in 2016,<ref name="rules">Template:Cite web</ref> and a guest role in 2019 as Kevin Costner's dying father in Yellowstone, which would be his final role.<ref name="yellowstone">Template:Cite web</ref>

Personal life

Coleman was married to Ann Courtney Harrell from 1957 to 1959 and Jean Hale from 1961 to 1983.<ref name="nyt"/><ref name="encyclopedia"/> He had four children, Meghan, Kelly, Randy, and Quincy.<ref name="nyt"/><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Coleman was a tennis player, winning celebrity and charity tournaments. He played mainly at the Riviera Country Club as well as in local tournaments.<ref name="people">Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He was also known for being a regular at Dan Tana's restaurant in West Hollywood, where a large New York Steak is named after him.<ref name="av"/> When Coleman received his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, an after party was held at Dan Tana's to celebrate the occasion.<ref>Template:Cite AV media</ref> His favorite sports team was the St. Louis Browns,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> which are now the Baltimore Orioles.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

In the 1980s and 1990s, it was noted by several journalists that Coleman chain-smoked cigarettes during his interviews. He was described as a "lean and impossibly fit-looking 62 years old" by The New York Times in 1994.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 2011, Coleman started treatment for throat cancer, which sometimes affected his ability to speak. The diagnosis led to a rapid rewrite and early filming of his scenes for the second season of Boardwalk Empire. In a 2012 interview, he discussed his experience filming the series while dealing with cancer, lighting up a cigarette at one point during the interview, and mentioned that he no longer had cancer.<ref name="nyt"/><ref name="av"/>

