Actor Dabney Coleman, '9 to 5' And 'Tootsie' Curmudgeon, Dead At 92

LOS ANGELES, CA — Dabney Coleman, a prolific character actor known for his roles as villainous egotists and endearing curmudgeons, including the misogynist corporate boss in the 1980 movie "9 to 5," has died in Santa Monica at the age of 92, his family announced Friday.

Coleman died Thursday at his home, his daughter Quincy Coleman told The Hollywood Reporter.

"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,” she said. “As he lived, he moved through this final act of his life with elegance, excellence and mastery."

She added, "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."

Coleman maintained a constant presence on television throughout his five-decade career.

In addition "9 to 5," in which he starred opposite Dolly Parton, Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda, Coleman is remembered for playing the egomaniacal soap opera director in the 1982 film `Tootsie. His character's sexist attitude inspired the film's title.

On television, the Emmy and Golden Globe winner stood out as one of the busiest character actors of the 1960s. He made his mark on the soap opera spoof "Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman," which ran for two seasons, starting in 1976.

"The big thing that turned everything around was `Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman' … No one knew I could do comedy until that time," Coleman told Vulture in 2010.

He also earned acclaim with leading roles on the sitcom "The Slap Maxwell Story" and the legal drama "The Guardian."

Coleman played an egotistical, insecure talk show host on the critically acclaimed NBC sitcom "Buffalo Bill." Although Coleman earned two Emmy nominations for his performance, the series struggled to find an audience.

His sharp comic timing and distinctive Texas drawl helped him forge a memorable career as a recognizable and unexpectedly likable screen actor. Coleman had a mustache, and he said it factored into his success.

"Without the mustache, I looked too much like Richard Nixon. And that's true. It's a fact. There's no question that when I grew that mustache, all of a sudden, everything changed," Coleman told Vulture.

Coleman was born Jan. 3, 1932, in Austin, Texas. He attended the Virginia Military Institute and spent two years in the service before returning to Austin and the University of Texas. Initially pursuing a law degree, he switched paths and earned a Drama degree from the university in 1954.

Coleman moved to New York City and became part of the emerging talent scene, immersing himself in Method Acting studies at The Neighborhood Playhouse School.

While in New York, he showcased his skills in regional theater productions and made his Broadway debut in the play "A Call on Kuprin." However, the allure of a movie and television career led him to relocate to Los Angeles in 1962.

He quickly found work as an actor and landed guest spots on multiple television shows, including recurring character runs on ABC's "That Girl" and "The Fugitive."

Meanwhile, he was starting to make appearances on the big screen, landing roles in the Sydney Pollack films "The Slender Thread" in 1965 and "This Property Is Condemned" in 1966. Coleman also appeared in a 1969 Elvis Presley movie, "The Trouble with Girls.”

In the 1970s, Coleman became one of the busiest guest stars on television. In addition to his role on "Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman," he played the recurring role of a doctor on the NBC soap opera "Bright Promise.”

He appeared in the 1974 disaster classic "Towering Inferno" and in the 1979 football comedy "North Dallas Forty."

By the time he gained widespread recognition in the blockbuster comedy "9 to 5", Coleman already boasted 100 film and television appearances.

In 1981, he re-teamed with Jane Fonda to play a romantic couple in the family drama film "On Golden Pond."

A year later, he would play a womanizing director in Sydney Pollack's "Tootsie," which starred Dustin Hoffman as an unsuccessful actor who adopts a female persona in order to secure a role on a soap opera.

Coleman's career took a more serious role in the 1983 film "WarGames." He played a military computer programmer who must avert disaster when a teen hacker, played by Matthew Broderick, unintentionally ignites an international nuclear weapons incident.

Coleman won an Ace award nomination for his portrayal of CBS network executive William S. Paley in the 1986 HBO biopic "Murrow."

The following year, he won an Emmy for Best Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Special for his performance in the ABC 1987 legal drama ``Sworn to Silence."

Coleman was cast as a curmudgeonly sportswriter in the short-lived ``The 'Slap' Maxwell Story," which ran on ABC from 1987 to 1988. He won a Golden Globe for Best Actor - Television Series Musical or Comedy.

The 1990s saw Coleman taking on a number of television roles, including playing a cranky, middle school teacher in the 1991 Fox series ``Drexell's Class." He also had supporting film roles in the 1993 comedies ``Amos and Andrew" and ``The Beverly Hillbillies."

Back on television in 1994, Coleman played an opinionated magazine columnist in the NBC sitcom ``Madman of the People."

Coleman closed out the decade with supporting roles in the movie ``You've Got Mail," the Hallmark Channel romantic comedy ``My Date with the President's Daughter." Both movies were released in 1998. The following year, he reteamed with Broderick in the 1999 movie ``Inspector Gadget."

Along the way, Coleman was also doing voice work. He voiced the role of Principal Prickly on the Disney Channel animated series ``Recess," which ran from 1997 to 2003. The series led to a 2001 movie spin-off, ``Recess: School's Out," with Coleman reprising his role.

In 2002, Coleman landed in a successful television series, the CBS dark drama ``The Guardian." It focused on a family law firm headed by Coleman and his son, played by Simon Baker, who battles a drug addiction.

Back on the big screen, Coleman had a memorable role as a land developer in the 2002 romantic drama ``Moonlight Mile," opposite Hoffman and Jake Gyllenhaal. The film was about a young man coping with the death of his fiancée.

Other roles in the 2000s included Coleman playing Jenna Elfman's father on the CBS sitcom, ``Courting Alex" in 2006 and a recurring role on the TNT medical drama ``Heartland" in 2007, He also appeared in Martin Scorsese's highly praised ``Boardwalk Empire" on HBO in 2011 and 2012.

Coleman had a guest role as Kevin Costner's dying father in the USA series ``Yellowstone” in 2018.

In addition to Quincy, survivors include his other children, Randy, Kelly and Meghan, and his grandchildren, Hale, Gabe, Luie, Kai and Coleman.

City News Service