Jeffrey Warren Daniels (born February 19, 1955) is an American actor. He is known for his work on stage and screen, acting in both funny and serious roles. He has received many awards, including two Primetime Emmy Awards, and has been nominated for five Golden Globe Awards, five Screen Actors Guild Awards, and three Tony Awards.

He first appeared in movies like Ragtime (1981), Terms of Endearment (1983), and Heartburn (1986). He was nominated three times for Golden Globe Awards for his roles in The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985), Something Wild (1986), and The Squid and the Whale (2005). He acted in many different types of movies, including Arachnophobia (1990), Gettysburg (1993), Speed (1994), Dumb and Dumber (1994), Fly Away Home (1996), 101 Dalmatians (1996), Pleasantville (1998), Because of Winn-Dixie (2005), RV (2006), and Dumb and Dumber To (2014). He also acted in well-received movies such as The Hours (2002), Good Night, and Good Luck (2005), Infamous (2006), Looper (2012), Steve Jobs (2015), and The Martian (2015).

From 2012 to 2014, Daniels played the role of Will McAvoy in the HBO political drama series The Newsroom. For this role, he won the 2013 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series and was nominated for Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Awards. He won a second Primetime Emmy Award in 2018 for his performance in the Netflix miniseries Godless (2017). He has also played real people, such as John P. O’Neill in the Hulu miniseries The Looming Tower (2018) and FBI director James Comey in The Comey Rule (2020) for Showtime.

Daniels is also known for his work on stage. He first performed on Broadway in Gemini (1977). He was nominated three times for the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play for his roles in God of Carnage (2009), Blackbird (2016), and To Kill a Mockingbird (2018–2021). He is the founder and current executive director of the Chelsea, Michigan Purple Rose Theatre Company.

Early life and education

Daniels was born in Athens, Georgia, to Marjorie J., whose maiden name was Ferguson, and Robert Lee "Bob" Daniels. Marjorie is of Irish heritage. For the first six weeks of his life, Daniels lived in Georgia while his father taught there. Later, the family moved to Michigan, the state where his parents were born. He grew up in the town of Chelsea. His father owned the Chelsea Lumber Company and once served as the mayor of Chelsea.

Daniels briefly studied at Central Michigan University and took part in the school's theater program. In the summer of 1976, he attended the drama school at Eastern Michigan University to join a special program celebrating the country's 200th birthday. During this time, he performed in The Hot L Baltimore and three other plays. Marshall W. Mason, a guest director at the university, invited Daniels to move to New York and work at the Circle Repertory Theatre. At this theater, Daniels performed in Fifth of July, a play written by Lanford Wilson, during the 1977–1978 season. Later, in 1979, he acted in The Shortchanged Review at Second Stage Theatre in New York.

Career

Daniels appeared in many plays in New York, both on and off Broadway. His first role on Broadway was as an assistant stage manager in the play Gemini (1977) by Albert Innaurato. He also acted in Lanford Wilson's Fifth of July (1980) with William Hurt and received a Drama Desk Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. He later starred in A. R. Gurney's The Golden Age (1984) with Stockard Channing. Daniels first appeared in a movie in 1981 in Miloš Forman's Ragtime. His next film was Terms of Endearment (1982), which won the Academy Award for Best Picture. The movie shows the emotional relationship between a mother (Shirley MacLaine) and daughter (Debra Winger). Daniels played the husband of Winger's character, a role that helped him become famous.

In 1985, Daniels acted in Woody Allen's Purple Rose of Cairo with Mia Farrow and Danny Aiello. The film received praise and earned a 91% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics called it "lighthearted and sweet" and one of Woody Allen's more creative films. Daniels was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for his performance in the movie. This film inspired the name of the theater company he later founded. In 1986, he starred in Jonathan Demme's Something Wild as a businessman caught in a wild night with Melanie Griffith. He received his second Golden Globe nomination that year. He also had a supporting role in Heartburn (1986), directed by Mike Nichols, with Jack Nicholson and Meryl Streep. In 1988, Daniels co-starred with Kelly McGillis in The House on Carroll Street and appeared in Sweet Hearts Dance with Susan Sarandon, Don Johnson, and Elizabeth Perkins. He played the lead in Checking Out (1989), which had a limited theatrical release.

In 1990, Daniels starred in the thriller Arachnophobia. He also appeared in two romantic comedies, Love Hurts (1990) and The Butcher's Wife (1991), where he played Demi Moore's love interest. His sci-fi film Timescape (1992) was released directly to video. His next major role was as Colonel Joshua Chamberlain in Gettysburg (1993). He played the same character 10 years later in the prequel film Gods and Generals.

