# Kim Coates
**Kim Coates** (born 1958) is a Canadian actor and producer from [Saskatoon](https://www.edgepedia.org/saskatoon), Saskatchewan, best known for playing [Alexander](https://www.edgepedia.org/alexander) "Tig" Trager on the FX crime drama *Sons of Anarchy* and for a screen career of more than 40 films that includes *Black Hawk Down*, *Pearl Harbor*, *Waterworld*, and *The Last Boy Scout*.[1](https://www.fandango.com/people/kim-coates-127418/film-credits) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0167649/) • [3](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/paradigm-signs-sons-anarchy-actor-163538298.html)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1958, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada[1](https://www.fandango.com/people/kim-coates-127418/film-credits) |
| Signature role | Alexander "Tig" Trager, sergeant-at-arms of the motorcycle club in FX's *Sons of Anarchy*, which ran seven seasons from 2008 to 2014[3](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/paradigm-signs-sons-anarchy-actor-163538298.html) |
| Training | BA from the University of Saskatchewan (1981); took a drama elective by chance and appeared in 25 university plays before graduating[4](https://news.usask.ca/articles/general/2011/holiday-homecoming-for-actor.php) • [5](https://halifax.citynews.ca/2013/03/08/saskatoon-born-actor-kim-coates-says-he-relishes-gritty-roles-as-bad-guys/) |
| Stage work | Youngest actor to play Macbeth at Stratford; played Stanley Kowalski in *A Streetcar Named Desire* on Broadway[4](https://news.usask.ca/articles/general/2011/holiday-homecoming-for-actor.php) |
| Film debut | *The Last Boy Scout* (1991), followed by *Innocent Blood* and *The Client*[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0167649/) |
| Recent television | Brigham Young in *American Primeval* (2025), Bruegel in *The Walking Dead: Dead City* (2025), Frank Sturgis in *White House Plumbers* (2023)[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0167649/) |
| 2026 projects | Jeremiah Paulson in *Anna Pigeon*, Jules in *Solo Mio*, and Nikolai in the horror film *Remnant*[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0167649/) • [6](https://kenkabatoff.substack.com/p/announcing-the-cast-of-remnant) |
## Early life and theater
Coates grew up in Saskatoon and enrolled at the [University of Saskatchewan](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-of-saskatchewan) intending to become a history teacher. An elective drama class, taken "just for fun," changed his direction; by the end of four years he had appeared in 25 plays at the university and knew he wanted to act.[4](https://news.usask.ca/articles/general/2011/holiday-homecoming-for-actor.php) • [5](https://halifax.citynews.ca/2013/03/08/saskatoon-born-actor-kim-coates-says-he-relishes-gritty-roles-as-bad-guys/) He moved to Toronto and continued working in theater before turning to film.[5](https://halifax.citynews.ca/2013/03/08/saskatoon-born-actor-kim-coates-says-he-relishes-gritty-roles-as-bad-guys/)
His stage résumé includes becoming the youngest actor to play Macbeth at the [Stratford Festival](https://www.edgepedia.org/stratford-festival) and playing [Stanley Kowalski](https://www.edgepedia.org/stanley-kowalski) in *A Streetcar Named Desire* on Broadway.[4](https://news.usask.ca/articles/general/2011/holiday-homecoming-for-actor.php) In 1989 he played Le Vicomte de Valmont in *Les Liaisons Dangereuses* at the Actors Theatre of Louisville.[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0167649/) Early Canadian television work on shows such as *Night Heat*, *Street Legal*, and *ENG* served, in his words, as "a real launching pad."[7](https://chroma.actramagazine.ca/issue-02/anarchy-in-the-sk/)
## Film career
Coates's film career began in 1991 with *The Last Boy Scout*, followed by the Warner Brothers releases *Innocent Blood* and *The Client*. He has since appeared in more than 40 films, including the Academy Award winners *Black Hawk Down*, directed by [Ridley Scott](https://www.edgepedia.org/ridley-scott), and *Pearl Harbor*, directed by [Michael Bay](https://www.edgepedia.org/michael-bay), as well as *Waterworld* and *Open Range* with [Kevin Costner](https://www.edgepedia.org/kevin-costner), *Silent Hill*, *Hostage* with Bruce Willis, *Assault on Precinct 13*, and the hockey comedies *Goon* and *Goon: Last of the Enforcers*.[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0167649/) • [3](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/paradigm-signs-sons-anarchy-actor-163538298.html) He has also produced, co-producing and starring in the action thriller *A Dark Truth*, the indie drama *Cold Brook* with William Fichtner, and the horror thriller *Neon Lights*.[3](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/paradigm-signs-sons-anarchy-actor-163538298.html)
