Bobby Coleman as Noah Stephenson

 "In the original draft of  Proving Ground, Holly had an older brother. After seeing Bobby's performances on JAG and  Medium, I challenged myself to rewrite "Noah," making him younger, so Bobby could be included. He's a phenomenal actor, as Holli was at his age. And he's SUCH a cute kid!" - Kevin M. Kraft, writer, director, producer

 

Bobby Coleman grew up on film and tv sets, watching his sister Holliston Coleman (Bless the Child, Miss Lettie and Me) act. 

 

When he turned five, he wanted to follow in his sister’s footsteps, and began doing a wide variety of commercials.  At six, he began doing guest roles on TV shows, and, like his sister, tended to be chosen for dramatic roles rather than sitcoms.  In Dragnet, he was a little boy stolen by his father, and in Medium’s second-season premiere, he played a young boy forcibly abducted, whose pinky finger was cut off on-screen in a very dramatic scene.  In Jag, he played a boy hiding a pet cat whose discovery solved the case.

 

At seven, Bobby began doing big-screen film work.  His role as Austin in Must Love Dogs (Diane Lane, John Cusack, Dermot Mulroney, Christopher Plummer) gave him quite a bit of on-set filming experience, and included a stunt scene in which he is hit in the face, giving him a bloody nose [Box Office Mojo: “Dermot Mulroney's…son (Bobby Coleman and can this cute kid act) gets a nosebleed…”].  Bobby enjoyed filming that scene quite a bit!  His next film (not yet released) was Friends with Money (Jennifer Aniston, Joan Cusack), and almost immediately after filming that, Bobby was chosen for a regular role on the new TV sci-fi series Surface,  now airing on NBC Monday nights.  Since the pilot was picked up, Bobby has resided both in Los Angeles and in Willmington, North Carolina, where Surface is filmed.  Fortunately, Bobby loves to fly, always choosing a window seat!  So far, Bobby, who plays main character Lake Bell’s son in Surface, has been in most episodes.  Off set, Bobby has had a chance to play with the mock-up of the baby sea monster – the mystery of the show – and has had a wonderful chance to try boogie-boarding at Wilmington’s beautiful  beaches, fossil hunting in abandoned quarries, learning skateboarding, and of course has gained a lot of  film experience.

 

Just after the Surface pilot was filmed, Bobby began auditioning among thousands of boys as part of an extensive, international search for the title lead in the film Martian Child (New Line Cinema, 2006).  The film is about a disturbed young boy adopted by a science fiction writer (John Cusack).  It required a subtle portrayal with a lot of internal and dramatic acting.  The casting process was difficult and extensive, but eventually Bobby was chosen. It was an eerie déjà vu  for the family, because at almost the same age, Bobby’s sister Holli had been chosen for the title lead in Bless the Child, a similar film about a disturbed child with intriguing powers.

 

Bobby filmed Martian Child in Vancouver, B.C. for almost three months, working virtually every day.  The work was intense, requiring Bobby to assume a persona completely the opposite of his own.  A neighborhood mom watching the filming one day expressed aloud that Bobby must be a very difficult child for his mom because of his silent intensity.  His mother was in ear range and burst out laughing, because Bobby normally is the opposite—a crazy, happy, chattering dynamo.  But the comment was a tribute to Bobby’s acting and his ability to make the character of Dennis believable.

 

John Cusack said of Bobby’s acting in an interview: “[Speaking of] talent…I’m working with this little kid in Vancouver, Bobby Coleman,  and he’s this remarkable little guy [with] fantastic instincts.”

 

 

Bobby Coleman

SAG

Hair:  Sandy   Eyes: Hazel   DOB: 5/05/97   Height: 48”   Weight: 48 lbs     

Coast to Coast Talent Group, Meredith Fine    (323) 845-9200

FILM

MaRTIAN CHILD                       Dennis (The Maritan Child – Title Lead)             New Line Cinema  Vancouver, Canada

            John Cusack, Joan Cusack, Amanda Peet, Sophie Okonedo, Oliver Platt

Must Love Dogs             Austin Conner            (Dermot’s son)         Warner Bros.            Los Angeles

            John Cusack, Diane Lane, Dermot Mulroney, Elizabeth Perkins, Christopher Plummer

friends with money                     Marcus                                         Sony Pictures            Los Angeles

            Jennifer Aniston, Joan Cusack

Prize winner of defiance ohio  Mike (VO)                    DreamWorks            Los Angeles

            Julianne Moore, Woody Harrelson, Laura Dern

miss lettie and me                  Drug-store Diner                               TNT                 Atlanta

            Mary Tyler Moore, Burt Reynolds

run for the money                        Boy in Park                                         USA                Sofia, Bulgaria

            Christian Slater, Val Kilmer, Daryl Hannah, Verne Troyer

Pre-k                                                Young Matthew                                   Indep Prod     Los Angeles

TELEVISION

SURFACE                  Jesse (main lead’s son)             Multiple Episodes            NBC                Wilmington, NC

   (Episodes 101, 102, 103, 105, 106, 107 thus far)

MEDIUM                  David                                  “A Priest, A Doctor,…”            NBC                Los Angeles

JAG                            Donovan (Oklahoma Accent)              “Two Towns”            CBS                 Los Angeles

Dragnet                McCarthy’s son      “Daddy’s Girl”(Season Premiere)            ABC                Los Angeles

COMMERCIAL

jc penny                                                                 Principal                                  National          

Lunchables                                                       Principal                                  National          

Lunchables-2                                                    Voice-Over                            National          

Leapfrog “First Day”                          Principal                                  National          

leapfrog “Dog”                                               Principal                                  National          

nyquil                                                                     Principal                                  National          

national cereal council                              Principal                                  National          

Pillsbury Toaster Strudel                  Principal                                  National          

sentinel dog products                           Principal                                  National          

mattel                                                                   Principal                                  National          

CAPitol one                                                    Principal                                  National          

FILM EXPERIENCES

Special Effects:  Bloody Nose in Fight, Pinky cut off, surrounded by Hagfish.  In Harness stunts.

On location on TV and film sets with sister Holliston Coleman during filming of 4 films and 3 TV shows.

SKILLS & TRAINING

ACCENT COACHING (2x) : Robert Easton (‘Henry Higgins of Hollywood’) “Bobby has an excellent ear for languages”

Great with dogs (has 8) and Cats (9).  Swimming, diving, gymnastics training