A strapping leading man who would not look out of place in Hollywood’s 1930’s Golden Age, handsome actor Kyle Chandler first caught the attention of audiences as Jeff Metcalf, the wannabe baseball player pining after his brother's fiancée, on the 1940s-era drama series, "Homefront" (ABC, 1991-93). He followed up this success with yet another endearing performance; that of Gary Hobson on the offbeat fantasy drama, “Early Edition” (CBS, 1996-2001). Since that heady time, this utility player played a wide variety of roles in films and television series, ranging from Peter Jackson’s epic big screen remake of “King Kong” (2005) to the gritty football series “Friday Night Lights” (NBC, 2006- ), on which, as Coach Eric Taylor, Chandler earned a new set of younger, devoted fans.
Born Kyle Martin Chandler on Sept. 17, 1965, the future star was one of five children born to Edward and Sally Chandler, who resided in Buffalo, NY. The clan moved twice during Chandler’s childhood – once to Lake Forest, IL; later to Loganville, GA. While residing in the Peach State, the Chandlers lived on a remote farm with few neighbors, leaving the youngster to keep himself busy watching the sole television station that reached their home – a new UHF station owned by Ted Turner. Chandler quickly fell in love with the steady diet of classic Hollywood films, and entertained friends and family with skits based on the characters he saw and enjoyed.
His interest in performing developed even further while attending the University of Georgia. At the urging of some theater major friends, he auditioned for a role in a production of Shakespeare’s “The Comedy of Errors” and landed the part. The experience inspired Chandler to declare theater his major.
While still living in Georgia, he was contacted by an ABC talent scout who brought him to Los Angeles. Minor roles on TV series like “China Beach” (ABC, 1988-1991) in 1989 led to the supporting part of Pvt. William Griner on the Emmy-winning Vietnam-era drama, “Tour of Duty” (1987-90). This, in turn, led to another series regular role in another historical drama – this time as a baseball player in post-World War II America in the multi-award-winning, “Homefront.” It was with the role of Jeff Metcalf, that Chandler first stood out from the competitive pack.
Chandler got back to his Southern roots when he made his feature film debut as Buddy Jackson, the ambitious boyfriend of Lesley Ann Warren, in the harmless country/western drama, “Pure Country” (1992), which also marked the acting debut of singer George Strait. Roles in films of varying quality followed, including parts in “The Color of Evening” (1994), starring Donald Sutherland and Ellen Burstyn, and in David Lynch’s bizarre cult classic, “Mulholland Falls” (1996). Though he would go on to enjoy more success on the small screen, his big screen roles helped raise Chandler’s working-actor profile.
Switching mediums, he made his NYC stage debut as the bare-chested drifter romancing Ashley Judd in the 1994 Broadway revival of "Picnic," a role previously played by the likes of Paul Newman and William Holden. The athletic Chandler knocked another one out of the park when he anchored the charming fantasy series, “Early Edition,” in which he played a man whose receipt of the following day’s paper exactly one day early, spurs him to prevent dramatic events before they happen. The show developed a considerable cult audience following, and earned Chandler a Saturn Award for his efforts.
Following the demise of “Early Edition,” Chandler tried his hand at other series, though none survived more than a season. He played Joan Cusack’s love interest in the sitcom “What About Joan” (ABC, 2001) and worked against type as a heelish lawyer in the Rob Lowe courtroom drama “The Lyon’s Den” (NBC, 2003-2004). In 2005, Chandler got to flex his comedy muscles again as the buffoonish matinee idol Bruce Baxter in Peter Jackson’s CGI-laden extravaganza, “King Kong.”
In 2006, Chandler earned rave reviews as a doomed bomb squad leader on a two-part episode of the insanely popular medical drama, “Grey’s Anatomy” (ABC, 2005-). The episodes, which aired after the Super Bowl, won the ratings for ABC. For Chandler, his brief but tragic performance earned him an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor and raised his profile considerably – impressive all the more since he exploded by the episodes’ end.
Perhaps in part due to his memorable guest turn on “Grey’s,” that same year, he was chosen to top-bill NBC’s TV adaptation of Eric Berg’s 2004 film, “Friday Night Lights.” The series, which chronicled the trials and tribulations of a rural Texas high school football team, struggled to find its footing in the Nielsen ratings from the word go. Luckily, the network showed its support by picking up the show for a full season. Undoubtedly, its glowing reviews from much of the print media – as well as a citation from the American Film Institute, which named it one of the best shows of the season – did much to aid that decision. Word-of-mouth also played a part in its growing ratings.