# Dylan Baker
**Dylan Baker** (born 1959) is an American actor and director known for character work in film, television, and on Broadway. He is best known for his role as Bill Maplewood in [Todd Solondz](https://www.edgepedia.org/todd-solondz)'s *[Happiness](https://www.edgepedia.org/happiness-1998-film)* (1998), for which he received an IFP Gotham Award and an Independent Spirit Award nomination, and for his recurring role as Colin Sweeney on *The Good Wife*, which earned him three Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series.
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1959, Syracuse, New York, USA[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0048414/fullcredits) |
| Education | B.F.A., Southern Methodist University; M.F.A., Yale School of Drama[2](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/dylan-baker) |
| Breakthrough role | Bill Maplewood in *Happiness* (1998); IFP Gotham Award and IFP West Independent Spirit Award nomination[2](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/dylan-baker) |
| Emmy nominations | Three for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series (2010, 2012, 2014) as Colin Sweeney on *The Good Wife*[2](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/dylan-baker) |
| Broadway honors | Tony Award and Drama Desk Award nominations for *La Bête* (1991); Theatre World Award for *Eastern Standard* (1989)[3](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/dylan-baker-75309) |
| Directing | *23 Blast* (2014), his feature directorial debut[4](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Dylan-Baker/) |
| Spouse | Actress Becky Ann Baker, married September 6, 1987; one child[5](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0048414/bio/) |
## Early life and education
Baker was born in [Syracuse, New York](https://www.edgepedia.org/syracuse-new-york), and spent his childhood in [Lynchburg, Virginia](https://www.edgepedia.org/lynchburg-virginia)[2](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/dylan-baker). He attended Georgetown Prep School in [Rockville, Maryland](https://www.edgepedia.org/rockville-maryland), and then William and Mary College, where his interest in theater developed[2](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/dylan-baker). He earned a B.F.A. at Southern Methodist University in Dallas and an M.F.A. at the Yale School of Drama[2](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/dylan-baker).
## Stage career
Baker built his reputation on the New York stage. He won a Theatre World Award for his performance as Stephen Wheeler in Richard Greenberg's *Eastern Standard*, which opened on Broadway in January 1989[3](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/dylan-baker-75309). In 1991 he was nominated for both a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play and a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play for his role as Prince Conty in David Hirson's *La Bête*[3](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/dylan-baker-75309). He also received an Obie Award for his performance in the [Off-Broadway](https://www.edgepedia.org/off-broadway) production *Not About Heroes*[2](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/dylan-baker).
His later Broadway credits include *Mauritius* (2007), [David Mamet](https://www.edgepedia.org/david-mamet)'s *November* (2008), Yasmina Reza's *God of Carnage* (2009, as a replacement for the role of Alan), *The Audience* (2015, as [John Major](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-major)), *The Front Page* (2016, as McCue), and Theresa Rebeck's *Bernhardt/Hamlet* (2018, as Constant Coquelin)[3](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/dylan-baker-75309). In *Bernhardt/Hamlet* he played three distinct characters: the 19th-century actor Benoît-Constant Coquelin, the Ghost in *Hamlet*, and the title role in *Cyrano de Bergerac*[6](https://www.tdf.org/on-stage/tdf-stages/why-this-tony-nominee-is-doing-shakespeare-badly-on-purpose/).
## Film and television career
Baker's screen work spans more than three decades. Early roles include Owen in *Planes, Trains and Automobiles* (1987) and parts in *The Long Walk Home* (1990), *Disclosure* (1994), and *Murder One*[7](https://www.cinema.com/people/002/597/dylan-baker/filmography.phtml) • [8](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/dylan-baker/). His performance as Bill Maplewood, a suburban pedophile, in Todd Solondz's *Happiness* (1998) brought him wide attention and earned him an IFP Gotham Award and an IFP West Independent Spirit Award nomination[2](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/dylan-baker).
He played Dr. Curt Connors in [Sam Raimi](https://www.edgepedia.org/sam-raimi)'s *Spider-Man 2* (2004) and *Spider-Man 3* (2007)[5](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0048414/bio/). Other notable film roles include Steven in *Trick 'r Treat* (2007), Jack Ordway in *Revolutionary Road* (2008), and [J. Edgar Hoover](https://www.edgepedia.org/j-edgar-hoover) in *Selma* (2014)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0048414/fullcredits). More recent work includes Richard in *Dream Scenario* (2023) and Harry in *LaRoy, Texas* (2023)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0048414/fullcredits).
On television, Baker has appeared in *Damages*, *Homeland*, *The Americans*, *The Good Fight*, *Hunters* (as Biff Simpson), *The Gilded Age*, and *Only Murders in the Building*, among others[4](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Dylan-Baker/). His recurring role as the eccentric and dangerous client Colin Sweeney on *The Good Wife* earned him three Emmy nominations for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series, in 2010, 2012, and 2014[2](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/dylan-baker).
## Directing
Baker made his feature directorial debut with *[23 Blast](https://www.edgepedia.org/23-blast)*, a 2014 film about a high school football player who loses his sight[4](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Dylan-Baker/).
## Personal life
Baker has been married to actress [Becky Ann Baker](https://www.edgepedia.org/becky-ann-baker) since September 6, 1987. They have one child, a daughter named Willa, born in 1993[5](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0048414/bio/).
## References
1. [Dylan Baker – IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0048414/fullcredits)
2. [Dylan Baker – Television Academy](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/dylan-baker)
3. [Dylan Baker – IBDB](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/dylan-baker-75309)
4. [Dylan Baker – BroadwayWorld](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Dylan-Baker/)
5. [Dylan Baker Biography – IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0048414/bio/)
6. [Why This Tony Nominee Is Doing Shakespeare Badly on Purpose – TDF Stages](https://www.tdf.org/on-stage/tdf-stages/why-this-tony-nominee-is-doing-shakespeare-badly-on-purpose/)
7. [Dylan Baker Filmography – Cinema.com](https://www.cinema.com/people/002/597/dylan-baker/filmography.phtml)
8. [Dylan Baker – TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/dylan-baker/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › American actors: 1970s to 1990s › Surnames B to Ba*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license