American film and television actor Kyle Chandler was born on September 17, 1965 in Buffalo, New York. He is best known for his portrayal of Gary Hobson in the television series Early Edition. Before he made it into the entertainment industry, he was educated at the University of Georgia in Athens. He was raised in Loganville, Georgia by a dog breeder mother and pharmaceutical sales representative father who owned a farm. In 1988, Chandler was signed by an ABC scout on a talent search. He soon landed his first role, playing the Cleveland Indians rightfielder Jeff Metcalf on the ABC series Homefront. He followed this up with even greater TV roles, and was soon cast as Gary Hobson on the CBS show Early Edition. This earned him a Saturn Award for Best Actor on Television in 1996.
Kyle Chandler also became known for his work opposite Joan Cusack in the short-lived ABC series What About Joan. He was on another quickly-canceled show, The Lyon’s Den in 2003. Some of his film credits include Angel’s Dance in 1999 and Mulholland Falls starring Nick Nolte and Melanie Griffith. During the 1990s, he was given the role of PVT William Griner on the series Tour of Duty, which was followed by several TV movies. He was next seen in two episodes of One Life to Live, before he landed the role of B-actor Bruce Baxter in 2005’s King Kong. The next year, he accepted a recurring role on the award-winning medical drama series Grey’s Anatomy. Chandler appeared as a bomb squad leader, receiving substantial notice. This earned him a Primetime Emmy Awards nomination, for the Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series category. This was followed by a starring role on the series Friday Night Lights as Eric Taylor, the first-year football coach of the Dillon Panthers. The show’s pilot aired in September 2006, with the NBC drama being inspired by a book and movie of the same name. In 2007, Chandler was given a role in the film The Kingdom, starring Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Garner, Jason Bateman and Chris Cooper. Chandler also lent his voice to a character in the animated series King of the Hill in 2008.