Born: September 20, 1956
Age: 68
Birthplace: Park Ridge, Illinois, U.S.
Gary Michael Cole (born September 20, 1956) is an American actor. He began his professional acting career on stage at the Steppenwolf Theatre Company in 1985. On television, he had starring roles in the series Midnight Caller, American Gothic and Crusade. On film, Cole had lead and supporting roles in The Brady Bunch Movie, One Hour Photo, Office Space, Dodgeball and Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby. Cole is also known for voicing the title character of Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law.
He currently plays Kent Davidson on the HBO comedy series, Veep for which he received his first Primetime Emmy Award nomination.
Cole was born in Park Ridge, Illinois and raised in Rolling Meadows, Illinois. His father was a school administrative assistant and his mother was a director of finance. While attending Rolling Meadows High School, Cole made his acting debut as Snoopy in a high school production of You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown. He later attended Illinois State University, where he studied theater with actors Laurie Metcalf and John Malkovich.
Cole began his professional career in 1983 as a stage actor in Chicago, where he joined the ensemble of the Steppenwolf Theatre Company in 1985. An early role was as accused Army triple-murderer Capt. Jeffrey MacDonald in the mini-series Fatal Vision. He also appeared in several off-Broadway productions in New York City. He has done voice work on several animated series (Family Guy, Kim Possible, Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law) and had a recurring role on the drama The West Wing as Vice President Bob Russell. He also starred as Captain Matthew Gideon on the short-lived Babylon 5 spin-off Crusade, and had notable guest appearances on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and Arrested Development. He also played Joe Maxwell on DCOM Cadet Kelly and appeared as real-life astronaut Edgar Mitchell in HBO's recreation of Project Apollo, From the Earth to the Moon. One of his most notable roles in 1991 was as General Custer in the much acclaimed television film Son of the Morning Star.
Between 1988 and 1991, Cole became popular on TV for playing the part of Jack "Nighthawk" Killian in the series Midnight Caller. In 1999, Cole starred in the film Office Space, in which he portrayed the sadistic office supervisor Bill Lumbergh. When asked about the oft-quoted character, Cole said:
“ | "Everyone in Office Space thought that this movie had died. So that's how I knew the movie was actually some kind of success because people were coming up doing some lines from the movie ... It never gets old because it reminds you that something you did had some impact. You could work your whole career and have nothing like that last that long." | ” |
He played The Brady Bunch patriarch Mike Brady in the 1995 film The Brady Bunch Movie, the 1996 sequel A Very Brady Sequel, and the 2002 television film The Brady Bunch in the White House.
Cole starred as Lt. Conrad Rose on the TNT series Wanted, is the voice of the title character on the Adult Swim series Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law, and starred as Sheriff Lucas Buck on the one season 1995 show, American Gothic. Cole also appeared in the films Talladega Nights, Forever Strong, and American Pastime.
Cole played Katherine Mayfair's ex-husband Wayne on Desperate Housewives and has more recently played the dangerous drug lord Ted Jones in Pineapple Express with Seth Rogen and James Franco. He also appeared in an episode from the third season of the USA Network series Psych as S.W.A.T. commander Cameron Luntz. Cole also played Bill Owens, Sy Parrish's (Robin Williams) boss, in the film One Hour Photo.
In 2008, Cole appeared on Chuck as Sarah's con-artist father (in "Chuck Versus the DeLorean"), a role which he reprised in 2011 (in "Chuck Versus the Wedding Planner"). He also appeared in the fifth season of HBO's Entourage playing Ari Gold's old pal Andrew Klein for a 3-episode story arc prior to joining the regular cast in the sixth season.
Cole had a guest-appearance on the fourth season of the HBO series True Blood, playing Sookie Stackhouse's grandfather.
In 2011, Cole joined Fox's comedy pilot Tagged, but the series was not picked up.
In 2013, Cole began a recurring role on Suits as Cameron Dennis, the former mentor of Harvey Specter, one of the show's main characters. Also in 2013, Cole began a major recurring role as Kent Davison on the HBO comedy series Veep, and has appeared throughout the second, third, and fourth seasons of the show. In 2014, he was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for his work in the third season.
Cole currently provides the voice of Sergeant Boscoe on Bob's Burgers and Principle Shepard on Family Guy.
Cole married actress Teddi Siddall on March 8, 1992 and has one daughter Mary who is pursuing her acting career.
