Benjamin Koldyke Biography

Fast Facts

• Graduated from Dartmouth College with an English degree and also played quarterback on the school's football team
• Made his screen acting debut in the film "The Next Best Thing" in 2000
• Once worked as a public school teacher and coach before taking on acting full-time
• Quote: "I was interviewing to be a writer on a comedy pilot for Fox and they asked me to come in and read as an actor․ I did on a whim and I got the job․ That shifted everything․"
• Quote: "My college teammates did catch the man-on-man kiss [on 'Big Love'], but when I appeared naked on 'How I Met Your Mother,' that was by far the bigger splash․"
• Quote: "It's a blast to play a goofball, but it would be nice to be the lead․"
• Best known for his role as Lee Standish in "Work It" and as Don Frank in "How I Met Your Mother․"
• Initially interested in becoming a writer, he moved to Hollywood after selling a few scripts but was coaxed into auditioning in front of the camera after Fox executives said he would be perfect for the job
• Wrote and directed "Red Zone" in 2001, "Osama Bin Laden: Behind the Madness" in 2002, and "Jedi Gym" in 2008
• Admits that comedy is his first acting passion and only considered drama after his manager landed him an audition with HBO's "Big Love," a role that would end up being his breakout hit