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Dabney Coleman

Dabney Coleman

Highest Rated: 94% WarGames (1983)

Lowest Rated: 0% Hot to Trot (1988)

Birthday: Jan 3, 1932

Birthplace: Austin, Texas, USA

A prolific character actor whose trademark was villainous egotists and endearing curmudgeons, Dabney Coleman was a recognizable film star during the 1980s, though he was ever-present on television throughout the entirety of his five-decade career. Among Coleman's most memorable film roles was the misogynist corporate boss of empowered Dolly Parton, Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda in "9 to 5" (1980), and the egomaniacal soap opera director whose sexist attitude inspired the title "Tootsie" (1982). On television, the Emmy and Golden Globe winner was among the busiest character players of the 1960s before making his mark on the "brilliant-but-canceled" soap opera spoof "Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman" (syndicated, 1976-77) before acclaimed leading roles on the sitcom "The Slap Maxwell Story" (ABC, 1987-88), and the CBS legal drama "The Guardian" (2001-04). With his sharp comic timing and a Texas drawl that simultaneously suggested folksiness and moral laxity, the mustachioed Coleman carve out a unique career as an instantly recognizable and improbably likable screen actor.

Highest rated movies

94% 76% WarGames
92% 61% Melvin and Howard
91% 81% Tootsie 91% 87% On Golden Pond 86% 71% North Dallas Forty
85% 76% The Muppets Take Manhattan
85% 58% Downhill Racer
80% 77% Rolling Thunder

