DIRK BENEDICT

My close friends know that I'm a sucker for what I like to call "ranch wear." I can't resist a man in a Filson jacket, cowboy hat, western shirt or cowboy boots. What those friends may not know is that I'm also a complete pushover for a man in drab, military-inspired clothing. Camo and olive and khaki, OH MY! Perhaps that's why I love Dirk Benedict. Between his starring roles in The A-Team and Battlestar Galactica, he had a rotating wardrobe of workin' man's clothes in every color of the military-issue palette.

Benedict got his start playing handsome, clean cut characters on Hawaii Five-0, Chopper One and other various TV shows. In 1978, he was cast as the girl-chasing Lieutenant Starbuck on Battlestar Galactica. My dad watched the show religiously (and owns the whole series on DVD today), and I watched alongside him and pined after Dirk and his co-star, Richard Hatch, who reminded me of a very tan version of heartthrob, Rick Springfield. All of their uniforms consisted of several neutral components: cognac suede jackets, silky khaki separates, beige Sherpa winter coats and gold details.

Benedict's signature accessory wasn't really an accessory at all. It was a cigar. It was also a signature of one of his most famous characters, Templeton "Faceman" Peck (a.k.a. "Face") on The A-Team. That thing rarely left his lips. It single-handedly transformed him from clean-cut intergalactic lieutenant to worldly Vietnam vet.

Benedict's off-screen attire was a direct reflection of his Montana upbringing. He was often spotted wearing a cowboy hat, boots, a plaid shirt and a rodeo-sized belt buckle. If I could, I would combine all of his on- and off-screen personas to make the perfect man. Intergalactic war hero in tight Wranglers? Be still my beating heart.

Pre-Battlestar Benedict as a young cop in "Chopper One"

Looking an awful lot like a young Warren Beatty on an episode of "Hawaii Five-0"

Starbuck, before the coffee conglomerate commandeered his name

Richard Hatch was nothing to sneeze at, either

In the A-Team as Templeton "Faceman" Peck

There's something very MacGruber about this shot

Getting back to his Montana roots

The preppier side of Dirk