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1985 | To Live and Die in L.A. | Man Chased by Richard Chance | Uncredited |
1986 | Lucas | Assistant Coach | |
1993 | In the Line of Fire | Secret Service Presidential Detail Agent-In-Charge Bill Watts | |
1995 | The Brady Bunch Movie | Mike Brady | |
1996 | A Very Brady Sequel | Mike Brady | |
1997 | Santa Fe | Paul Thomas | |
1997 | Gang Related | Richard Simms | |
1997 | Cyclops, Baby | Manks | |
1998 | A Simple Plan | Neil Baxter | |
1998 | Kiss the Sky | Marty | |
1998 | I'll Be Home for Christmas | Jake's Dad | |
1999 | Office Space | Bill Lumbergh | |
2000 | The Gift | David Duncan | |
2001 | The Rising Place | Avery Hodge | |
2002 | One Hour Photo | Bill Owens | |
2002 | I Spy | Carlos | |
2004 | Win a Date with Tad Hamilton! | Henry Futch | |
2004 | Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story | Cotton McKnight | |
2005 | The Ring Two | Martin Savide | |
2005 | Mozart and the Whale | Wallace | |
2005 | Cry Wolf | Mr. Matthews | |
2006 | Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby | Reese Bobby | |
2007 | My Wife Is Retarded | Doctor Heichman | Short film |
2007 | American Pastime | Billy Burrell | |
2007 | Breach | Rich Garces | |
2007 | Goodnight Vagina | Dr. Milstein | Short film |
2008 | Say Hello to Stan Talmadge | Stan Talmadge | |
2008 | Conspiracy | Rhodes | |
2008 | Pineapple Express | Ted Jones | |
2008 | Forever Strong | Coach Larry Gelwix | |
2009 | Extract | Bar Patron | Uncredited |
2009 | The Joneses | Larry | |
2010 | Immortality Bites | Dr. Levine | |
2011 | Hop | Henry O'Hare | |
2011 | The Chicago 8 | Bill Kunstler | |
2011 | The Last Rites of Joe May | Lenny | |
2013 | Vamp U | Arthur Levine | |
2014 | Date and Switch | Dwayne | |
2014 | Tammy | Earl | |
2014 | Cotton | Clay Peaks | Hollywood Reel Independent Film Festival Award for Best Actor |
2014 | The Town That Dreaded Sundown | Chief Deputy Tillman | |
2015 | Christmas Eve | Dr. Roberts | Also known as Stuck |
2015 | The Bronze | Stan Greggory |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1983 | Heart of Steel | Lee | Television film |
1984 | Fatal Vision | Captain Jeffrey MacDonald, MD | Television film |
1984 | American Playhouse | Man with Xmas Tree | Episode: "A Matter of Principle" |
1985 | First Steps | Manny | Television film |
1985 | The Twilight Zone | Daniel Gaddis | Episode: "Her Pilgrim Soul" |
1986 | Vital Signs | Dr. Hayward | Television film |
1986 | Miami Vice | Jackson Crane | Episode: "Trust Fund Pirates" |
1986 | Jack and Mike | Chris Sykes | Episode: "Pilot" |
1987 | Moonlighting | Alan McClafferty | 2 episodes |
1987 | Echoes in the Darkness | Jack Holtz | Television film |
1988-91 | Midnight Caller | Jack 'Nighthawk' Killian | 61 episodes |
1989 | Those She Left Behind | Scott Grimes | Television film |
1990 | The Old Man and the Sea | Tom Pruitt | Television film |
1991 | Son of the Morning Star | George Armstrong Custer | Television film |
1993 | The Switch | Larry McAfee | Television film |
1993 | When Love Kills: The Seduction of John Hearn | John Hearn | Television film |
1994 | A Time to Heal | Jay Barton | Television film |
1994 | Rod Serling's Lost Classics | James | Television film |
1994 | Fall from Grace | Maj. Tom O'Neill | Television film |
1995-96 | American Gothic | Sheriff Lucas Buck | 22 episodes |
1996 | For My Daughter's Honor | Pete Nash | Television film |
1997 | Lies He Told | Dave | Television film |
1998 | Dead Man's Gun | Travis Everett Thornberry | Episode: "The Photographer" |
1998 | The Outer Limits | Detective Ray Venable | Episode: "Criminal Nature" |
1998 | From the Earth to the Moon | Ed Mitchell | Episode: "For Miles and Miles" |
1999 | Crusade | Capt. Matthew Gideon | 13 episodes |
1999 | Chicken Soup for the Soul | Dad | Episode: "Where's My Kiss, Then?" |
1999, 2001, 2004 | The Practice | Defense Attorney Solomon Tager / Atty. Brian Seabury | 3 episodes |
2000 | What About Joan | Justin | Episode: "You Can't Go Home Again" |
2000 | Family Law | Alan | Episode: "Human Error" |
2000 | Batman Beyond | Zeta (voice) | Episode: "Zeta" |
2000 | Touched by an Angel | Charlie Radcliff | Episode: "Pandora's Box" |
2000 | Frasier | Luke Parker | Episode: "The New Friend" |
2000-2007 | Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law | Harvey Birdman (voice) | 39 episodes |
