# Jack Coleman (actor)

John MacDonald Coleman (born February 21, 1958) is an American actor who has played the role of Steven Carrington in the 1980s prime time soap opera Dynasty (1982–1988), Noah Bennet in the NBC science-fiction drama series Heroes (2006–2010), State Senator Robert Lipton on The Office (2010–2013), and United States Senator William Bracken on the ABC series Castle (2012–2015).

## Early life and education

Coleman was born February 21, 1958, in Easton, Pennsylvania, in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania. He is a sixth-generation descendant of Benjamin Franklin. He attended Solebury School in Solesbury Township, Pennsylvania, and Duke University, where he decided to pursue acting as a career. After graduating from Duke in 1980, he attended Eugene O'Neill Theater Center in Waterford, Connecticut.

## Career

Coleman's first major role was in Days of Our Lives, where he appeared from 1981 to 1982 as the character of Jake Kositchek (aka The Salem Strangler). He also made an appearance on Celebrity Bullseye. In 1982, he joined the cast of Dynasty when he took over the role of Steven Carrington, one of the first gay characters on American television. Coleman played the role until the end of the show's eighth season in 1988.
He was a regular on the short-lived series Nightmare Cafe (1992), and appeared on the miniseries Kingdom Hospital (2004). He made guest appearances in The Net, CSI: Miami, Nip/Tuck, Without a Trace, Diagnosis: Murder, and Entourage. He co-starred as Alyson & Amanda Michalka's father in the Disney Channel Original Movie Cow Belles.
He was nominated for his performance in the play Stand-up Tragedy at the Mark Taper Forum, and won a Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award for his performance in Bouncers. He wrote the screenplays for Studio City, which he produced and acted in, and Can't Help Falling.

### Heroes

Coleman was a main cast member of science-fiction series Heroes, in which he played Noah Bennet. Coleman states about portraying the character, "It's a combination of the light and dark. I don't want to just be a moustache twirling villain." In 2015, he reprised his role as Noah Bennet in an "event miniseries" Heroes Reborn, which served as a continuation of the original Heroes storyline.

### 2010-present

Coleman appeared in an episode of The Mentalist in October 2010. He played the role of a wealthy, arrogant murder suspect named Max Winter. He also played a patient named Joe Dugan (a campaign manager of a New Jersey senator) in the House episode "Office Politics" in 2010.
In Hallmark Channel’s film Rock The House (2010), Coleman played a lawyer named Max who finds a way to reconnect with his daughter and his old sense of joy when he gets back together with his music-making friends from his teenaged years. Starting in November 2010, Coleman had a recurring role on The Office as Pennsylvania State Senator Robert Lipton, the love interest for both Angela Martin (Angela Kinsey) and Oscar Martinez (Oscar Nunez). He has appeared in the episodes "WUPHF.com", "Classy Christmas", "Michael's Last Dundies","Goodbye, Michael", "Jury Duty", "Fundraiser", "Free Family Portrait Studio", "New Guys", "Here Comes Treble", "The Boat", "The Whale", "Customer Loyalty" and "Vandalism".
From 2011 to 2012, Coleman played Bill Forbes on the third season of the CW drama The Vampire Diaries. In 2011, he appeared on the CBS drama Criminal Minds, playing Bill Rogers, a serial rapist, in the episode "Hope". In July 2012, it was announced that Coleman joined the fifth season of Castle as a new antagonist for Stana Katic’s character Kate Beckett. He has appeared in the episodes "After the Storm", "Recoil", "In the Belly of the Beast", "Veritas", "XY", and "XX" playing Senator William H Bracken.
Coleman joined USA Network’s Burn Notice as a recurring part of the drama's truncated (13-episode) seventh and final season. He played Andrew Strong, a ranking CIA officer who has seen it all. Noble, but also obsessive at times, Strong is a relentless taskmaster who pushes Michael (Jeffrey Donovan) to do whatever it takes to complete the mission.
In 2013, he played the closeted gay husband Daniel Douglas Langston of conservative Vice President Sally Langston on Scandal. In February 2014, he appeared in CSI: Crime Scene Investigation Season 14 Episode 15 – "Love for Sale".
In 2019, he starred in the film adaptation of Graham Farrow's award-winning, critically acclaimed stage play Rattlesnakes.

