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.[1]
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). More recently, he portrayed Louis "The Commodore" Kaestner on Boardwalk Empire (2010–2011) and made a memorable appearance on Yellowstone (2019) in his final role. As a voice actor, he provided the voice of Principal Peter Prickly on Recess (1997–2001) and in several movies based on the series.
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 his siblings were then raised by his mother in Corpus Christi, Texas. He attended Corpus Christi High School where he excelled at tennis, becoming a nationally ranked junior tennis player.[2][3] He spent two years at Virginia Military Institute followed by another two years at the University of Texas at Austin. He later recalled that he didn't pass many courses and that he was "too busy playing Ping-Pong at the Phi Delta Theta house and calling girls".[4] He was drafted into the United States Army in 1953 and served in West Germany in the Army's Special Services Division for two years, playing tennis across Europe for the Army and the local town.[5][6]
Career
Early career
That was the turning point in my career. I had done a comedy, That Girl, the first season, kind of a weird-ass character that didn't attract a lot of attention. It was okay in retrospect. When I've seen 'em in replays it wasn't bad, but it wasn't as colorful or as catchy as the Merle Jeeter character, which was supposed to be six episodes and then gone. But I was good in the part. The writing was very good, the people I worked with were excellent, and the character was just wonderful. Just a once-in-a-lifetime character. I don't know if you ever saw it or not, but he was just the worst human being, Merle Jeeter. [Laughs.] That's kind of where it all started, as far as people's belief that I could do comedy, particularly that negative, caustic, cynical kind of guy.
Coleman, discussing Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman with AV Club, September 2012[7]
After flunking out of law school and inspired by an encounter with actor Zachary Scott, Coleman abruptly decided to pursue acting as a career. The next day, he flew to New York and started applying to acting schools.[8] He enrolled in the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre in New York City, training with Sanford Meisner, and studied there from 1958 to 1960.[9] Meisner told him: "You're ideal for us. You've lived some."[8] Another one of his instructors was the future director Sydney Pollack, with whom Coleman would soon become friends.[10]
Soon after finishing his training under Meisner, Coleman made his Broadway debut in the short-lived A Call on Kuprin in 1961.[11][12] He followed that with summer stock performances on the east coast.[2]
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.[3] 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.[2] For example, in a 1964 episode of the anthology series Kraft Suspense Theatre titled "The Threatening Eye", Coleman played private investigator William Gunther.
In 1965, he landed his first movie role in The Slender Thread which was also Pollack's directorial debut.[7]
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.[7][13]
9 to 5 and leading roles
That opened up the movies for me. The girls [Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, and Dolly Parton] were so supportive of me, and included me in everything. They were on a whole different level than I was at the time, but they were very sensitive about that, and made sure that I was included in every publicity shot and tour. All three of them insisted, "Where’s Dabney? Get him in here!" They’re all three unique and wonderful ladies, all three of them.
Coleman, discussing 9 to 5 with Vulture, November 2010[13]
Coleman landed the main antagonist part of Franklin Hart Jr., a sexist boss on whom three female office employees get their revenge in the 1980 film 9 to 5.[18] 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.[19] He also portrayed a con artist Broadway producer in The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984),[20] 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).[21]
He broke from type somewhat in other film roles. He appeared in the feature film On Golden Pond (1981),[22] playing the sympathetic fiancé of Chelsea Thayer Wayne (Jane Fonda). 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).[23] He played an aging cop who thinks he is terminally ill in the 1990 comedy Short Time.[24]
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.[25][26] 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.[27]
Despite these accolades, many of Coleman's television shows featuring him playing to type as acerbic characters, including award-winning shows like Buffalo Bill and The Slap Maxwell Story, were noted for struggles with low ratings and brief runs. Other series like Drexell's Class (1991–1992) and Madman of the People (1994–1995) faced similar challenges.[5]
From 1997 to 2001, Coleman provided the voice of Principal Prickly on the animated series Recess.[28] 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).[29]
Later career
I think he reached out and said he would be really interested in doing something. I had worked with Dabney many, many years ago, almost 20 years ago, as one of the young pups. He’s a Texas guy and was such a gifted, giving actor and I was really struck by how good he was, and how kind he was, to this kid who was guest starring on his deal. It's funny; I've employed a lot of people who were good to me when I was a young actor.
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".[8] 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.[31] 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.[7]
Coleman was married to Ann Courtney Harrell from 1957 to 1959 and Jean Hale from 1961 to 1984. He had four children, Meghan, Kelly, Randy, and Quincy.[9]
Coleman was a tennis player, winning celebrity and charity tournaments. He played mainly at the Riviera Country Club as well as in local tournaments.[35][36] 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.[7] When Coleman received his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, an after party was held at Dan Tana's to celebrate the occasion.[37] His favorite sports team was the St. Louis Browns,[38] which are now the Baltimore Orioles.[39]
In the 1980s and 1990s, it was noted by several journalists that Coleman chain-smoked cigarettes during his interviews. In one of those same articles, he was described as a "lean and impossibly fit-looking 62 years old" by The New York Times in 1994.[40][41][42]
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.[7]
^ abPitts, Michael R. (1984). Hollywood and American history: A Filmography of Over 250 Motion Pictures Depicting U.S. History. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company. ISBN978-0-89950-132-1.
^ abBensoua, Joe (September 21, 1987). "'L.A. Law' named best drama: NBC leads count with 32 Emmys". News-Pilot. p. A16. Retrieved May 20, 2024. The best supporting actor in a miniseries or special Emmy went to Dabney Coleman, his first, for his role as Martin Costigan in ABC's "Sworn to Silence." Coleman, nominated previously for his work in the short-lived, controversial series, "Buffalo Bill," lifted his statue and announced, "That concludes the show, good night."
^Bryan Beasley (director), Jason Connell (producer), Quincy Coleman (producer), Brian Van Eerden (producer), Dabney Coleman (starring) (2018). Not Such a Bad Guy: Conversations with Dabney Coleman (Documentary). Connell Creations. 50 minutes in. ASINB07CX4XQVT.
^Shyamalan, M. Night; Brooker, Greg; Sunshine, Linda. Stuart Little: The Art, the Artists, and the Story Behind the Amazing Movie (Pictorial Moviebook). p. 48. Dabney Coleman as Dr. Beechwood