2000-present | Family Guy | Principal Shepherd / Various voices | 36 episodes |
2001 | Neurotic Tendencies | Pilot | |
2001 | Justice League | J. Allen Carter (voice) | 3 episodes |
2002 | American Adventure | Chuck | Television film |
2002 | Cadet Kelly | Brigadier General / Commandant Joe "Sir" Maxwell | Television film |
2002 | The Brady Bunch in the White House | Mike Brady | Television film |
2003 | Kim Possible: A Stitch in Time | Dr. James Timothy Possible (voice) | Television film |
2002-2003 | Family Affair | William 'Bill' Davis | 15 episodes |
2002-2007 | Kim Possible | Dr. James Timothy Possible (voice) | 38 episodes |
2003 | Criminology 101 | Roy Franks | Pilot |
2003 | Hack | Johnny Scanlon | Episode: "Brothers in Arms" |
2003 | Monk | Dexter Larson | Episode: "Mr. Monk Meets the Playboy" |
2003 | Karen Sisco | Konner | 2 episodes |
2003-2006 | The West Wing | Vice President Bob Russell | 21 episodes |
2004 | Pop Rocks | Jerry "Dagger" Harden | Television film |
2005 | Kim Possible Movie: So the Drama | Dr. James Timothy Possible (voice) | Television film |
2004 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Xander Henry | Episode: "Brotherhood" |
2005 | Wanted | Lieutenant Conrad Rose | 13 episodes |
2005 | King of the Hill | Vance Gilbert (voice) | Episode: "Harlottown" |
2006 | That Guy | Gary | Pilot |
2006 | Company Town | Martin Amberson | Pilot |
2006 | Arrested Development | CIA Agent | Episode: "Exit Strategy" |
2007 | The Dukes of Hazzard: The Beginning | Balladeer (voice) | Television film |
2007 | Shark | Christian Chambers | Episode: "Blind Trust" |
2007 | Supernatural | Brad Redding | Episode: "Hollywood Babylon" |
2008 | Good Behavior | Dean West | Unaired series |
2008 | 12 Miles of Bad Road | Jerry Shakespeare | 6 episodes |
2008 | Desperate Housewives | Wayne Davis | 6 episodes |
2008 | Psych | Commander Cameron Luntz | Episode: "Gus Walks Into a Bank" |
2008, 2011 | Chuck | Jack Burton | 2 episodes |
2008-2010 | Entourage | Andrew Klein | 12 episodes |
2009 | The Cleaner | Davis Durham | 2 episodes |
2009 | Numb3rs | Shepard Crater | Episode: "Hangman" |
2010-2016 | The Good Wife | Kurt McVeigh | 10 episodes |
2010 | Uncle Nigel | Nigel | Pilot |
2010 | Funny or Die Presents | Lead FBI Agent | Episode: "201" |
2010-2012 | The Penguins of Madagascar | Commissioner Pervis McSlade (voice) | 4 episodes |
2010-2013 | Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated | Mayor Fred Jones Sr. (voice) | 21 episodes |
2010 | The Good Guys | Frank Savage | 2 episodes |
2010 | The Closer | Major Edward Dorcet | Episode: "War Zone" |
2011 | True Blood | Earl Stackhouse | Episode: "She's Not There" |
2011 | Curb Your Enthusiasm | Joe O'Donnell | Episode: "The Divorce" |
2011 | Ricochet | Judge Cato Laird | Television film |
2011 | Tagged | James Percy | Pilot |
2011-2013 | Suits | Cameron Dennis | 8 episodes |
2011 | Pound Puppies | Slick (voice) | Episode: "I Never Barked for My Father" |
2012 | An Officer and a Murderer | Col. Russell Williams | Television film |
2012 | Hart of Dixie | Dr. Ethan Hart | 2 episodes |
2012 | Scruples | Royce Franklin | Pilot |
2012 | 30 Rock | Roger | Episode: "Unwindulax" |
2012 | Royal Pains | Simon Braddock | Episode: "Who's Your Daddy" |
2012 | Wedding Band | Jack | Episode: "We Are Family" |
2012-2014 | Bob's Burgers | Sergeant Bosco (voice) | 4 episodes |
2012 | The List | Chief Inspector Bob McKinnon | Pilot |
2013-present | Veep | Kent Davison | Nominated — Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series Nominated — Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series |
2014-2015 | Archer | Special Agent Holly (voice) | 6 episodes |
2014 | The Tom and Jerry Show | Narrator (voice) | 3 episodes |
2014 | The Legend of Korra | Dai Li Sergeant (voice) | 2 episodes |
2014-present | Penn Zero: Part-Time Hero | Brock Zero (voice) | recurring role |
2015 | Rick and Morty | Jerry's Doctor (voice) | Episode: "Interdimensional Cable 2: Tempting Fate" |
2016 | Angie Tribeca | Professor Everett | Episode: "Pilot" |
2016 | Mercy Street | James Green, Sr. | 6 episodes |
2016 | Unforgettable | Detective Clay Tennler |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2010 | DC Showcase: The Spectre | Jim Corrigan / The Spectre (voice) | Short film |
2010 | Batman: Under the Red Hood | Bobo / James Gordon (voices) |