ToughPigs is saddened to learn that award-winning actor Dabney Coleman has passed away at the age of 92.
A skilled performer in both drama and comedy, Coleman was arguably best-known for his role as the misogynistic boss Franklin Hart, Jr. in the 1980 movie 9 to 5. Other notable film credits include his work in Pray TV, On Golden Pond, Tootsie, WarGames, and Cloak & Dagger. He was also no stranger to television, winning an Emmy Award for his role in the 1987 TV movie Sworn to Silence, and a Golden Globe for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for The Slap Maxwell Story. Fans of a certain age will also recall Coleman as the voice of Principal Prickly in the 1997-2001 animated series Recess.
But Muppet fans will best recall Coleman as Broadway producer Martin Price… or should we say Murray Plotsky, in The Muppets Take Manhattan. His smooth-talking showbiz persona perfectly plays off of the Muppets’ naivety, only to take it up a notch as his fraud is exposed and it turns into a hilarious physical scene as he tries to hold off Animal’s attack while losing control over his hostages, Gonzo and Camilla.
His comic sensibilities meshed well with the Muppets. Martin Price may have been a bad man, but Dabney Coleman was a good actor.
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by Matthew Soberman – Matthew@ToughPigs.com