Filmography

Movies

Credit
No Score Yet No Score Yet Celebrating Laughter: The Life and Films of Colin Higgins Self - 2022
93% No Score Yet Still Working 9 to 5 Self - 2022
55% 34% Rules Don't Apply Raymond Holliday (Character) $3.6M 2016
No Score Yet No Score Yet Char-ac-ter Unknown (Character) - 2009
No Score Yet No Score Yet Hard Four Spray Loomis (Character) - 2007
18% 56% Domino Drake Bishop (Character) $10.1M 2005
No Score Yet 43% Recess: All Growed Down Principal Prickley (Voice) - 2003
No Score Yet 68% Where the Red Fern Grows Grandpa (Character) - 2003
No Score Yet 63% Recess: Taking the Fifth Grade Principal Prickly (Voice) - 2003
No Score Yet 72% The Climb Mack (Character) $78.7K 2002
64% 66% Moonlight Mile Mike Mulcahey (Character) $6.8M 2002
60% 56% Recess: School's Out Principal Vance Prickly (Voice) $36.7M 2001
No Score Yet 38% Recess Christmas: Miracle on Third Street Unknown (Character) - 2001
No Score Yet 62% Kiss My Act Henry (Character) - 2001
No Score Yet No Score Yet How to Marry a Billionaire: A Christmas Tale John Kennedy (Character) - 2000
No Score Yet 17% Casanova Falling Johnathan Gallant (Character) - 1999
67% 41% Stuart Little Dr. Beechwood (Character) $140.0M 1999
20% 18% Inspector Gadget Chief Quimby (Character) $97.4M 1999
No Score Yet No Score Yet Must Be Santa Unknown (Character) - 1999
No Score Yet 52% Exiled: A Law & Order Movie Lieutenant Kevin Stolper (Character) - 1998
70% 73% You've Got Mail Nelson Fox (Character) $115.7M 1998
No Score Yet 69% Taken Ethan Grover (Character) - 1998
No Score Yet 29% Target Earth Senator Ben Arnold (Character) - 1998
No Score Yet 56% My Date With the President's Daughter President Richmond (Character) - 1998
No Score Yet No Score Yet Witch Way Love Joel (Character) - 1997
No Score Yet No Score Yet Devil's Food Seymour Kecker (Character) - 1996
No Score Yet No Score Yet In the Line of Duty: Kidnapped Arthur Milo (Character) - 1995
18% 67% Clifford Gerald Ellis (Character) $6.5M 1994
No Score Yet 70% Judicial Consent Charles Mayron (Character) - 1994
No Score Yet No Score Yet My Love, Your Honor Charles Mayron (Character) - 1994
17% 31% Amos & Andrew Chief of Police Cecil Tolliver (Character) $9.5M 1993
24% 33% The Beverly Hillbillies Milburn Drysdale (Character) $42.2M 1993
No Score Yet 47% Paydirt Jeffrey Babitt (Character) $8.2K 1992
No Score Yet No Score Yet Columbo and the Murder of a Rock Star Hugh Creighton (Character) - 1991
No Score Yet 44% Never Forget William Cox (Character) - 1991
29% 54% Short Time Burt Simpson (Character) $3.5M 1990
9% 57% Where the Heart Is Stewart McBain (Character) $1.0M 1990
9% 49% Meet the Applegates Aunt Bea (Character) $274.8K 1990
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Applegates Aunt Bea (Character) - 1990
No Score Yet No Score Yet Maybe Baby Hal (Character) - 1988
0% 40% Hot to Trot Walter Sawyer (Character) $6.4M 1988
No Score Yet No Score Yet And Baby Makes Three Hal (Character) - 1988
No Score Yet No Score Yet Baby M Gary Skoloff (Character) - 1988
No Score Yet No Score Yet Guilty of Innocence: The Lenell Geter Story Ed Sigel (Character) - 1987
50% 41% Dragnet Jerry Caesar (Character) $56.0M 1987
No Score Yet No Score Yet Sworn to Silence Martin Costigan (Character) - 1987
No Score Yet No Score Yet Plaza Suite Jesse Kiplinger (Character) - 1987
No Score Yet No Score Yet Murrow CBS Chairman William Paley (Character) - 1986
47% 40% The Man With One Red Shoe Cooper (Character) - 1985
85% 76% The Muppets Take Manhattan Martin Price/Murray Plotsky (Character) - 1984
67% 56% Cloak and Dagger Jack Flack/Hal Osborne (Character) - 1984
94% 76% WarGames Dr. John McKittrick (Character) - 1983
91% 81% Tootsie Ron Carlisle (Character) - 1982
35% 34% Young Doctors in Love Dr. Joseph Prang (Character) - 1982
No Score Yet 38% Callie & Son Randall Bordeaux (Character) - 1981
91% 87% On Golden Pond Bill Ray (Character) - 1981
No Score Yet 31% Modern Problems Mark Winslow (Character) - 1981
No Score Yet No Score Yet Pray TV Marvin Fleece (Character) - 1980
No Score Yet 50% Nothing Personal Dickerson (Character) - 1980
92% 61% Melvin and Howard Judge Keith Hayes (Character) - 1980
69% 74% 9 to 5 Franklin M. Hart Jr. (Character) - 1980
No Score Yet 20% Pray TV a/k/a K-GOD Unknown (Character) - 1980
No Score Yet No Score Yet KGOD Marvin Fleece (Character) - 1980
No Score Yet 50% When She Was Bad... Jack Wilson (Character) - 1979
86% 71% North Dallas Forty Emmett Hunter (Character) - 1979
No Score Yet 42% How to Beat the High Cost of Living Jack Heintzel (Character) - 1979
No Score Yet No Score Yet More Than Friends Joshua "Josh" Harrington (Character) - 1978
No Score Yet No Score Yet Maneaters Are Loose! McCallum (Character) - 1978
14% 12% Viva Knievel! Ralph Thompson (Character) - 1977
80% 77% Rolling Thunder Maxwell (Character) - 1977
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Quality of Mercy Unknown (Character) - 1976
No Score Yet 47% Kiss Me... Kill Me Capt. Logan (Character) - 1976
No Score Yet 79% The Other Side of the Mountain Dave McCoy (Character) - 1975
73% 54% Bite the Bullet Jack Parker (Character) - 1975
No Score Yet 19% Black Fist Heineken (Character) - 1975
No Score Yet No Score Yet Returning Home Al Stephenson (Character) - 1975
No Score Yet No Score Yet Attack on Terror: The FBI vs. the Ku Klux Klan Paul Mathison (Character) - 1975
67% 55% Bad Ronald Mr. Wood (Character) - 1974
68% 72% The Towering Inferno Deputy Chief 1 (Character) - 1974
No Score Yet 77% The Dove Charles Huntley (Character) - 1974
No Score Yet No Score Yet House of Evil Unknown (Character) - 1974
No Score Yet No Score Yet Dying Room Only Bob Mitchell (Character) - 1973
56% 61% Cinderella Liberty Executive Officer (Character) - 1973
No Score Yet 40% Savage Ted Seligson (Character) - 1972
No Score Yet 50% The President's Plane Is Missing Sen. Bert Haines (Character) - 1971
85% 58% Downhill Racer Mayo (Character) - 1969
No Score Yet 54% The Trouble With Girls Harrison Wilby (Character) - 1969
70% 58% The Scalphunters Jed (Character) - 1968
64% 75% This Property Is Condemned Salesman (Character) - 1966
71% 74% The Slender Thread Charlie (Character) - 1965