Coates has said his frequent casting as antagonists follows from his looks and his own preference: "I love gritty characters and I love different characterization and bad guys get that way more than the good guys."[5](https://halifax.citynews.ca/2013/03/08/saskatoon-born-actor-kim-coates-says-he-relishes-gritty-roles-as-bad-guys/)
## Television and Sons of Anarchy
Coates had resisted television for years, but the rise of cable drama changed his calculation, and *Sons of Anarchy* became the role that made him widely known. As Tig Trager, the club's sergeant-at-arms, he played one of the lead characters in [Kurt Sutter](https://www.edgepedia.org/kurt-sutter)'s series about an outlaw motorcycle club, which ran for seven seasons on FX between 2008 and 2014.[3](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/paradigm-signs-sons-anarchy-actor-163538298.html) • [4](https://news.usask.ca/articles/general/2011/holiday-homecoming-for-actor.php) He later reprised the character for one episode of the spin-off *Mayans M.C.* in 2022.[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0167649/)
After the series ended he deliberately avoided returning to a regular television slot at first, taking the title role in the action film *Officer Downe* (2016) instead.[8](https://www.dailyactor.com/interview/kim-coates-officer-downe-sons-of-anarchy/) His subsequent television work has been substantial: recurring and lead parts in *CSI: Miami*, *Prison Break*, *Entourage* (as sleazy producer Carl Ertz in its final season), *Godless*, *Bad Blood*, *Van Helsing*, and *Ghost Wars*.[3](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/paradigm-signs-sons-anarchy-actor-163538298.html) • [9](https://dominionoffear.ca/Legends%20from%20the%20West.pdf)
**Bad Blood.** Coates calls Declan Gardiner, the character he played in the Canadian crime series *Bad Blood*, the role he would most like to revisit. Brought the project around 2016 or 2017, he expected a single six-episode season based on the book *Business or Blood: Mafia Boss Vito Rizzuto's Last War*; the show became a hit in Canada and on Netflix, ran a second season, and a planned third and final season was abandoned after COVID-19 disrupted the industry.[7](https://chroma.actramagazine.ca/issue-02/anarchy-in-the-sk/)
**Recent roles.** In 2023 he played Frank Sturgis in the Max miniseries *White House Plumbers*; in 2025 he played the real historical figure [Brigham Young](https://www.edgepedia.org/brigham-young) in the Netflix western miniseries *American Primeval* and Bruegel in season two of *The Walking Dead: Dead City*.[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0167649/) • [10](https://www.tvline.com/2253697/sons-of-anarchy-kim-coates-netflix-western-american-primeval/) In 2026 he plays Jeremiah Paulson, the recurring season villain (the "Big Bad") of USA Network's park-ranger crime drama *Anna Pigeon*, filmed in Alberta and airing on [USA Network](https://www.edgepedia.org/usa-network) and Crave.[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0167649/) • [11](https://www.cowboysindians.com/2026/09/from-the-ci-studio-kim-coates-of-anna-pigeon/) • [12](https://www.tv-eh.com/tag/kim-coates/)
## 2026 film projects
Coates has several films in various stages. In *Remnant*, an indie horror film from Studio 104 [Entertainment](https://www.edgepedia.org/entertainment) and Kabatoff/Nash Productions announced on February 3, 2026 and shot in [British Columbia](https://www.edgepedia.org/british-columbia), he plays Nikolai, a fugitive wanted for mass murder who disappeared ten years before the story begins.[6](https://kenkabatoff.substack.com/p/announcing-the-cast-of-remnant) In *Solo Mio* (2026) he plays Jules, a departure from his usual menacing parts.[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0167649/) • [13](https://www.ckom.com/2026/06/13/sask-movie-star-kim-coates-talks-new-projects-and-biggar-revitalization/) In *Exit Right*, writer-director Thomas A. Morgan's debut feature starring [Susan Sarandon](https://www.edgepedia.org/susan-sarandon), William H. Macy, and Marcia Cross, which wrapped in New Jersey in June 2026, Coates plays Stephen, a former Navy SEAL medic with PTSD who is homeless; he describes the part as the fourth lead in a drama based on a true story.[14](https://ourinsaneblogs.com/2026/06/17/susan-sarandon-film-exit-right-wraps-with-kim-coates-amy-sedaris/) • [13](https://www.ckom.com/2026/06/13/sask-movie-star-kim-coates-talks-new-projects-and-biggar-revitalization/)
