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{{short description|American television and film actor}}
{{use mdy dates|date=July 2021}}
{{Infobox person
| name          = Ben Koldyke
| image         =
| caption       =
| birth_name    = Benjamin Koldyke
| birth_date    = {{birth date and age |1968|3|27|mf=y}}
| birth_place   = [[Chicago|Chicago, Illinois]], US
| occupation    = Actor
| yearsactive   = 2000–present
| spouse        = {{marriage |[[Maggie Lawson]]|2015|2017|end=div}}<ref name="divorce">{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2018/dirt/real-estalker/ben-koldyke-santa-monica-craftsman-bungalow-1202694244|title=Ben Koldyke Selling Updated 1920s Santa Monica Craftsman|work=Variety|date=February 9, 2018|accessdate=February 10, 2018}}</ref>
| homepage      = 
| awards = 
}}
'''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 (TV series)|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]];<ref>{{cite news|last1=Lyon|first1=Jeff|title=Grabbing the Wheel|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1988-05-15-8803160973-story.html|accessdate=11 December 2019|work=Chicago Tribune|date=15 May 1988}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite news|title=Ben Koldyke biography|url=https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/ben-koldyke/bio/319562/|accessdate=10 August 2015|work=TVGuide.com}}</ref>

==Career==
Koldyke worked as a high school English teacher and football coach in Chicago.  His 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 Broadcasting Company|Fox]], a few years later.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/rookie-takes-lead-foxs-boldly-121502|title=Rookie takes lead in Fox's 'Boldly'|author1=Nellie Andreeva|author2=AP|date=21 October 2008|work=The Hollywood Reporter|accessdate=7 January 2016}}</ref>

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]].<ref>{{cite web| last = Waterman| first = Lauren| title = Ben Koldyke Talks Dale's Twist on Big Love| work = Vulture| date = 2001-01-30| url =https://www.vulture.com/2010/02/ben_koldyke_talks_about_dales.html| accessdate = 2019-12-11}}</ref>

In 2012, Koldyke starred as the lead character in the short-lived [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] comedy series ''[[Work It (TV series)|Work It]]'' and later guest starred in [[HBO]]'s ''[[The Newsroom (U.S. TV series)|The Newsroom]]''.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Andriakos |first=Jacqueline |url=https://ew.com/article/2012/01/14/work-it-cancelled/|title=Work it is cancelled by ABC|magazine=Entertainment Weekly |date=2012-01-14 |accessdate=2019-12-11}}</ref> 2013 saw him star in another [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] sitcom, ''[[Back in the Game (2013 TV series)|Back in the Game]]'', opposite [[James Caan]] and [[Maggie Lawson]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/cullen-brothers-james-caan-preview-599365|title=Cullen Brothers, James Caan Preview ABC's 'Back in the Game'|author=Lacey Rose|date=4 August 2013|work=The Hollywood Reporter|accessdate=7 January 2016}}</ref> He had a significant arc on [[Showtime (TV network)|Showtime]]'s ''[[Masters of Sex]]'' as teacher and football coach Paul Edley,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2015/07/brent-sexton-cast-bosch-amazon-1201486410/|title=Brent Sexton Joins Amazon's 'Bosch'|first=Denise|last=Petski|work=Deadline|date=July 28, 2015 |accessdate=7 January 2016}}</ref> and played male chauvinist Brent throughout [[The Good Place (season 4)|the final season of ''The Good Place'']].<ref name="Pajiba">{{Cite web |url=https://www.pajiba.com/tv_reviews/ben-koldyke-forking-kills-it-as-brent-in-the-good-place.php |title=Ben Koldyke Forking Kills It (Plus Easter Eggs) In This Week's 'The Good Place'! |last=Dan |first=Hamamura |date=2019-11-08 |website=Pajiba.com |access-date=2020-02-18}}</ref> In 2021 he had a recurring role on season 1 of [[Peacock (streaming service)|Peacock]] sitcom [[Rutherford Falls]].<ref>{{cite news |title='Rutherford Falls': Ed Helms in a Culture Clash |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/tv/tv-reviews/rutherford-falls-peacock-ed-helms-review-1155727/ |access-date=2021-05-05 |publisher=Rolling Stone |date=2021-04-21}}</ref>

Koldyke was seen on the big screen in 2016 in a supporting role for [[Disney]]'s ''[[The Finest Hours (2016 film)|The Finest Hours]]'' alongside [[Chris Pine]], [[Casey Affleck]], [[Eric Bana]], and [[Ben Foster (actor)|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.<ref name="divorce"/>

==Filmography==
===Film===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
| 2000
| ''[[The Next Best Thing]]'' 
| Kelly's Boyfriend
|
|-
| 2000 
| ''[[Thirteen Days (film)|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 (2003 film)|Say I Do]]''
| Ben
|
|-
| 2003
| ''[[Stuck on You (film)|Stuck on You]]''
| Officer Tommy Johnson
|
|-
| 2008
| ''Jedi Gym''
| Master Flynn
| Short film, also writer and director
|-
| 2016
| ''[[The Finest Hours (2016 film)|The Finest Hours]]''
| Sam
|
|}

===Television===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
| 2002
| ''[[24 (TV series)|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 (TV series)|Work It]]''
| Lee Standish
| Series regular, 11 episodes
|-
| 2013
| ''[[The Newsroom (American TV series)|The Newsroom]]''
| Cyrus West
| Episode: "First Thing We Do, Let's Kill All the Lawyers" 
|-
| 2013 
| ''[[Back in the Game (2013 TV series)|Back in the Game]]''
| Dick Slingbaugh
|Series regular
|-
| 2014-2016
| ''[[Gortimer Gibbon's Life on Normal Street]]''
| Greg Gibbon
| Recurring
|-
| 2015
| ''[[Mr. Robinson (TV series)|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 (TV series)|Silicon Valley]]''
| Ben
| Episode: "Chief Operating Officer"
|-
| 2019
| ''[[The Good Place]]''
| Brent Norwalk
| Recurring (season 4)
|-
| 2021
| ''[[Rutherford Falls]]''
| Dudley 'Duz' Rutherford
| Recurring
|}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{IMDb name|0463993|Benjamin Koldyke}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Koldyke, Benjamin}}
[[Category:American male film actors]]
[[Category:American male television actors]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:1968 births]]
[[Category:Male actors from Chicago]]
[[Category:Dartmouth Big Green football players]]
[[Category:21st-century American male actors]]