Ben Koldyke

Benjamin Koldyke (born March 27, 1968) is an American actor. He is best known for playing Don Frank on How I Met Your Mother (2009–2010), Lee Standish in Work It (2012), and Greg Gibbon on Gortimer Gibbon's Life On Normal Street (2014–2016).

Ben Koldyke
Born
Benjamin Koldyke

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

Early life and education

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;[2] 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 from high school, he did a post-graduate year at 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.[3]

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.[4]

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.[5]

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.[6] 2013 saw him star in another ABC sitcom, Back in the Game, opposite James Caan and Maggie Lawson.[7] He had a significant arc on Showtime's Masters of Sex as teacher and football coach Paul Edley,[8] and played male chauvinist Brent throughout the final season of The Good Place.[9] In 2021 he had a recurring role on season 1 of Peacock sitcom Rutherford Falls.[10]

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

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)
2021 Rutherford Falls Dudley 'Duz' Rutherford Recurring

References
  1. "Ben Koldyke Selling Updated 1920s Santa Monica Craftsman". Variety. February 9, 2018. Retrieved February 10, 2018.
  2. Lyon, Jeff (May 15, 1988). "Grabbing the Wheel". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
  3. "Ben Koldyke biography". TVGuide.com. Retrieved August 10, 2015.
  4. Nellie Andreeva; AP (October 21, 2008). "Rookie takes lead in Fox's 'Boldly'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 7, 2016.
  5. Waterman, Lauren (January 30, 2001). "Ben Koldyke Talks Dale's Twist on Big Love". Vulture. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
  6. Andriakos, Jacqueline (January 14, 2012). "Work it is cancelled by ABC". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
  7. Lacey Rose (August 4, 2013). "Cullen Brothers, James Caan Preview ABC's 'Back in the Game'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 7, 2016.
  8. Petski, Denise. "Brent Sexton Joins Amazon's 'Bosch'". Deadline. Retrieved January 7, 2016.
  9. Dan, Hamamura (November 8, 2019). "Ben Koldyke Forking Kills It (Plus Easter Eggs) In This Week's 'The Good Place'!". Pajiba.com. Retrieved February 18, 2020.
  10. "'Rutherford Falls': Ed Helms in a Culture Clash". Rolling Stone. April 21, 2021. Retrieved May 5, 2021.
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