In the small farming community of Loganville, where the only TV station was Ted Turner's TBS, Kyle learned to appreciate the Golden Age of Hollywood. With heroes like John Wayne, Cary Grant and Jimmy Stewart (to whom he is often compared), Kyle grew up admiring strong leading roles. Using his backyard as his stage, Kyle entertained friends and family with skits based on the characters he appreciated and enjoyed.
Kyle's father passed away when he was 14. The loss had a deep impact on him but in searching for the positive he credits an inner voice, the resonating presence of is father, for the good decisions he's made in career and in more importantly in life.
His interest in performing developed beyond childhood whimsy while attending the University of Georgia. Landing a part in a production of Shakespeare's "The Comedy of Errors" inspired Kyle to declare Theatre as his Major. With his infectious smile and impressive physique, Kyle's popularity was instantaneous.
It was during his studies that Kyle was signed by an ABC scout in a 1988 talent search. After moving to Hollywood, Kyle immediately found work as a doorman at a popular nightclub. His Southern charm and dazzling eyes were a hit with the female patrons.
Kyle landed his first big role in Quiet Victory: The Charlie Wedemeyer Story, a made-for-TV sports hero bio-pic starring Pam Dawber and Stephen Dorff. From this, roles on several TV shows appeared including the lead in The Pastors' Wife and guest roles on Tour of Duty and China Beach.
His breakthrough role came as Jeff Metcalfe on the 1940's period series Homefront. While the show ran for only two seasons (1991 - 1993) Kyle made the most of his 41 episodes. When the show was cancelled without an ending, distraught fans began a letter writing campaign to CBS in an effort to try and revive the show or at least obtain closure for their beloved characters. In this pre-web era their snail mail attempts had little impact and proved unsuccessful.
In 1995 Kyle married his wife Kathryn, a writer for screen and TV.
Kyle's next TV role was that of Gary Hobson in the compellingly written Early Edition. Running for 90 episodes from 1996 - 2000, this intelligent and creative drama about a man who "gets tomorrow's newspaper - today" had a voracious and enthusiastic cult following. In this role, Kyle further established himself as the perfect reluctant hero.
Kathryn and Kyle welcomed their first child, daughter Sydney, in 1998.
Making use of his Southern drawl, Kyle appeared in his first feature film, Pure Country, starring Leslie Ann Warren. Other movie roles followed including: The Color of Evening, Convict Cowboy, Mulholland Falls and Heaven and Hell.
Kyle has also done extensive stage work, appearing in Macbeth, Hamlet and The Pirates of Penzance. He won a Critic's Award for his performance in Picnic opposite Ashley Judd.
In 2001 Kyle appeared as Joan Cusack's love interest in the TV series What About Joan. The show ran for only nine episodes. It was reported that producing a sitcom in Chicago (and with a live studio audience) proved challenging and costly.
In 2002 Kathryn and Kyle celebrated the birth of their second child, daughter Sawyer.
Playing against type, Kyle was cast as Grant Rashton (a lawyer joke unto himself) in The Lyon's Den. Despite an intriguing and promising cliff-hanger finale, the show was unfortunately not picked up.
And Starring Pancho Villa as Himself saw Kyle taking the role of Raoul Walsh, an actor portraying young Pancho Villa in a silent movie about the life of General Villa, Kyle stars opposite Antonio Banderas, Eion Bailey and Alan Arkin.
In 2005 Kyle's performance as matinée idol Bruce Baxter in Peter Jackson's King Kong received critical acclaim and gave him an opportunity to showcase his comedic timing.
Kyle earned rave reviews as the leader of a bomb squad on a two-part episode of the insanely popular new medical drama, Grey's Anatomy. The episodes, which aired after the Super Bowl, won the ratings for ABC. For Kyle, his brief but heartbreaking performance earned him an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor.
An adaptation of the 2004 hit movie Friday Night Lights was in development at NBC when Kyle was chosen for the role of Coach Eric Taylor. The show's perfect combination of likeable characters and intriguing backstories for all ages has been the key to its success thus far. Friday Night Lights has been picked up for a second season. Season 1 is available on DVD.
Kyle's latest project, The Kingdom, is an FBI thriller also starring Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Garner and Jason Bateman. And is now available on DVD.