Gary Cole Biography
Born: September 20, 1956
Date of Birth: September 20, 1956
Versatile actor Gary Cole has played everything from psychopathic serial killers to lighthearted fathers in a career that has spanned over four decades.
Gary's first performance was a silent one as Snoopy in a high school production of You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown. The role as Brown's four-legged companion sparked a passion for acting in Gary, which inspired him to study theater at Illinois State University.
After graduating, Gary began his professional acting career in Chicago, where he co-founded The Remains Theatre Ensemble. In his stage career, Gary has appeared in numerous award-winning productions in Chicago, New York, Los Angeles and San Diego.
In 1985, Gary was nearly cast as Detective Sonny Crocket on the television show Miami Vice, but was edged out by Don Johnson for the iconic role. Despite not landing the starring role, Gary made an appearance on the show in 1986 and has also been seen in shows like Midnight Caller, American Gothic, The Outer Limits, Arrested Development, The West Wing and Desperate Housewives. Gary has also lent his voice to the animated series Kim Possible and Family Guy.
Gary made his feature film debut in an uncredited role in To Live and Die in L.A. (1985). He followed with a string of small roles in television movies before landing his breakout role in the Wolfgang Peterson-directed In The Line of Fire (1993). Gary then starred in a series of films including The Brady Bunch Movie (1995), Gang Related (1997), A Simple Plan (1998), Office Space (1999), One Hour Photo (2002), Win a Date with Tad Hamilton! (2004), Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (2004), Breach (2007) and the Judd Apatow-produced Pineapple Express.
From 2013 to 2019 he played the role of Kent Davison on the award-winning TV series Veep, and in 2017 was cast in a recurring role as Kurt McVeigh on the crime drama series The Good Fight.
On the big screen, he was most recently seen in The Art of Racing in the Rain (2019) alongside Milo Ventimiglia and Amanda Seyfried.
Gary married Teddi Siddall in 1992 and their daughter, Mary, was born one year later in 1993. Teddi filed for divorce in 2017 after a two-year separation, but passed away in 2018 before the divorce was finalized. The cause of her death was never made public.