TV

Credit
69% 91% For the People Donald (Guest Star) 2019
No Score Yet 83% NCIS Army Corporal John Sydney (Guest Star) 2019
72% 85% Ray Donovan Unknown (Guest Star) 2016
92% 95% Boardwalk Empire Commodore Louis Kaestner (Character) 2010-2011
78% 83% Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Frank Hager (Guest Star) 2009
45% 43% Heartland Unknown (Guest Star) 2007
25% No Score Yet Courting Alex Bill Rose (Character) 2006
No Score Yet 83% The Guardian Unknown (Character) 2001-2004
No Score Yet No Score Yet Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child Unknown (Voice) 2000
21% No Score Yet Madman of the People Jack "Madman" Buckner (Character) 1994-1995
14% No Score Yet Drexell's Class Otis Drexell (Character) 1991-1992
No Score Yet 81% Columbo Detective Murray (Guest Star) 1973 1991
No Score Yet No Score Yet The `Slap' Maxwell Story Slap Maxwell (Character) 1987-1988
No Score Yet 62% Saturday Night Live Host 1987
84% No Score Yet Buffalo Bill Bill Bittinger (Character) 1983-1984
No Score Yet No Score Yet Barnaby Jones Unknown (Guest Star) 1973 1975 1978-1979
No Score Yet No Score Yet Diff'rent Strokes Unknown (Guest Star) 1979
No Score Yet No Score Yet Tattletales Guest 1977
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Streets of San Francisco Andrew Horvath, Sr. (Guest Star) 1974 1976
No Score Yet No Score Yet Petrocelli Unknown (Character) 1976
No Score Yet No Score Yet Cannon Jack Sheffield (Guest Star) 1973 1976
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Mary Tyler Moore Show Congressman Phil Whitman (Guest Star) 1976
No Score Yet No Score Yet Mannix Howard Graham (Guest Star) 1972 1975
No Score Yet No Score Yet Kojak Alex Linden (Guest Star) 1974
No Score Yet No Score Yet Room 222 Unknown (Guest Star) 1970 1973
No Score Yet No Score Yet Dan August Rick Bessett (Guest Star) 1970
No Score Yet No Score Yet Bonanza Unknown (Guest Star) 1968-1969
No Score Yet No Score Yet Mod Squad John (Guest Star) 1968
No Score Yet No Score Yet Iron Horse Unknown (Guest Star) 1967
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Flying Nun Unknown (Guest Star) 1967
No Score Yet 54% I Dream of Jeannie Captain Dan Yardley (Guest Star) 1965 1967
No Score Yet No Score Yet That Girl Dr. Leon Bessemer (Character) 1966-1967
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Fugitive Steve (Guest Star) 1964-1966
No Score Yet No Score Yet 12 O'Clock High Unknown (Guest Star) 1966
No Score Yet No Score Yet Hazel Unknown (Guest Star) 1965
92% 90% The Outer Limits James Custer (Character) 1964
No Score Yet No Score Yet Alfred Hitchcock Hour Unknown (Character) 1963-1964
No Score Yet No Score Yet Dr. Kildare Unknown (Guest Star) 1964
No Score Yet No Score Yet Ben Casey Dr. Bobby Bainbridge (Guest Star) 1963