Gary Cole's 5 Best Movies & TV Shows Outside Of The NCIS Universe
Gary Cole's "NCIS" character Alden Parker may be his most famous at this stage in his career. But for those who never watched the popular CBS crime series, he's got a long, long list of other iconic roles spread across an illustrious career. A veteran of film, television, voice acting, live performance, dramas, comedies, and everything in between, Cole began his professional career back in the 1980s and hasn't slowed down for a second since.
Distilling a five-decade career down into just a handful of highlights is no easy task. We'd be remiss not to mention Cole's big break as the lead of the late '80s crime show "Midnight Caller," or his time as Mike Brady in the 1990s Brady Bunch movies. There are also lots of smaller but still notable roles from the last decade, including Cole's stint as Kurt McVeigh on "The Good Wife," his tenure playing Cameron Dennis on "Suits," or his turn as Harrison Jackson III on "Mixed-ish." In a career so prolific, we can't possibly name them all.
What we can do, though, is single out a few of the veteran actor's best and most noteworthy films and TV series. These particular projects were chosen both because of their overall quality and because of how fantastic Cole is in them. So if you've finished yet another "NCIS" binge and just can't get enough of him, here are five of Gary Cole's other best movies and TV shows.
The West Wing
Ask any TV nut, and they'll tell you that "The West Wing" is still probably one of the best shows of all time. Aaron Sorkin's fast-paced style and cutting dialogue left a mark on television that's still felt today, and alongside HBO series like "The Sopranos" and "The Wire," "The West Wing" helped usher in what many have called the Golden Age of Television. The political drama earned a total of 95 Emmy nominations over the course of its seven-year run, winning a whopping 26. And while none of those accolades went directly to Gary Cole, his performance as Vice President Robert "Bob" Russell in later seasons was still a key piece of the show's success.
Cole excels in his role as Bob, a character who balances the smarmy politician archetype with a high level of charisma and strategic intent. As the balance to President Jed Bartlet (Martin Sheen), Bob provides a more morally gray White House perspective, and Cole pulls it off perfectly.
Though "The West Wing" doesn't give Cole the most screen time compared to other entries on this list, it's absolutely one of the best projects he's ever been a part of, and it's still worth watching for those who missed it the first time around. Fans who are coming from "NCIS" specifically to see Cole's performance, however, will have to wait through the first half of the show. Thankfully, it's worth the wait.
Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law
Across his 40-plus-year career, Gary Cole has played the main character several times. One of the strangest but also best instances of him leading a cast is the Adult Swim animated comedy "Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law." Those who only know him from his "NCIS" work may not know that Cole has been an accomplished voice actor for decades, playing major roles in everything from "Kim Possible" and "Family Guy" to "Q Force" and "Bob's Burgers." He's even voiced Gotham City police commissioner Jim Gordon in several animated "Batman" movies.
It's up for debate whether or not "Harvey Birdman" is Cole's best performance in an animated show, but it's not controversial to call it his biggest part as a voice actor. The series follows the eponymous lawyer, voiced by Cole — a Hanna-Barbera cartoon superhero from the 1960s and '70s — as he performs legal duties for a variety of other classic Hanna-Barbera characters. Everyone from Yogi Bear to Shaggy and Scooby-Doo pops up, all handled with the kind of absurdist humor and style Adult Swim fans will know well.
Cole's performance as Harvey is great from start to finish, and the bizarre tone of the show helps him embrace his substantial comedic chops. It's a far cry from the hard-hitting crime lab drama of "NCIS," but it's no less of a standout performance from Cole. If you need a break from all those murder cases and are looking for a laugh, "Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law" is a great pick.
Office Space
Though Gary Cole has mostly made his mark on pop culture through a number of prominent television roles, he's also appeared in tons of feature films, both comedic and dramatic. The comedies are arguably what he's better known for on the big screen, though, which is interesting considering how serious Cole's role as Alden Parker is. His laugh-out-loud credits range from "Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story" to "Pineapple Express," but we're choosing two movies in particular to highlight in the genre. The first, of course, is "Office Space."
Bill Lumbergh is probably the only character who could compete with Alden Parker as Cole's most famous. Considering that he only appears in a single 1999 comedy movie and Alden is a main character on one of the most successful TV shows of all time, that's really saying something. Cinema has showcased plenty of horrible bosses and despicable corporate overlords, but Lumbergh may be at the top of the list — an emblem of company man rot so detestable that he still appears in memes to this day.
Beyond Cole's performance, though, "Office Space" is just a classic. The specifics of its rage against the corporate American machine may be a little dated, but the sentiment unfortunately remains just as relatable as it was in 1999.
Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby
Following "Office Space" by seven years, the other comedy we're highlighting in Gary Cole's career is "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby." Viewers who were of movie-watching age in the mid-2000s probably have strong feelings about the film one way or the other, as it has its share of passionate fans and detractors alike.
Love it or hate it, there's no denying that "Talladega Nights" is one of the defining comedies of the 2000s. It was a critical and commercial hit and perhaps the most significant film in Will Ferrell's career. Gary Cole also turns in a fantastic performance as Reese Bobby — father to the titular Ricky (Ferrell), semi-professional racecar driver, and amateur tattoo artist. He's also a veteran and a diabetic, or so he says. Reese is arguably the driving motivation (no pun intended) behind the whole movie, as his absence from Ricky's life, accented by a few choice quotes, sets him on his wild and crazy journey. It's an unhinged performance in an unhinged movie that, in many ways, brings the whole story together.
The film is ridiculous. Egregious, as Reese might say. And it hasn't fully stood the test of time. But it would be hard to leave it off of a list of Cole's most iconic roles. And hey, it's not that serious — laugh a little, right?
Veep
Gary Cole's career has consisted of an impressive mix of bizarre comedic performances and cold procedural characters. The final entry on our list, the acclaimed HBO political parody show "Veep," brings those two sides together brilliantly in the form of presidential senior strategist Kent Davison.
With his blend of dry comedic delivery and cringe humor, Kent is arguably Cole's greatest character to date. He regularly steals the scene whenever he pops up, providing a perfect balance to the zanier energies of other regulars on "Veep." It's also worth noting that Cole's performance as Kent earned him a Primetime Emmy Award nomination in 2014 for outstanding guest actor in a comedy series. He ultimately lost out to Jimmy Fallon for a "Saturday Night Live" performance, which some fans may still be upset about. Regardless, there's no question that Cole contributes heavily to some of the best "Veep" episodes.
Though "Veep" is a completely different show than "NCIS," this is our No. 1 recommendation for die-hard Gary Cole fans. Those who just can't get enough of the guy owe it to themselves to check out what may be his funniest performance of all time. And of course, it doesn't hurt that everything else about "Veep" is similarly high-quality. The show won 17 Emmys out of 68 nominations for a reason, after all.