Dabney Wharton Coleman (January 3, 1932 – May 16, 2024) was an American actor best known for his roles in such films as The Towering Inferno, 9 to 5, On Golden Pond, Tootsie, and The Beverly Hillbillies. He frequently specialized in playing comedic Jerkass antagonists.
He was married to Ann Courtney Harrell and actress Jean Hale and he has four children.
Filmography on this wiki:
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Film roles
- This Property Is Condemned (1966) as Salesman (deleted role)
- The Trouble with Girls (1969) as Harrison Wilby
- Downhill Racer (1969) as Mayo
- The Towering Inferno (1974) as SFFD Deputy Chief 1
- Bite the Bullet (1975) as Jack Parker
- Midway (1976) as Capt. Murray Arnold
- Viva Knievel! (1977) as Ralph Thompson
- Rolling Thunder (1977) as Maxwell
- Go Tell the Spartans (1978) as Helicopter Pilot (uncredited)
- North Dallas Forty (1979) as Emmett Hunter
- How to Beat the High Cost of Living (1980) as Jack Heintzel
- Melvin and Howard (1980) as Judge Keith Hayes
- 9 to 5 (1980) as Franklin M. Hart Jr.
- On Golden Pond (1981) as Bill Ray
- Modern Problems (1981) as Mark Winslow
- Young Doctors in Love (1982) as Dr. Joseph Prang
- Tootsie (1982) as Ron Carlisle
- WarGames (1983) as Dr. John McKittrick
- The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984) as Martin Price/Murray Plotsky
- Cloak & Dagger (1984) as Jack Flack/Hal Osborne
- The Man with One Red Shoe (1985) as Burton Cooper
- Dragnet (1987) as Jerry Caesar
- Hot to Trot (1988) as Walter Sawyer
- Short Time (1990) as Burt Simpson
- Amos & Andrew (1993) as Chief Cecil Toliver
- The Beverly Hillbillies (1993) as Milburn Drysdale
- Clifford (1994) as Gerald Ellis
- Witch Way Love (1997) as Joel Andrews
- You've Got Mail (1998) as Nelson Fox
- Inspector Gadget (1999) as Police Chief Quimby
- Stuart Little (1999) as Dr. Beechwood
- Recess: School's Out (2001) as Principal Peter Prickly (voice)
- Where the Red Fern Grows (2003) as Grandpa
- Domino (2005) as Drake Bishop
Television roles
- The Alfred Hitchcock Hour (2 episodes, 1963–64) as Tom Esterow/Sgt. Lou Snyder
- Kraft Suspense Theatre (2 episodes, 1964) as William Gunther/Alvin Piper
- Dr. Kildare (1 episode, 1964) as Dr. David Kirkson
- The Outer Limits (3 episodes, 1964) as Dr. Williams/Lt. Howard/James Custer
- The Fugitive (4 episodes, 1964–66) as Sgt. Keith/Floyd/Officer George Graham/Steve
- Hazel (1 episode, 1965) as Les Swanton
- The Donna Reed Show (1 episode, 1965) as Rallye Master
- I Dream of Jeannie (2 episodes, 1965–67) Lt. George Webb/Capt. Dan Yardley
- The F.B.I. (7 episodes, 1965–74) as Ira Barker/Allen Clarke/Stanley Leonard/Sam Langlin/Ty Williams/Jamison/Barnes
- That Girl (8 episodes, 1966–67) as Dr. Leon Bessemer
- The Flying Nun (1 episode, 1967) as Sub Captain
- The Invaders (2 episodes, 1967) as Capt. Mitchell Ross/John Carter
- The Mod Squad (1 episode, 1968) as John
- Bonanza (2 episodes, 1968–69) as Ivar Peterson/Clyde
- Dan August (1 episode, 1970) as Rick Bessett
- Room 222 (2 episodes, 1970–73) as Calvin Schuller/Gary Webster Sr.
- Mannix (3 episodes, 1972–75) as Ralph Stoner/Howard Graham
- Ironside (1 episode, 1973) as Daniel Leary
- Cannon (2 episodes, 1973–76) as Lt. Daggett/Jack Sheffield
- Barnaby Jones (5 episodes, 1973–79) as Paul Cleveland/George Clark/Ted Sayers/Brad Adamson
- Columbo
- "Double Shock" (1973) as Det. Murray
- "Columbo and the Murder of a Rock Star" (1991) as Hugh Creighton
- Kojak (1 episode, 1974) as Alex Linden
- McMillan & Wife (2 episodes, 1974–75) as Hansen/Walter Jennings
- The Streets of San Francisco (2 episodes, 1974–76) as George Todd/Andrew Horvath Sr.
- The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1 episode, 1976) as Congressman Phil Whitman
- Switch (1 episode, 1976) as C. C. Owens
- Police Story (2 episodes, 1976) as Lt. Cruse/Capt. Stromwall
- Petrocelli (1 episode, 1976) as Willy Morgan
- Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman (148 episodes, 1976–77) as Merle Jeeter
- Fernwood Tonight (2 episodes, 1977) as Merle Jeeter
- Quincy, M.E. (2 episodes, 1977) as Dr. Burt Travers/Officer Peter O'Neil
- The Love Boat (1 episode, 1978) as Van Milner
- Different Strokes (2 episodes, 1979) as Fred Tanner
- Buffalo Bill (26 episodes, 1983–84) as Bill Bittinger
- Fresno (6 episodes, 1986) as Tyler Kane
- Plaza Suite (TV movie, 1987) as Jesse Kiplinger
- It's Garry Shandling's Show (2 episodes, 1989–90) as Himself
- The Magic School Bus (1 episode, 1997) as Horace Scope (voice)
- Jumanji: The Animated Series (2 episodes, 1997) as Ashton Phillips (voice)
- Recess (14 episodes, 1997–99) as Principal Peter Prickly (voice)
- My Date with the President's Daughter (TV movie, 1998) as President Richmond
- Exiled: A Law & Order Movie (TV movie, 1998) as Lt. Kevin Stolper
- Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child (1 episode, 2000) as Monsieur Fox (voice)
- Kiss My Act (TV movie, 2001) as Henry
- The Guardian (67 episodes, 2001–04) as Burton Fallin
- The Zeta Project (1 episode, 2002) as Dr. Boyle (voice)
- Lilo & Stitch: The Series as Principal Prickly (1 episode)
- Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1 episode, 2009) as Frank Hager
- Pound Puppies (4 episodes, 2010–11) as Mayor Jerry (voice)
- Boardwalk Empire (24 episodes, 2010–11) as Commodore Louis Kaestner
- Ray Donovan (1 episode, 2016) as Mr. Price
- NCIS (1 episode, 2019) as Army Cpl. John Sydney
- For the People (1 episode, 2019) as Donald Newman
- Yellowstone (1 episode, 2019) as John Dutton Sr.
Tropes associated with Dabney Coleman:
- Jerkass: Many of his screen roles qualify.
- Laughably Evil: He was best known for his portrayals of comedic villains.
- Mean Character, Nice Actor: He was by all accounts much nicer than many of his onscreen roles would lead one to believe.
- Politically Incorrect Villain: One of Hollywood's go-to guys if they ever needed such a character.
- Typecasting: His role as Franklin M. Hart Jr. in the 1980 film 9 to 5 led him to be seen as an archetypal Laughably Evil Jerkass for much of the rest of his career. This is justified because he himself considered bad guys, especially funny bad guys, to be the most fun type of character to play.