David Costabile

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David Costabile
Costabile in 2014
Born (1967-01-09) January 9, 1967 (age 57)
OccupationActor
Years active1997–present
Spouse
Eliza Baldi
(m. 2012)
Children2

David Costabile (/ˈkɒstəbəl/; born January 9, 1967)[1] is an American actor. He is best known for his television work, having appeared in supporting roles in several television series such as Billions, Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, Damages, Flight of the Conchords, Suits, and The Wire, as well as the film The Dirt. He has also acted on film and in Broadway theatre.

Early life and education[edit]

Costabile was born in Washington, D.C., and is of Italian descent.[2][3] He graduated from Gonzaga College High School, a Jesuit institution, where he was active in the school’s musical theater program. He holds an undergraduate degree from Tufts University and an MFA from New York University.[4]

Career[edit]

Stage[edit]

Costabile has appeared on Broadway in Manhattan Theatre Club's revival of Translations in 2007, the musical Titanic in 1997, and The Tempest in 1995. In 2005, he appeared as Launce in The Two Gentlemen of Verona as part of the Public Theater's Shakespeare in the Park. For Caroline, or Change, the Drama Desk Award–winning musical by Tony Kushner and Jeanine Tesori (2003–2004), Costabile workshopped and performed in the original production and its Broadway transfer.

Television[edit]

Costabile is best known for his recurring television roles on The Wire (as Thomas Klebanow, managing editor of The Baltimore Sun), Flight of the Conchords (as Doug), Damages (as Detective Rick Messer), Suits (as Daniel Hardman, former senior partner of the law firm of Pearson Hardman), and Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul (as Gale Boetticher).[5] He is currently starring as Mike "Wags" Wagner in the Showtime production Billions.

Costabile also appeared in season six of The Office, as a banker sent from Sabre to evaluate Dunder Mifflin, and in the House episode "Changes" as a limousine driver. During the second series of Franklin & Bash, he guest-starred as a senior partner of the Infeld Daniels New York office, investigating Franklin and Bash because of a complaint filed against them by a former client. He had a minor guest star role in a season 3 episode of The Good Wife, playing the defendant's lawyer in a lawsuit against Lockhart and Gardner, and in a two episode story arc on BBC One's Ripper Street. Costabile also played Mr. Braddock, an attorney to the primary suspect in an episode of The Closer titled "Unknown Trouble", the first episode of season 7.

He has appeared in several television commercials, including ads for Microsoft and FedEx. In 2011, he appeared in Lie to Me as Dr. Mitch Grandon, the head doctor of a psychiatric institution in the Season 3 episode "Funhouse". In 2013, he appeared in Elementary as Danilo Gura, a custodian of a hospital in the Season 1 episode "Lesser Evils". Costabile appeared as Internal Affairs investigator Simon Boyd in the 2013 TV show Low Winter Sun. He appeared in Person of Interest in Season 1 as Samuel Gates.[5] He appeared in The Blacklist in Season 2 as Dr. Linus Creel. He starred in the television series Dig.

In an April 2013 article about television, Wired magazine called Costabile "a performer who inhabits his characters so perfectly as to consistently be a fan favorite" and "one of the best things about" every television show in which he has appeared.[6]

Film[edit]

Costabile appeared in 2009's Solitary Man as Gary, the husband of Jenna Fischer's character. He played Jennifer Aniston's attorney in the 2010 film The Bounty Hunter. In 2012, he appeared in the film Lincoln as Republican representative James Ashley.[5] In 2013, he appeared in Steven Soderbergh's film Side Effects as Carl Millbank and as Professor Horstein in Runner Runner. In 2016, he appeared as the Chief in 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi. In 2019 he appeared in The Dirt as Doc McGhee.

Personal life[edit]

In 2012, Costabile married Eliza Baldi in Bucks County, Pennsylvania.[7] They have two children.[4]

Filmography[edit]

Film[edit]

Year Title Role
1998 The Siege Fingerprint Expert
1999 Cradle Will Rock Federal Theatre – Beaver Man
2000 Isn't She Great Junior editor
How the Grinch Stole Christmas Biker Who
2002 Stolen Summer Doctor
2005 Prime Jason
2008 Afterschool Mr. Anderson
2009 Notorious Mr. Webber
Solitary Man Gary
2010 The Bounty Hunter Attorney
Henry's Crime Arnold
2012 Lincoln James Ashley
2013 Side Effects Carl Millbank
Somewhere Slow Robert Thompson
Runner Runner Professor Horstein
2014 Foreclosure Neurologist
2016 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi The Chief
2017 The Post Art Buchwald
2019 The Dirt Doc McGhee
2024 Snack Shack Judge

Television[edit]

Year Title Role Notes
2007–2009 Damages Detective Rick Messer 16 episodes
2007–2009 Flight of the Conchords Doug Recurring role
2008 The Wire Managing Editor Thomas Klebanow Recurring guest role (season 5)
2010 The Office Eric Ward Episode: "The Banker"
2010–2011 Breaking Bad Gale Boetticher 7 episodes
2011 House, M.D. Phil Episode: "Changes"
2011 Person of Interest Samuel Gates Episode: "Judgment"
2011 Lie to Me Dr. Mitch Grandon Episode: "Funhouse"
2012–2019 Suits Daniel Hardman 16 episodes
2012 The Good Wife Zachary Hines Episode: "Gloves Come Off"
2013 Ripper Street Daniel Judge 2 episodes
2013 Low Winter Sun Simon Boyd 10 episodes
2013 Elementary Danilo Gura Episode: "Lesser Evils"
2014 The Blacklist Dr. Linus Creel Episode: "Dr. Linus Creel"
2015 Dig Tad Billingham Main role
2016–2023 Billions Mike "Wags" Wagner Main role
2018 Better Call Saul Gale Boetticher Episodes: "Something Beautiful" and "Winner"
2018 Murphy Brown Ed Shannon 1 episode
2019 Robot Chicken Itzhak Stern, Gandalf the Grey (voice) Episode: "Garfield Stockman in: A Voice Like Wet Ham"
2020 Soulmates David Episode: "The Lovers"
2020 Little Birds Grant Savage 5 episodes
2020 The Gene: An Intimate History Narrator 2 episodes
2023 Waco: The Aftermath Judge Walter Smith 5 episodes
2023 Obliterated Maddox 4 episodes
2024 Last Week Tonight with John Oliver Boeing employee Episode: Airplanes

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Birthdays". The Fresno Bee. The Associated Press. January 9, 2018. p. 5B. Actor David Costabile is 51.
  2. ^ Bobbin, Jay (March 17, 2019). "Checking in with David Costabile". The Valley Morning Star. p. 19. Birthplace: Washington, D.C.
  3. ^ Carr, Coeli (March 29, 2012). "Coeli Carr: "Crapa Pelada" Defeats "Zou Bisou Bisou" in the Breaking Bad vs. Mad Men Song Wars". The Huffington Post.
  4. ^ a b Moore, Frazier (March 21, 2016). "David Costabile: Not a Household Name, But a 'Billions' Star". The Journal News. The Associated Press. p. 4C.
  5. ^ a b c Rawlings, Nate (September 25, 2013). "A Conversation with Breaking Bad's David Costabile". Time.
  6. ^ Crucchiola, Jordan (April 2013). "TV's Power Has Shifted". Wired Magazine.
  7. ^ "David Costabile and Eliza Baldi's Wedding Website". Archived from the original on November 2, 2013. Retrieved September 28, 2013.

External links[edit]