 dabney wharton coleman (born january 3, 1932) is an american actor best known for roles in the films 9 to 5, cloak & dagger, tootsie, wargames, you've got mail and on tv as louis "the commodore" kaestner in hbo's boardwalk empire and the voice of principal prickly in the animated series recess. ==early life== coleman was born in austin, texas, the son of mary wharton (nÃ©e johns) and melvin randolph coleman.dabney coleman biography (1931-) at filmreference.comdabney coleman biography at yahoo! movies he entered the virginia military institute in 1949, then studied law at the university of texas before turning to acting. he was drafted in 1953 to the u.s. army and served in europe. ==career== coleman is a character actor who has a wide range, with over 60 films to his credit. he trained with sanford meisner at the neighborhood playhouse school of the theater from 1958-60.http://completeactorstraining.wordpress.com/2011/07/21/the-meisner-community-list-of-meisner-based-actors/ early roles in his career included a us olympic skiing team coach in the robert redford 1969 film downhill racer, a high-ranking superior san francisco deputy fire chief to battalion chief steve mcqueen in the towering inferno (1974) and a wealthy westerner whose champion horse is entered in a long-distance race against that of gene hackman and others in bite the bullet (1975). he portrayed an fbi special agent in the nbc-tv movie attack on terror: the fbi vs. the ku klux klan (1975). he eventually landed the main antagonist part of franklin hart, jr., a sexist boss on whom three female office employees (jane fonda, dolly parton and lily tomlin) get their revenge in 1980's nine to five. it was this film that established coleman in the character type he is most identified with and has frequently played since - a comic relief villain. (he had played earlier versions of such characters in the elvis presley vehicle [[the trouble
1932_births 20th-century_American_male_actors 21st-century_American_male_actors American_male_film_actors American_male_television_actors Best_Musical_or_Comedy_Actor_Golden_Globe_(television)_winners Living_people Male_actors_from_Austin,_Texas Outstanding_Performance_by_a_Supporting_Actor_in_a_Miniseries_or_Movie_Primetime_Emmy_Award_winners United_States_Army_soldiers University_of_Texas_School_of_Law_alumni Virginia_Military_Institute_alumni