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Kyle Martin Chandler (born September 17, 1965) is an American actor. He received critical acclaim for his performance as Eric Taylor in the NBC series Friday Night Lights (2006–2011), winning the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series in 2011.
Making his screen acting debut in a 1988 television film , Chandler's first regular television role was in the ABC drama Homefront (1991–1993). This was followed by the lead role of Gary Hobson in the CBS series Early Edition (1996–2000). His well-received guest appearance on the medical drama Grey's Anatomy (2006–2007), earned Chandler his first Primetime Emmy Award nomination.
Chandler's film work has included notable supporting roles in King Kong (2005), The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008), Super 8 (2011), Argo, Zero Dark Thirty (both 2012), The Wolf of Wall Street (2013), Carol (2015), Manchester by the Sea (2016), Game Night and First Man (both 2018), (2019), and Godzilla vs. Kong (2021). Chandler also starred in the Netflix thriller series Bloodline (2015–2017), for which he received further Primetime Emmy Award nominations.
In October 2024, he was cast in the role of Hal Jordan in the DCU series Lanterns.
Chandler graduated from George Walton Academy in nearby Monroe, Georgia, in 1983. As a freshman at Walton, he was a member of the 1979 state championship football team. He left the team the following year, aged 14, after his father died of a heart attack. He participated in the theatre program at Walton after quitting football. After graduating from high school, Chandler attended the University of Georgia, where he was a drama major and member of the class of 1984 Sigma Nu fraternity. In 1988, seven credits short of a bachelor's degree in drama, Chandler dropped out of college to pursue a television deal.
In 1994, he made his Broadway debut, co-starring with Ashley Judd, in a revival of William Inge's Picnic at the Roundabout Theatre Company. From 1996 to 2000, Chandler starred as the lead character in the CBS series Early Edition, as a man who had the ability to change future disasters. He portrayed bar owner Gary Hobson, a stockbroker turned hero who received "tomorrow's newspaper today", delivered to his door by a mysterious cat. In 1996, he received the Saturn Award for Best Actor on Television for his portrayal of Hobson. Chandler was featured in all 90 episodes of the series, which ran for four seasons. In 2001, he appeared opposite Joan Cusack as investment banker Jake Evans in one season of the ABC comedy series What About Joan.
In 2003, Chandler played scheming lawyer Grant Rashton in six episodes of the short-lived NBC series The Lyon's Den, opposite Rob Lowe. Working again in film, Chandler played the 1930s Movie star Bruce Baxter in the 2005 film King Kong (the character was based on romantic film star Bruce Cabot, who played Jack Driscoll in the original King Kong). Coincidentally, Chandler later played John Driscoll in The Day the Earth Stood Still.
In February 2006, Chandler returned to television to guest star as the ill-fated bomb squad leader Dylan Young in two episodes of the ABC series Grey's Anatomy. The episodes, titled "It's the End of the World" and "As We Know It", followed Super Bowl XL. He received substantial praise for his performance and was nominated for the Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series category at the 58th Primetime Emmy Awards. He appeared again on Grey's Anatomy, in the February 15, 2007 episode "Drowning on Dry Land", and the February 22, 2007 episode "Some Kind of Miracle".
The show's pilot aired on NBC in 2006. While critically acclaimed, the series was at risk of cancellation each year. Starting with the third season in 2008, first-run episodes of the show were broadcast on DirecTV satellite channel Audience Network before being repeated on NBC. The final season ended in 2011.
Chandler said that neither he nor Berg wanted him to play the role of Coach Taylor. And "while Chandler later changed his mind and decided he would be perfect for the role, Berg didn't see things his way: 'To this day he still says, I still didn't want you.'" Chandler won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for his role in the final season of Friday Night Lights.
While shooting the series, Chandler also acted in some films. In 2007, he appeared in The Kingdom, which was directed by Friday Night Lights creator Berg, and in 2008, he appeared in The Day the Earth Stood Still as John Driscoll.
In 2013, he had a supporting role in Broken City, starring Mark Wahlberg, Russell Crowe, and Catherine Zeta-Jones. Chandler appeared in The Wolf of Wall Street, also released in 2013, based on the memoir of Wall Street tycoon Jordan Belfort. It was nominated for five Academy Awards including Best Picture. The film stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Jonah Hill, with Martin Scorsese directing. Chandler played FBI agent Patrick Denham. That same year, he played a deadbeat alcoholic father in The Spectacular Now.
In 2015, Chandler co-starred in Todd Haynes' drama film Carol, portraying "a jealous husband" to his wife played by Cate Blanchett, who is revealed to be lesbian. Also in 2015, Chandler returned to television with the Netflix drama series Bloodline, for which he was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award. The show premiered to positive reviews from critics, and ended after airing its third season. In the 2016 drama Manchester by the Sea, he played the main character's older brother.
Chandler played an investigator in Shawn Christensen's film The Vanishing of Sidney Hall (2017), and starred with Rachel McAdams and Jason Bateman in the comedy film Game Night (2018).
