Benjamin Koldyke (born March 27, 1968) is an American actor. He is best known for playing Don Frank on ''
How I Met Your Mother
''How I Met Your Mother'' (often abbreviated as ''HIMYM'') is an American sitcom, created by Craig Thomas and Carter Bays for CBS. The series, which aired from September 19, 2005 to March 31, 2014, follows the main character, Ted Mosby, and ...
'' (2009–2010), Lee Standish in ''
Work It'' (2012), and Greg Gibbon on ''
Gortimer Gibbon's Life On Normal Street'' (2014–2016).
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
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world.
Chart ...
; 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
Choate Rosemary Hall (often known as Choate; ) is a Independent school, private, Mixed-sex education, co-educational, College-preparatory school, college-preparatory boarding school in Wallingford, Connecticut, United States. Choate is currently ...
. He graduated in 1991 from
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College (; ) is a private research university in Hanover, New Hampshire. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, it is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the American Revolution. Although founded to educate Native ...
, where he earned a bachelor's degree in English and was a quarterback for the football team.
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
''It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia'' is an American sitcom created by Rob McElhenney and developed by McElhenney and Glenn Howerton that premiered on August 4, 2005 on FX and later FXX beginning with the ninth season in 2013. It stars Charlie ...
'' 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
Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush'').
Twelv ...
, a few years later.
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
''How I Met Your Mother'' (often abbreviated as ''HIMYM'') is an American sitcom, created by Craig Thomas and Carter Bays for CBS. The series, which aired from September 19, 2005 to March 31, 2014, follows the main character, Ted Mosby, and ...
'' for
CBS.
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''. 2013 saw him star in another
ABC sitcom, ''
Back in the Game'', opposite
James Caan and
Maggie Lawson. He had a significant arc on
Showtime
Showtime or Show Time may refer to:
Film
* ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film
* ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur
Television Networks and channels
* Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global ...
's ''
Masters of Sex
''Masters of Sex'' is an American period drama television series that premiered on September 29, 2013, on Showtime. It was developed by Michelle Ashford and loosely based on Thomas Maier's biography ''Masters of Sex''. Set in the 1950s through th ...
'' as teacher and football coach Paul Edley, and played male chauvinist Brent throughout
the final season of ''The Good Place''.
In 2021 he had a recurring role on season 1 of
Peacock
Peafowl is a common name for three bird species in the genera ''Pavo (genus), Pavo'' and ''Afropavo'' within the tribe Pavonini of the family Phasianidae, the pheasants and their allies. Male peafowl are referred to as peacocks, and female pea ...
sitcom
Rutherford Falls.
Koldyke was seen on the big screen in 2016 in a supporting role for
Disney
The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...
's ''
The Finest Hours'' alongside
Chris Pine,
Casey Affleck
Caleb Casey McGuire Affleck-Boldt (born August 12, 1975) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, a Golden Globe Award and a Satellite Award. He be ...
,
Eric Bana
Eric Banadinović, (born 9 August 1968), known professionally as Eric Bana (), is an Australian actor and comedian. He began his career in the sketch comedy series '' Full Frontal'' before gaining notice in the comedy drama '' The Castle'' (19 ...
, 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.
Filmography
Film
Television
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Koldyke, Benjamin
American male film actors
American male television actors
Living people
1968 births
Male actors from Chicago
Dartmouth Big Green football players
21st-century American male actors