Ben Koldyke

Benjamin "Ben" Koldyke (born March 27, 1968) is an American actor.

Benjamin Koldyke
Born (1968-03-27) March 27, 1968
Chicago, Illinois, US
OccupationActor
Years active2000–present
Spouse(s)
​
​
(m. 2015; div. 2017)​
[1]

Career

Originally a high school English teacher and football coach in Chicago, Koldyke's acting career received a jump start after a chance encounter with It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia creator-star, Rob McElhenney. Regulars at the same Venice cafe, he covered Rob's tab with a note that said he "thought his show was fantastic," and this exchange led to Koldyke's first TV pilot, Boldly Going Nowhere for Fox, a few years later.[2]

After Boldly was not picked up, Koldyke went on to recur as Dale Tomasson in the HBO series Big Love and as Don Frank in How I Met Your Mother for CBS.[3]

In 2012, Koldyke starred as the lead character in the short-lived ABC comedy series Work It and later guest starred in HBO's The Newsroom.[4] 2013 saw him star in another ABC sitcom, Back in the Game, opposite James Caan and Maggie Lawson.[5] He had a significant arc on Showtime's Masters of Sex as teacher and football coach Paul Edley,[6] and played male chauvinist Brent throughout the final season of The Good Place.[7]

Koldyke was seen on the big screen in 2016 in a supporting role for Disney's The Finest Hours alongside Chris Pine, Casey Affleck, Eric Bana, and Ben Foster.

Personal life

Koldyke was born in Chicago, Illinois, and grew up in nearby Kenilworth. His father, Martin J. "Mike" Koldyke, is a former investment banker who founded Frontenac Company in Chicago and is a life trustee of Northwestern University;[8] through his mother, Patricia Blunt Koldyke, he is a member of the family that controls Laird Norton Company, an investment company with roots in the timber industry of the Pacific Northwest.

After graduating high school, he did a post-graduate year at esteemed Choate Rosemary Hall. He graduated in 1991 from Dartmouth College, where he earned a bachelor's degree in English and was a quarterback for the football team.[9]

On August 8, 2015, Koldyke married actress Maggie Lawson in a ceremony at his family's ranch in Las Vegas, New Mexico. In early 2017, Lawson filed for divorce from Koldyke.[1]

Filmography

Film
Year Title Role Notes
2000 The Next Best Thing Kelly's Boyfriend
2000 Thirteen Days RF-8 Pilot
2001 Red Zone Dutch Van Roble Also writer and director
2002 Osama Bin Laden: Behind the Madness Writer and director
2003 Say I Do Ben
2003 Stuck on You Officer Tommy Johnson
2008 Jedi Gym Master Flynn Short film, also writer and director
2016 The Finest Hours Sam

Television
Year Title Role Notes
2002 24 LAPD Officer Episode: "Day 2: 10:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m."
2009 Boldly Going Nowhere TV pilot
2009 It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia Sean Episode: "The Gang Exploits the Mortgage Crisis"
2009 The Big D Will Dupree TV pilot
2009 This Little Piggy TV pilot
2010 Big Love Dale Tomasson 5 episodes
2009–2010 How I Met Your Mother Don Frank 6 episodes
2012 Work It Lee Standish Series regular, 11 episodes
2013 The Newsroom Cyrus West Episode: "First Thing We Do, Let's Kill All the Lawyers"
2013 Back in the Game Dick Slingbaugh Series regular
2014-2016 Gortimer Gibbon's Life on Normal Street Greg Gibbon Recurring
2015 Mr. Robinson Jimmy Series regular
2015 Masters of Sex Paul Edley Recurring
2017 Curb Your Enthusiasm Dave Episode: "The Accidental Text on Purpose"
2018 Silicon Valley Ben Episode: "Chief Operating Officer"
2019 The Good Place Brent Norwalk Recurring (season 4)

References
  1. "Ben Koldyke Selling Updated 1920s Santa Monica Craftsman". Variety. February 9, 2018. Retrieved February 10, 2018.
  2. Nellie Andreeva; AP (21 October 2008). "Rookie takes lead in Fox's 'Boldly'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 7 January 2016.
  3. Waterman, Lauren (2001-01-30). "Ben Koldyke Talks Dale's Twist on Big Love". Vulture. Retrieved 2019-12-11.
  4. Andriakos, Jacqueline (2012-01-14). "Work it is cancelled by ABC". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2019-12-11.
  5. Lacey Rose (4 August 2013). "Cullen Brothers, James Caan Preview ABC's 'Back in the Game'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 7 January 2016.
  6. Petski, Denise. "Brent Sexton Joins Amazon's 'Bosch'". Deadline. Retrieved 7 January 2016.
  7. Dan, Hamamura (2019-11-08). "Ben Koldyke Forking Kills It (Plus Easter Eggs) In This Week's 'The Good Place'!". Pajiba.com. Retrieved 2020-02-18.
  8. Lyon, Jeff (15 May 1988). "Grabbing the Wheel". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
  9. "Ben Koldyke biography". TVGuide.com. Retrieved 10 August 2015.
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