Daniels continued working in theater with Redwood Curtain (1993). Off-Broadway, he starred in Lanford Wilson's Lemon Sky with Cynthia Nixon and received a Drama Desk nomination and an Obie Award for his role in Johnny Got His Gun.

In 1994, Daniels co-starred with Jim Carrey in Dumb and Dumber, one of Carrey's most successful films. This was a different type of role for Daniels, who was known for dramatic acting. Earlier that year, he appeared in the action film Speed with Keanu Reeves. The movie was a huge hit, earning over $350 million. Daniels hosted Saturday Night Live again before the 1996 Disney film 101 Dalmatians, where he played the owner of a litter of dalmatians stolen by the villain Cruella De Vil (Glenn Close). The film earned $320 million. He also played a grungy cop in 2 Days in the Valley and appeared in the family film Fly Away Home as a supportive single father. His film Trial and Error (1997) was not successful, but he later starred in Pleasantville (1998) as a diner owner who learns to rebel against the norm. The film was nominated for three Academy Awards. Daniels also appeared in My Favorite Martian with Christopher Lloyd.

Daniels starred in TV films like The Crossing, Cheaters, and Chasing Sleep. In the early 2000s, he focused more on theater at The Purple Rose Theatre and worked on films like Escanaba in da Moonlight and Super Sucker. His next major film role was in Clint Eastwood's Blood Work, which received mixed reviews. He later appeared in The Hours (2001), an Academy Award-winning film with Meryl Streep, Julianne Moore, and Nicole Kidman. The film was a financial success, earning over $100 million. He also starred in Gods and Generals (2003) and I Witness (2003) with James Spader. Daniels then appeared in Imaginary Heroes and the 2004 TV adaptation of The Five People You Meet in Heaven.

In 2005, Daniels starred in Noah Baumbach's The Squid and the Whale with Laura Linney. He received his third Golden Globe nomination for the film, which focuses on a divorcing couple and their children. He also appeared in the family film Because of Winn-Dixie and had a supporting role in Good Night and Good Luck, an Oscar-nominated film with George Clooney, David Straithairn, Patricia Clarkson, Robert Downey Jr., and Frank Langella. In 2006, he acted in the Truman Capote biopic Infamous with Toby Jones, Sandra Bullock, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Sigourney Weaver. Critics compared the film to Bennett Miller's Capote (2005).

Daniels starred in Barry Sonnenfeld's family film RV (2006) with Robin Williams. He also acted in Off-Broadway's Blackbird (2007) with Allison Pill and appeared in independent films like Mama's Boy, The Lookout, and Traitor (2008).

In 2009, Daniels returned to Broadway in Yasmina Reza's God of Carnage with Hope Davis, James Gandolfini, and Marcia Gay Harden. The play, about parents meeting to resolve a fight between their sons, won the Tony Award for Best Play. Daniels received his first Tony Award nomination for Best Actor in a Play. That year, he also appeared in indie films like State of Play, The Answer Man,

Political, promotional and nonprofit activities

Daniels served as the television spokesperson for the Michigan Economic Development Corporation.

In 2020, Daniels supported Joe Biden in the presidential election against Donald Trump. He narrated a campaign ad for Biden titled "America Needs Michigan," which highlighted the importance of Michigan as a swing state.

In 1991, Daniels started the Purple Rose Theatre Company, a nonprofit theater group in Chelsea, Michigan. He has written over a dozen plays for the company.

Personal life

In 1979, Daniels married his college sweetheart, Kathleen Rosemary Treado, who was also from Chelsea, Michigan. They have three children.

In 1986, he returned to his hometown of Chelsea, Michigan. As of 2016, he lived there mainly.

Discography

Jeff Daniels has created six complete albums, with money from sales helping support The Purple Rose Theater.

• Jeff Daniels Live and Unplugged
• Jeff Daniels Live at The Purple Rose Theatre
• Grandfather's Hat
• Keep It Right Here
• Together Again
• Days Like These

Other recognitions

He was added to the Michigan Walk of Fame on May 25, 2006, in Lansing, Michigan. In December 2009, he received an Honorary Doctorate in Fine Arts and was chosen to speak at the winter graduation ceremony at the University of Michigan. In 2022, a parasite that harms tarantulas was named Tarantobelus jeffdanielsi to recognize his work in the study of spiders.