Death

Coleman died at his home in Santa Monica, California, on May 16, 2024, at age 92, due to dysphagia and heart failure.<ref name="hollywood"/><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1965	The Slender Thread	Charlie	Movie debut<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="av"/>
1966	This Property Is Condemned	Salesman	<ref name="av"/>
1968	The Scalphunters	Jed	<ref name="av"/>
1969	The Trouble with Girls	Harrison Wilby	<ref name="av"/>
	Downhill Racer	Mayo	<ref name="downhill"/>
1970	I Love My Wife	Frank Donnelly	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
1973	Cinderella Liberty	Executive Officer	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
1974	The Dove	Charles Huntley	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
	The Towering Inferno	SFFD Deputy Chief 1	<ref name="inferno"/>
	Black Fist	Heineken	<ref name="av"/>
1975	Bite the Bullet	Jack Parker	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
	The Other Side of the Mountain	Dave McCoy	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
1976	Midway	Captain Murray Arnold	<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
1977	Viva Knievel!	Ralph Thompson	<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
	Rolling Thunder	Maxwell	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
1979	North Dallas Forty	Emmett Hunter	<ref name="av"/>
1980	Nothing Personal	Dickerson	<ref name="av"/>
	How to Beat the High Cost of Living	Jack Heintzel	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
	Melvin and Howard	Judge Keith Hayes	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
	9 to 5	Franklin M. Hart Jr.	<ref name="av"/><ref name="bbc"/>
	Pray TV	Marvin Fleece	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
1981	On Golden Pond	Dr. Bill Ray	<ref name="av"/>
	Modern Problems	Mark Winslow	<ref name="av"/>
1982	Young Doctors in Love	Dr. Joseph Prang	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
	Tootsie	Ron Carlisle	<ref name="bbc"/>
1983	WarGames	Dr. John McKittrick	<ref name="av"/>
1984	The Muppets Take Manhattan	Martin Price / Murray Plotsky	<ref name="muppets"/>
	Cloak & Dagger	Jack Flack / Hal Osborne	<ref name="jackflack"/><ref name="av"/>
1985	The Man with One Red Shoe	Burton Cooper	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
1987	Dragnet	Jerry Caesar	<ref name="av"/>
1988	Hot to Trot	Walter Sawyer	<ref name="encyclopedia"/>
1990	Where the Heart Is	Stewart McBain	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
	Short Time	Burt Simpson	<ref name="shorttime"/>
	Meet the Applegates	Aunt Bea	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
1992	There Goes the Neighborhood	Jeffrey Babitt	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
1993	Amos & Andrew	Police Chief Cecil Tolliver	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
	The Beverly Hillbillies	Milburn Drysdale	<ref name="av"/>
1994	Clifford	Gerald Ellis	<ref name="av"/>
	Judicial Consent	Charles Mayron	<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
1997	Witch Way Love	Joel	<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
1998	You've Got Mail	Nelson Fox	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
1999	Inspector Gadget	Police Chief Quimby	<ref name="gadget"/>
	Stuart Little	Dr. Beechwood	<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
2001	Recess: School's Out	Principal Peter Prickly	Voice<ref name="btva"/>
	Recess Christmas: Miracle on Third Street	Principal Peter Prickly	Voice<ref name="btva"/>
2002	The Climb	Mack Leonard	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
	Moonlight Mile	Mike Mulcahey	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2003	Where the Red Fern Grows	Grandpa	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
	Recess: Taking the Fifth Grade	Principal Peter Prickly	Voice<ref name="btva"/>
	Recess: All Growed Down	Principal Peter Prickly	Voice<ref name="btva"/>
2005	Domino	Drake Bishop	<ref name="av"/>
2009	Char·ac·ter	Himself	<ref name="character"/>
2016	Rules Don't Apply	Raymond Holliday	<ref name="rules"/><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
2022	Still Working 9 to 5	Himself	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1964	Kraft Suspense Theatre	William Gunther	Episode: "The Threatening Eye"<ref name="thriller"/>
1966–1967	That Girl	Dr. Leon Bessemer	Recurring role<ref name="girl"/>
1971–1972	Bright Promise	Dr. Tracy Graham	Recurring role<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
1973–1991	Columbo	Detective Murray / Hugh Creighton	2 episodes<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
1975	Attack on Terror: The FBI vs. the Ku Klux Klan	Paul Mathison	Television film<ref name="attack"/>
1976–1977	Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman	Merle Jeeter	Recurring role, later main cast<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
1977	Fernwood 2 Night	Merle Jeeter	Premiere episode<ref name="people"/><ref name="baddie"/>
1977–1978	Forever Fernwood	Merle Jeeter	Main cast<ref name="people"/><ref name="baddie"/>
1978	Apple Pie	"Fast Eddie" Murtaugh	Main cast<ref name="baddie"/>
1983–1984	Buffalo Bill	Bill Bittinger	Main cast<ref name="people"/>
1986	Fresno	Tyler Cane	Main cast<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
	Murrow	CBS President William S. Paley	Television film<ref name="wapo"/>
1987	Sworn to Silence	Martin Costigan	Television film<ref name="sworn"/>
1987–1988	The Slap Maxwell Story	Slap Maxwell	Main cast<ref name="wapo"/>
1988	Baby M	Gary Skoloff	Two-part movie<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
1991	Never Forget	William Cox	Television film<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
1991–1992	Drexell's Class	Otis Drexell	Main cast<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
1994–1995	Madman of the People	Jack "Madman" Buckner	Main cast<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
1997	The Magic School Bus	Horace Scope	Voice, episode: "Sees Stars"<ref name="btva"/>
1997–2001	Recess	Principal Peter Prickly	Voice, main cast<ref name="btva"/>
1998	My Date with the President's Daughter	President Richmond	Television film<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
	Exiled: A Law & Order Movie	Lieutenant Dennis Stolper	Television film<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
2001–2004	The Guardian	Burton Fallin	Main cast<ref name="wapo"/>
2002	The Zeta Project	Thomas Boyle	Voice, episode: "Hunt in the Hub"<ref name="btva"/>
2006	Courting Alex	Bill Rose	Main cast<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
2009	Law & Order: Special Victims Unit	Frank Hagar	Episode: "Snatched"<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2010–2011	Pound Puppies	Mayor Jerry	Voice, 4 episodes<ref name="btva"/>
2010–2011	Boardwalk Empire	Commodore Louis Kaestner	Main cast<ref name="av"/>
2016	Ray Donovan	Ronnie Price	Episode: "Federal Boobie Inspector"<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2019	NCIS	John Sydney	Episode: "The Last Link"<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
	Yellowstone	John Dutton Jr.	Episode: "Sins of the Father" (final role)<ref name="yellowstone"/>

Music videos

Year	Title	Artist	Role	Notes
2019	"Star Maps"	Aly & AJ	Himself	<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Category	Work	Result	Ref.
1987	CableACE Awards	Actor in a Movie or Miniseries	Murrow	Template:Nom	<ref name="walkoffame">Template:Cite web</ref>
1983	Golden Globe Awards	Best Actor in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy	Buffalo Bill	Template:Nom	<ref name="goldenglobes"/>
1987			The Slap Maxwell Story	Template:Won
		Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television	Sworn to Silence	Template:Nom
1983	Primetime Emmy Awards	Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series	Buffalo Bill	Template:Nom	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
1984				Template:Nom
1987		Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Special	Sworn to Silence	Template:Won
1988		Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series	The Slap Maxwell Story	Template:Nom
		Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Special	Baby M	Template:Nom
1991		Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series	Columbo, episode: "Columbo and the Murder of a Rock Star"	Template:Nom
2017	Satellite Awards	Mary Pickford Award	Template:N/a	Template:Won	<ref name="pickford"/>
2010	Screen Actors Guild Awards	Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series	Boardwalk Empire	Template:Won	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2011				Template:Won	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Other honors

Year	Honor	Category	Result	Ref.
2014	Hollywood Walk of Fame	Television	Template:Won	<ref name="walkoffame"/>

External links

• Template:IMDb name
• Template:TCMDb name
• Template:IBDB name
• Interview with Dabney Coleman on the set of Rolling Thunder at Texas Archive of the Moving Image