Gary Cole Biography

Gary Michael Cole (born September 20, 1956) is an American actor. Cole began his professional acting career on stage at Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre Company in 1985. On television, he had starring roles in the series Midnight Caller, American Gothic, Crusade, and Veep. In film, Cole appeared in The Brady Bunch Movie, One Hour Photo, Office Space, Dodgeball, and Talladega Nights. Cole is also known for voicing the title character of Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law.

Early life

Gary Michael Cole was born on September 20, 1956 in Park Ridge, Illinois, and raised in Rolling Meadows, Illinois. His father, Robert, was a school administrative assistant, and his mother, Lois (ne Gotha), was a director of finance. Cole has an older sister, Nancy. 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. Cole attended Illinois State University, where he studied theater as a classmate with other future actors Laurie Metcalf and John Malkovich.

Career

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. In an early role Cole played an accused Army triple-murderer Capt Jeffrey MacDonald in the mini-series Fatal Vision. Cole has 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: </ref>}} 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, he is also 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, fourth, and fifth 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 Principal Shepherd on Family Guy.

Personal life

Cole married actress Teddi Siddall on March 8, 1992. Their daughter Mary is pursuing an acting career. On June 19, 2017, the couple announced they were divorcing.

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1973	The Godfather Part 1 1/2: A Day in Little Italy	Sonny	Super8 film shot while Gary was in high school, re-edited in 2011
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
1996	For My Daughter's Honor	Pete Nash
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	Divine Access	Reverend Guy Roy Davis
2015	Christmas Eve	Dr. Roberts	Also known as Stuck
2015	The Bronze	Stan Greggory
2016	Hot Air	Aviator
2017	Small Crimes	Lieutenant Pleasant

Television

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	47 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
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	Kim Possible: A Sitch in Time	Dr. James Timothy Possible (voice)	Television film
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	14 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
2011-2016	Suits	Cameron Dennis	9 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"
2012-2016	Bob's Burgers	Sergeant Bosco (voice)	6 episodes
2012	The List	Chief Inspector Bob McKinnon	Pilot
2013-present	Veep	Kent Davison	38 episodes Nominated "? Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series (2014) Nominated "? Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series (2013-16)
2014-2015	Archer	Special Agent Hawley (voice)	6 episodes
2014	Phineas and Ferb	Principal Lang (voice)	Episode: "Doof 101/Father's Day"
2014	The Tom and Jerry Show	Narrator (voice)	3 episodes
2014	The Legend of Korra	Dai Li Sergeant (voice)	2 episodes
2014-2017	Penn Zero: Part-Time Hero	Brock Zero (voice)	10 episodes
2015	Mr. Robinson	Neville Rex	Episode: "Flesh for Fantasy"
2015	Rick and Morty	Jerry's Doctor (voice)	Episode: "Interdimensional Cable 2: Tempting Fate"
2015-2017	F Is for Family	Rodger Dunbarton (voice)	6 episodes
2016	Angie Tribeca	Professor Everett	Episode: "Pilot"
2016-2017	Mercy Street	James Green, Sr.	12 episodes
2016	Unforgettable	Detective Clay Tendler	Episode: "Bad Company"
2016	Angel from Hell	Stephen Williams	Episode: "Believe Me, Part 2"
2016	We Bare Bears	CEO (voice)	Episode: "Fashion Bears"
2016	Justice League Action	Black Adam (voice)	2 episodes
2017	The Good Fight	Kurt McVeigh	3 episodes

Direct-to-video

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)

Video game

• 2016: Hitman (Himself)