Coleman's TV career began with a recurring role on "That Girl" in the 60s. He proceeded to play a succession of doctors (on the NBC soap opera "Bright Promise" 1969-72), cops (on the CBS detective series "Cannon" 1971-76) and politicians (as in the TV-movie "The President's Plane Is Missing" 1973) before his popular persona solidified in Norman Lear's innovative soap spoof, "Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman" (syndicated, 1976-77). Coleman was Merle Jeeter, the shady father of a child preacher, who eventually became mayor of the fictional Fernwood and reprised the role on the spinoff, "Forever Fernwood" (syndicated, 1977-78).
As Bill Bittinger, the despicable, egotistical, insecure talk show host protagonist of "Buffalo Bill", Coleman earned an Emmy nomination but the show never found an audience. In "The 'Slap' Maxwell Story", he was a comparably unsavory sportswriter. Once again Coleman was praised and honored with an Emmy nomination. The show won raves but lost its time slot. He tried again as the star and executive consultant of "Drexell's Class" (Fox, 1991-92), wherein Coleman adapted his persona into a cranky, vice-ridden teacher faced with a classroom full of "amusing" tykes. Neither critics nor audiences took to this risible family sitcom. Despite his limited commercial success as a TV lead, Coleman remained a regular face on the tube, giving sitcom still another try in 1994 with "Madman of the People" as an opinionated magazine columnist who frequently clashes with his publisher-daughter.
Coleman began his feature career in the mid-60s with small roles in Sydney Pollack's "The Slender Thread" (1965) and "This Property Is Condemned" (1966) and later performed in the likes of "Downhill Racer" (1969) and "Bite the Bullet" (1975). Widespread attention, though, came in 1980 with "9 to 5" where he played the maliciously doltish boss who receives his comeuppance from employees Lily Tomlin, Jane Fonda and Dolly Parton. He has since worked regularly as a supporting character and occasional lead, mostly in comedies, but also in sci-fi, adventures and the rare drama. Coleman gave his most ambitious performance in John Boorman's "Where the Heart Is" (1990), a little-seen comedy-drama produced and abandoned by Disney, as a formidable New York patriarch and demolition entrepreneur who decides to teach his pampered children the value of money. More recently he has appeared in "Meet the Applegates" (1991), "Amos and Andrew" and "The Beverly Hillbillies" (both 1993). In the latter, Coleman was the ideal choice to recreate the scheming banker, Mr. Drysdale, and he again found himself bossing Lily Tomlin.