In 2019, he starred in , a role he reprised in 2021's Godzilla vs. Kong. He portrayed Silicon Valley investor Bill Gurley in Showtime's Super Pumped alongside Joseph Gordon-Levitt.
In November 2022, Chandler played Peter in the Netflix film Slumberland alongside Jason Momoa.
In September 2024, Chandler was cast as Hal Jordan / Green Lantern in the DC Universe TV series Lanterns.
Chandler serves as a volunteer firefighter. He also participates in an annual charity golf tournament at Wolfdancer Golf Club (in Lost Pines, TX) to raise funds for football players who have spinal cord injuries.
Chandler has been married to Kathryn Macquarrie since 1995. Chandler met his wife at a dog park in the mid-1990s. They have two daughters, including Sydney Chandler, who is an actress. Chandler and his daughter Sawyer have been active in trying to end the practice of shark finning.
Career
1988–2006: Early career
In 1988, Chandler was signed by the American Broadcasting Company and brought to Hollywood as part of ABC's new talent program. He made his television film debut that same year as a supporting hero actor in . Also in 1988, Chandler studied with acting teacher, Milton Katselas. His first major acting experience was a supporting role on television as Army Private William Griner in Tour of Duty. In eight episodes of the last season of the series, he played a member of a special operations squad fighting in Vietnam.
Chandler made his film debut in one of the key roles in the 1992 George Strait film, Pure Country. From 1991 to 1993, he had a series regular role as Cleveland Indians right fielder Jeff Metcalf in the ABC series Homefront, a drama set in the post-World War II era in the fictional town of River Run, Ohio. Homefront ran for two seasons, with Chandler appearing in all 42 episodes.
2006–2011: Friday Night Lights
While working on his Primetime Emmy Award-nominated guest role in Grey's Anatomy, Chandler met Peter Berg, who was developing a drama series Friday Night Lights, which followed the lives of a high school football coach, his family, and the players in a small Texas town. The series was inspired by Buzz Bissinger's and the film of the same name. Chandler learned that he had been cast as high school football coach Eric Taylor when he was on Christmas vacation in 2005 with his family.
2011–present: Film career and Bloodline
After Friday Night Lights ended, Chandler focused on film work. In 2011, he had a lead role in J. J. Abrams' science fiction film Super 8. The following year, he appeared in Argo. Chandler also co-starred in Kathryn Bigelow's Zero Dark Thirty in 2012, playing the role of Joseph Bradley, an Islamabad CIA Station Chief. He co-starred alongside Jessica Chastain and Jason Clarke.
Personal life
For nearly 20 years after beginning his acting career in the late 1980s, Chandler lived in Los Angeles. Since 2007, Chandler and his family have lived on a 33-acre spread in Dripping Springs, Texas, southwest of Austin, where they own several dogs and donkeys. Chandler's mother came to live with the family toward the end of her life, when she was living with Alzheimer's disease. She died in 2014.
Filmography
Film
Voice Post-production
Television
Television film Television film Television film Episode: "Independence Day" Episode: "Memory Overload" Recurring role, 8 episodes Main role 3 episodes Television film Television film Main role Main role Main role Television film Unsold television pilot Unsold television pilot 4 episodes Main role Voice; Episode: "The Courtship of Joseph's Father" 2 episodes Unsold television pilot Voice, television film Voice; Episode: "Introducing The Naughty Stewardesses" Main role Voice; Episode: "Bookie of the Year" Miniseries Voice; Episode: T0-B1 (English dub) Episode: "The Mayor of Kingstown" Main role; 7 episodes Voice; Episode: "Sitting Ducks" Main role
Video games
Likeness only
Theater
Awards and nominations
1997 Early Edition Best Actor on Television 2006 Grey's Anatomy Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series 2007 Friday Night Lights TCA Awards Individual Achievement in Drama 2010 Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series Satellite Awards Best Actor – Television Series Drama 2011 Critics' Choice Television Awards Best Actor in a Drama Series Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series Satellite Awards Best Actor – Television Series Drama 2012 Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series Argo Hollywood Film Awards Best Cast San Diego Film Critics Society Awards Best Cast 2013 Palm Springs International Film Festival Best Cast Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture 2015 Bloodline Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series 2016 Satellite Awards Best Actor – Television Series Drama Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series Manchester by the Sea Seattle Film Critics Awards Best Supporting Actor 2017 Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Critics' Choice Movie Awards Best Acting Ensemble
External links
Categories: 1965 Births, 20th-century American Male Actors, 21st-century American Male Actors, Living People, American Male Film Actors, American Male Television Actors, American Male Voice Actors, American People Of English Descent, American People Of German Descent, American People Of Irish Descent, Male Actors From Georgia, Male Actors From Texas, People From Loganville, Georgia, People From Dripping Springs, Texas, Male Actors From Buffalo, New York, Actors From Hays County, Texas
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