Dabney Coleman, ‘9 to 5’ Actor, Dead at 92
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Dabney Coleman, the Emmy-winning actor known for roles in 9 to 5, Boardwalk Empire, and Tootsie, died Thursday at his home in Santa Monica. He was 92.
“My father crafted his time here on Earth with a curious mind, a generous heart, and a soul on fire with passion, desire and humor that tickled the funny bone of humanity,” his daughter Quincy Coleman said on Friday. “As he lived, he moved through this final act of his life with elegance, excellence and mastery.”
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“A teacher, a hero, and a king, Dabney Coleman is a gift and blessing in life and in death as his spirit will shine through his work, his loved ones and his legacy eternally,” she added.
Coleman worked in Hollywood for more than six decades, appearing in over 60 films and TV projects. Coleman was known to play jerks in many of his shows, including in the Dolly Parton, Lily Tomlin, and Jane Fonda-starring 9 to 5, where he played the sexist, egotistical boss Franklin Hart Jr. (A 2015 Rolling Stone revisit of the 1980 film said Coleman played the character “to smarmy mustachioed perfection.”)
“The girls were so supportive of me, and included me in everything,” he told Vulture in 2010 about working with the trio. “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!’”
Coleman won an Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie for his role in 1987’s Sworn to Silence. Overall, he earned a total of six Emmy nominations, including two for his role of the distasteful talk show host “Buffalo” Bill in 1983’s Buffalo Bill.
Coleman starred in films such as 1982’s Tootsie, 1983’s WarGames, 1984’s The Beverly Hillbillies, and 1999’s Inspector Gadget. He also voiced Principal Peter Prickley on ABC Kids’ Recess and played Louis “The Commodore” Kaestner on Boardwalk Empire.
The great Dabney Coleman literally created, or defined, really – in a uniquely singular way — an archetype as a character actor. He was so good at what he did it’s hard to imagine movies and television of the last 40 years without him. Xxx
— Ben Stiller (@BenStiller) May 17, 2024
Among other accolades, Coleman received a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a TV Series Musical or Comedy in 1988 for The Slap Maxwell, which he starred in alongside Megan Gallagher.
Ben Stiller remembered the actor in a tweet Friday, writing, “The great Dabney Coleman literally created, or defined, really – in a uniquely singular way — an archetype as a character actor.”
“He was so good at what he did it’s hard to imagine movies and television of the last 40 years without him,” Stiller added.
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