'Yellowstone' Actor Dead at 92: Dabney Coleman Also Starred in '9 to 5' and 'War Games'

Dabney Coleman's daughter confirmed his passing to media.

By Megan Behnke

Dabney Coleman, a widely seen actor from TV and film, as died, according to TMZ. Coleman, 92, was perhaps best known for movies like 9 to 5 and War Games, but he also became a part of Taylor Sheridan's Yellowstone universe in 2019. In Yellowstone, he played John Dutton II, the father of Kevin Costner's John Dutton III. 

His daughter, Quincy Coleman, told TMZ, "My Father, Dabney Wharton Coleman, took his last earthly breath peacefully and exquisitely in his home on Thursday, May 16, 2024, at 1:50 p.m. My father crafted his time here on earth with a curious mind, a generous heart, and a soul on fire with passion, desire, and humor that tickled the funny bone of humanity. As he lived, he moved through this final act of his life with elegance, excellence, and mastery."

While a cause of death has yet to be revealed, the actor reportedly had to cancel an appearance at New Jersey's Chiller Theatre last month due to his health.

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(Photo:

HOLLYWOOD, CA – NOVEMBER 10: Actor Dabney Coleman arrives at AFI FEST 2016 Presented by Audi – Opening Night – Premiere of 20th Century Fox's 'Rules Don't Apply' at TCL Chinese Theatre on November 10, 2016 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic)

- Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic)

Born on Jan. 3, 1932, Coleman was the youngest of four. His dad died of pneumonia when he was just four, and his mom raised the family in Corpus Christi, Texas. Before breaking into the entertainment industry, Coleman was a nationally ranked junior tennis player.

He was among the many in his family who attended the Virginia Military Institute for two years and served in the U.S. Army's Special Services Division for two more years. He went back to Austin to study law at the University of Texas. Family friend and actor Zachary Scot convinced Coleman to be an actor, and he moved to Manhattan before graduating college to join Sanford Meisner's Neighborhood Playhouse at 26.

After landing his first on-screen speaking role in an episode of Naked City in 1961, Dabney Coleman and his second wife, Jean Hale, moved to LA the following year. Since then, Coleman went on to appear in dozens of projects for film and TV. He played the villainous boss Franklin Hart Jr. in 9 to 5, and can also be seen in Tootsie, Cloak & Dagger, The Muppets Take Manhattan, The Beverly Hillbillies, You've Got Mail, and Inspector Gadget, among others. On the TV side, he portrayed the title characters of Buffalo Bill and The Slap Maxwell, starred on The Guardian in the early 2000s, and lent his voice to the Disney animated series Recess, among many other roles. His last on-screen roles were in 2019, appearing in single episodes of NCIS, For the People, and Yellowstone.

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His Yellowstone role showed a key piece of the Yellowstone canon, being that it was the only time we saw this hugely important character. Sweeney portrayed the now-deceased Dutton patriarch in a flashback in Season 2, Episode 10 "Sins of the Father."

"A teacher, a hero, and a king, Dabney Coleman is a gift and blessing in life and in death as his spirit will shine through his work, his loved ones, and his legacy...eternally," Quincy Coleman said.

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