In August 2026, FX ordered *Legends*, a meta-thriller limited series created and written by [Charlie Hunnam](https://www.edgepedia.org/charlie-hunnam) in which the original *Sons of Anarchy* cast, including Coates, plays fictionalized versions of themselves at a fan convention.[15](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0167649/news/)
## Saskatchewan ties
Coates has kept close ties with his home province, returning to Saskatoon to shoot films such as *Ferocious* (2012), which premiered there, and speaking often about Saskatchewan in interviews.[4](https://news.usask.ca/articles/general/2011/holiday-homecoming-for-actor.php) • [5](https://halifax.citynews.ca/2013/03/08/saskatoon-born-actor-kim-coates-says-he-relishes-gritty-roles-as-bad-guys/) His alma mater awarded him an Honorary Doctorate of Letters on June 6, 2017.[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0167649/) He has also supported prairie initiatives such as the Pegasus Project.[16](https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/kim-coates-my-road-to-hollywood-was-pure-anarchy/id1512520996?i=1000522411417)
## Personal life
Coates has been married to Diana Chappell since 1984; they have two children.[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0167649/) He stands 6 feet 2 inches (1.88 m) tall.[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0167649/) In March 2024, the talent agency Paradigm signed him for representation, alongside his existing managers at Mainstay Entertainment and Oscars Abrams Zimel & Associates.[3](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/paradigm-signs-sons-anarchy-actor-163538298.html)
## References
1. [Kim Coates Filmography and Movies, Fandango](https://www.fandango.com/people/kim-coates-127418/film-credits)
2. [Kim Coates, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0167649/)
3. [Paradigm Signs 'Sons Of Anarchy' Actor Kim Coates, Yahoo Entertainment (March 14, 2024)](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/paradigm-signs-sons-anarchy-actor-163538298.html)
4. [Holiday homecoming for actor, University of Saskatchewan News (December 7, 2011)](https://news.usask.ca/articles/general/2011/holiday-homecoming-for-actor.php)
5. [Saskatoon-born actor Kim Coates says he relishes gritty roles as bad guys, CityNews Halifax (March 8, 2013)](https://halifax.citynews.ca/2013/03/08/saskatoon-born-actor-kim-coates-says-he-relishes-gritty-roles-as-bad-guys/)
6. [Announcing The Cast of Remnant!, Ken Kabatoff, Substack (February 9, 2026)](https://kenkabatoff.substack.com/p/announcing-the-cast-of-remnant)
7. [Anarchy in the SK, CHROMA Magazine, Issue 02](https://chroma.actramagazine.ca/issue-02/anarchy-in-the-sk/)
8. [Kim Coates on 'Officer Downe', His Busy Career and Life After 'Sons of Anarchy', Daily Actor](https://www.dailyactor.com/interview/kim-coates-officer-downe-sons-of-anarchy/)
9. [Legends from the West (Kim Coates profile PDF)](https://dominionoffear.ca/Legends%20from%20the%20West.pdf)
10. [Sons Of Anarchy's Kim Coates Played A Real Historical Figure In A Netflix Western Series, TVLine (September 13, 2026)](https://www.tvline.com/2253697/sons-of-anarchy-kim-coates-netflix-western-american-primeval/)
11. [From The C&I Studio: Kim Coates Of Anna Pigeon, Cowboys and Indians Magazine (September 17, 2026)](https://www.cowboysindians.com/2026/09/from-the-ci-studio-kim-coates-of-anna-pigeon/)
12. [Gripping new Crave original, Anna Pigeon premieres August 7 on Crave, TV, eh? (July 14, 2026)](https://www.tv-eh.com/tag/kim-coates/)
13. [Sask. movie star Kim Coates talks new projects and Biggar revitalization, 650 CKOM (June 13, 2026)](https://www.ckom.com/2026/06/13/sask-movie-star-kim-coates-talks-new-projects-and-biggar-revitalization/)
14. [Susan Sarandon Film 'Exit Right' Wraps With Kim Coates, Amy Sedaris, Our Insane Blogs (June 17, 2026)](https://ourinsaneblogs.com/2026/06/17/susan-sarandon-film-exit-right-wraps-with-kim-coates-amy-sedaris/)
15. [Kim Coates News, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0167649/news/)
16. [Kim Coates: My road to Hollywood was pure anarchy, What Connects Us podcast (May 19, 2021)](https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/kim-coates-my-road-to-hollywood-was-pure-anarchy/id1512520996?i=1000522411417)
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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 › Canadian actors › Surnames A to Co*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: 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