Image source, Getty Images
Dabney Coleman, best known for his portrayal of villainous characters in films such as Tootsie and 9 to 5, has died at the age of 92.
His daughter told American media that the man, originally from Austin, Texas, died at his home in Santa Monica, California.
Mr. Coleman began his career on Broadway in the 1960s.
He later became known as an actor in a variety of television and film roles, as well as for his distinctive mustache.
One of his breakthrough roles was as a scheming politician in the 1970s TV series Marie Hartmann.
In the 1980 film 9 to 5, he starred opposite Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, and Dolly Parton, playing Franklin Hart Jr. – their obnoxious, sexist boss.
His character in the 1982 film Tootsie was similarly lacking in redeeming qualities, as was the title character in Buffalo Bill, the NBC comedy series in which Mr. Coleman later starred.
Image source, Getty Images
But while he’s best known for playing bad guys for laughs, he’s also taken on a range of dramatic roles and voice-over work.
“Acting is acting, in my opinion,” he told an interviewer in 2012 about the shifts in his career. “And if you can’t make that adjustment, then something is terribly wrong.”
Mr. Coleman has won an Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award for his television appearances.
He most recently appeared in the Western drama Yellowstone, and had a recurring role as an influential businessman in the HBO gangster epic Boardwalk Empire.
“My father spent his time here on Earth with an inquisitive mind, a generous heart, and a spirit ablaze with passion, desire and humor that tickled humanity’s funny bone,” his daughter, singer Quincy Coleman, told The Hollywood Reporter.
“Throughout his life, he went through this final chapter of his life with elegance, distinction and mastery,” she said.
