Chad L. Coleman (born September 6, 1967) is an American actor. He is known for playing Dennis "Cutty" Wise on the HBO series The Wire (2004–08), Coach in the video game Left 4 Dead 2 (2009), Tyreese on the AMC series The Walking Dead (2012–15), Mingo on Roots (2016), Z on the FX sitcom It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (2010–19), Fred Johnson on The Expanse (2015–20), Klyden on The Orville (2017–22), and Bruno Mannheim in the superhero drama television series Superman & Lois (2023–24).
Coleman was born in Richmond, Virginia. After he was removed from neglectful parents in the Creighton Court public housing project, he was raised by a grandmother on Richmond's south side after some time in a foster home. As a youth, he participated in track and field, but turned his attention to drama after a leg injury.[1] He attended Virginia Commonwealth University on a scholarship for his freshman year, before dropping out to serve in the U.S. Army.[2] During his service, from 1985 to 1989, he worked as a video cameraman.[3]
Coleman had a starring role on the HBO series The Wire as reformed criminal Dennis "Cutty" Wise.[4] In 2002, Coleman starred as O. J. Simpson in TNT's television movie Monday Night Mayhem.[5]
Coleman also had a guest role in the Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles TV series on Fox.[6] He also had a small role in Carlito's Way: Rise to Power. Coleman was also involved with the development of Left 4 Dead 2, as a voice actor for the character Coach.[7] In 2009, Coleman appeared in a revival of August Wilson's play Joe Turner's Come and Gone on Broadway and also had a starring role in the Norwegian TV series Buzz Aldrin, What Happened To You In All The Confusion?, based on the novel by Johan Harstad.[8][9] The series aired in Europe in November 2011.
He guest starred in the In Plain Sight episode "Whistle Stop" as an ex-boxer/witness suffering from pugilistic dementia, and in the Lie to Me episode "The Canary's Song" as a coal miner.[10] He has also guest starred in five episodes of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia between 2010 and 2019 as the character "Z".[10] In 2011, he began playing Gary Miller, the ex-husband of Nikki Miller and father of manipulative daughter Mackenzie, in the Fox television sitcom I Hate My Teenage Daughter.[4]
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