This Is Where You've Seen Captain Ahab From The Geico Commercial Before

The insurance company GEICO has one of the best track records for putting out outstanding commercials that keep viewers engaged and laughing. Their spots have not only informed potential customers about how much they could save, they've created several iconic characters along the way. The GEICO Gecko is an adorable and well-informed lizard that reminds TV viewers how the company can help them with savings in only 15 minutes. One of the most memorable characters to be featured in a commercial was the brand's Caveman, as they championed that switching to their company was "so easy, a caveman could do it."

In January 2021, GEICO released a commercial where the voiceover narrator asks a woman driving a car if she was waiting for Moby Dick's Captain Ahab to show up and help her find a parking spot. A man dressed as the fictional captain appears in her car and begins shouting out potential places to park the vehicle. "To the northern lot, where there be parking spaces as big as whales!" he bellows near the end of the hilarious ad.

The gray-haired Ahab has a full beard and a large scar that was put on the left side of his face for the role, but keen-eyed fans might recognize him as character actor Steve Coulter. He may not be a household name, but the talented performer has appeared in several hit franchises.

Steve Coulter has over 100 credits dating back to 1991. In 2020, the actor appeared in the action/horror movie The Hunt, and had a scene where he fought Betty Gilpin's character and got shot on screen. However, that was not the most memorable horror film the actor has appeared in. 

Many fans might remember Coulter for his portrayal of Reg Monroe in Season 5 of The Walking Dead. The massively popular AMC show went to great lengths to keep plot details under wraps, and that involved keeping the actor in the dark. "So, the scenes were disguised. Mine was a cocktail party, and they had it that I was the husband of a famous author," he told TV Geek Talk in 2015 about his audition process, "So, I really didn't know until I had gotten the part."

Coulter couldn't tell anyone which character he was playing until the show aired — and that included his family. "It was pretty hard, especially when people really wanted to know. My son knew I was on the show, but not the role," he told Undead Walking.

The Conjuring franchise is another spooky universe the actor has shown up in. He portrays Father Gordon and in a 2020 interview with Hooked On Horror, Coulter called it one of his favorite roles. "I always enjoy playing Father Gordon in the Conjuring movies, it's like coming home to see the whole gang again."