## Personal life

Coleman married actress Beth Toussaint in 1996. They have a daughter, Tess, born in 1999.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
| 1988 | The Pursuit of Happiness | Stan | |
| 1994 | Foreign Student | Rex Jennings | |
| 1997 | Spawn | Doctor | |
| 1997 | Time Under Fire | Lance McCarthy | |
| 1998 | The Landlady | Patrick Forman | |
| 2003 | Studio City | Andrew Mason | |
| 2008 | Beautiful Loser | Jimmy | |
| 2011 | The Contract | The Patron | Short |
| 2013 | Emit | Rance Wofford | Short |
| 2015 | The Tank | Reed Baker | |
| 2016 | The Submarine Kid | Mr.Koll | |
| 2019 | Rattlesnakes | Richie Hanson | |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1981–82 | Days of Our Lives | Jake Kositchek | Main role |
| 1982–88 | Dynasty | Steven Carrington | Main role 148 episodes |
| 1984 | Glitter | Rusty Walker | Episode: "In Tennis, Love Means Nothing" |
| 1985 | Finder of Lost Loves | Dr. Eric Jordan | Episode: "Wayward Dreams" |
| 1985 | The Love Boat | Scott Barrett | Episode: "The Racer's Edge" |
| 1986 | The Colbys | Steven Carrington | Episode: "The Wedding" |
| 1989 | Bridesmaids | Matt | Television film |
| 1990 | Daughter of Darkness | Devlin | Television film |
| 1990 | Children of the Bride | Dennis | Television film |
| 1991 | The Return of Eliot Ness | Gil Labine | Television film |
| 1992 | Nightmare Cafe | Frank Nolan | Main role (6 episodes) |
| 1993 | Rubdown | Marion Pooley | Television film |
| 1995 | Trapped in Space | Grant | Television film |
| 1995 | Diagnosis: Murder | Eddie Gault | Episode: "A Blast from the Past" |
| 1995 | Burke's Law | Ted D'Arcy | Episode: "Who Killed the Sweet Smell of Success?" |
| 1995 | Touched by an Angel | Jeff Ritchy | Episode: "Angels on the Air" |
| 1997 | Angels in the Endzone | Peter Harper | Television film |
| 1997 | Medusa's Child | Dean Cooper | Television film |
| 1998 | The Naked Truth | Colin Terell | 2 episodes |
| 1998–2000 | Oh Baby | Rick | Recurring role (11 episodes) |
| 1998 | The Net | Dr. Steven Graf | Episode: "Transplant" |
| 1999 | Replacing Dad | Dr. Mark Chandler | Television film |
| 1999 | Last Rites | Agent Gary Blake | Television film |
| 2001 | Special Unit 2 | George Armstrong | Episode: "The Drag" |
| 2001 | Providence | Larry | Episode: "The Mating Dance" |
| 2002 | Becker | Tony | Episode: "The 100th" |
| 2003 | According to Jim | Sean Curran | Episode: "No Harm, No Fowl" |
| 2004 | Kingdom Hospital | Peter Rickman | Main role; 13 episodes |
| 2004 | Nip/Tuck | Dr. Avery Atherton | Episode: "Rose and Raven Rosenberg" |
| 2004 | CSI: Miami | Martin Gillespie | Episode: "Murder in a Flash" |
| 2004 | Without a Trace | Roy Ducek | Episode: "Trials" |
| 2006–10 | Heroes | Noah Bennet | Main role; 74 episodes |
| 2006 | Cow Belles | Reed Callum | Television film |
| 2006 | Entourage | Bradley | Episode: "What About Bob?" |
| 2009 | Polar Storm | Dr. James Mayfield | Television film |
| 2010 | The Mentalist | Max Winter | Episode: "Red Carpet Treatment" |
| 2010 | House | Joe Dugan | Episode: "Office Politics" |
| 2010–2013 | The Office | State Senator Robert Lipton | 14 episodes |
| 2011 | Rock the House | Max Peterson | Television film |
| 2011 | Criminal Minds | Bill Rogers | Episode: "Hope" |
| 2011–12 | The Vampire Diaries | Bill Forbes | 5 episodes |
| 2012 | Crash & Burn | Jack Coleman | Television film |
| 2012–14 | Ultimate Spider-Man | Doctor Strange, Announcer | Voice, 3 episodes |
| 2012–15 | Castle | Senator William H. Bracken | 6 episodes |
| 2013 | Burn Notice | Andrew Strong | 11 episodes |
| 2013 | Scandal | Daniel Douglas Langston | 6 episodes |
| 2014 | Salvation | Daniel | Television film |
| 2014 | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Jim Logan | Episode: "Love For Sale" |
| 2014 | Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. | Doctor Strange | Voice, episode: "Stranger in a Strange Land" |
| 2015 | Heroes Reborn | Noah Bennet | TV miniseries |
| 2015–2025 | Chicago P.D. | "Disco Bob" Ruzek | 4 episodes |
| 2015 | Avengers Assemble | Doctor Strange | Voice, episode: "Widow's Run" |
| 2017 | Do I Say I Do? | Robert | Television film |
| 2018 | How to Get Away with Murder | Mr. Dean | Episode: "He's a Bad Father" |
| 2018 | Hawaii Five-O | Agent Miller | 2 episodes |
| 2021 | Ordinary Joe | Dr. Douglas Banks | Recurring role |
| 2022 | Westworld | Senator Ken Whitney | Episode: "Well Enough Alone" |