Jeffrey Warren "
Jeff"
Daniels (born February 19, 1955) is an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actorAn actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
, musician and playwright. He founded a non-profit theatre company, the Purple Rose Theatre Company, in his home state of
MichiganMichigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. He has performed in a number of stage productions, both on and off
BroadwayBroadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
, and has been nominated for the
Tony AwardThe Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
as Best Actor for the Broadway play
God of CarnageGod of Carnage is a play by Yasmina Reza. It is about two pairs of parents, one of whose child has hurt the other at a public park, who meet to discuss the matter in a civilized manner. However, as the evening goes on, the parents become increasingly childish, resulting in the evening devolving...
(2009), along with his other three cast-mates.
He has had a thriving film career, from his debut in 1981 in
RagtimeRagtime is a 1981 American film based on the historical novel Ragtime by E. L. Doctorow. The action takes place in and around New York City, New Rochelle, and Atlantic City in the first decade of the 1900s, and includes fictionalized references to actual people and events of the time. The film was...
, through
State of PlayState of Play is a 2009 French-British-American political thriller film. It is an adaptation of the six-part British television serial of the same name which first aired on BBC One in 2003. The plot of the six-hour serial was condensed to fit a two-hour movie format, with the location changed to...
in 2009. For his film work, he has received three
Golden Globe AwardThe Golden Globe Award is an accolade bestowed by the 93 members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association recognizing excellence in film and television, both domestic and foreign...
nominations, including as Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture—Comedy/Musical for
Woody AllenWoody Allen is an American screenwriter, director, actor, comedian, jazz musician, author, and playwright. Allen's films draw heavily on literature, sexuality, philosophy, psychology, Jewish identity, and the history of cinema...
's
The Purple Rose of CairoThe Purple Rose of Cairo is a 1985 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Woody Allen. Inspired by Sherlock, Jr., Hellzapoppin, and Pirandello's Six Characters in Search of an Author, it is the tale of a film character who leaves a fictional film of the same name and enters the real...
(1985) (hence the name of his theatre company). He has also received nominations by the
Screen Actors GuildThe Screen Actors Guild is an American labor union representing over 200,000 film and television principal performers and background performers worldwide...
,
Satellite AwardsThe Satellite Awards are an annual award given by the International Press Academy. The awards were originally known as the Golden Satellite Awards.- Film :*Best Actor – Drama*Best Actor – Musical or Comedy*Best Actress – Drama...
, and several others for his work in
The Squid and the WhaleThe Squid and the Whale is a 2005 American drama film written and directed by Noah Baumbach and produced by Wes Anderson. It tells the semi-autobiographical story of two boys in Brooklyn dealing with their parents' divorce in the 1980s. The film is named after a giant squid and sperm whale diorama...
(London Critics Circle Awards,
Independent Spirit AwardsThe Independent Spirit Awards , founded in 1984, are awards dedicated to independent filmmakers. Winners were typically presented with acrylic glass pyramids containing suspended shoestrings representing the paltry budgets of independent films. In 1986, the event was renamed the Independent Spirit...
, Chlotrudis Awards and Gotham Awards). He played
Debra WingerMary Debra Winger is an American actress. Three-times an Oscar nominee, she received awards for acting in Terms of Endearment, for which she won the National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actress in 1983, and in A Dangerous Woman, for which she won the Tokyo International Film Festival...
's husband in the 1983 Oscar-winning film
Terms of EndearmentTerms of Endearment is a 1983 romantic comedy-drama film adapted by James L. Brooks from the novel by Larry McMurtry and starring Shirley MacLaine, Debra Winger, and Jack Nicholson...
.
Early life
Daniels was born in
Athens, GeorgiaAthens-Clarke County is a consolidated city–county in U.S. state of Georgia, in the northeastern part of the state, comprising the former City of Athens proper and Clarke County. The University of Georgia is located in this college town and is responsible for the initial growth of the city...
, and grew up in
Chelsea, MichiganChelsea is a city in Washtenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 4,398 at the 2000 census, at which time it was a village....
, where his father, Robert Lee Daniels, still owns the local
lumber yardA lumber yard is a retail location for lumber and wood related products used in construction and/or home improvement projects. Lumber yards can also provide services such as the use of a planer and other large machines....
. He was raised Methodist. Daniels attended
Central Michigan UniversityCentral Michigan University is a public research university located in Mount Pleasant in the U.S. state of Michigan...
and participated in their theater program. In the Summer of 1976, he attended the Eastern Michigan University (EMU) drama school to participate in a special Bi-Centennial Repertory programme where he performed in Hot L Baltimore and three other plays performed in repertoire. Marshall Mason was the guest director at EMU and he invited Jeff to come to
New YorkNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
to work at the Circle Repertory Theatre where he performed in The Fifth of July by Lanford Wilson in the 1977–1978 season. He also performed in New Mexico in
The Shortchanged Review (1979) at
Second Stage TheatreSecond Stage Theatre is an award-winning contemporary Off-Broadway theater company.-Mission:The theatre's mission is to give new life to contemporary American plays and to produce the world premiers of new plays by both established and emerging playwrights...
. It was the first show of the inaugural season for
Second Stage TheatreSecond Stage Theatre is an award-winning contemporary Off-Broadway theater company.-Mission:The theatre's mission is to give new life to contemporary American plays and to produce the world premiers of new plays by both established and emerging playwrights...
.
Stage career
Daniels has starred in a number of New York productions, on and off
BroadwayBroadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
. On Broadway, he has appeared in
Lanford WilsonLanford Wilson was an American playwright who helped to advance the Off-Off-Broadway theater movement. He received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1980, was elected in 2001 to the Theater Hall of Fame, and in 2004 was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters...
's
Redwood CurtainRedwood Curtain is a 1995 American dramatic TV movie created by Hallmark Hall of Fame, and directed by John Korty based upon the 1993 Broadway play of the same name by Lanford Wilson. Starring Jeff Daniels, Lea Salonga, Debra Monk and John Lithgow, the film debuted on ABC on April 23,...
,
A. R. GurneyA. R. Gurney is an American playwright and novelist. He is known for works including Love Letters, The Cocktail Hour, and The Dining Room. Gurney currently lives in both New York and Connecticut....
's
The Golden Age and Wilson's
Fifth of JulyFifth of July is a 1978 play by American playwright Lanford Wilson. Set in rural Missouri in 1977, it revolves around the Talley family and their friends, and focuses on the disillusionment with America in the wake of the Vietnam War...
, for which he won a
Drama Desk AwardThe Drama Desk Awards, which are given annually in a number of categories, are the only major New York theater honors for which productions on Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway compete against each other in the same category...
for Best Supporting Actor. Off-Broadway, he received a Drama Desk nomination for Wilson's
Lemon Sky, and an
Obie AwardThe Obie Awards or Off-Broadway Theater Awards are annual awards given by The Village Voice newspaper to theatre artists and groups in New York City...
for his performance in the
Circle Repertory CompanyThe Circle Repertory Company, originally named the Circle Theater Company, was a theatre company in New York City that ran from 1969 to 1996. It was founded on July 14, 1969, in Manhattan, in a second floor loft at Broadway and 83rd Street by director Marshall W...
production of
Johnny Got His GunJohnny Got His Gun is an anti-war novel written in 1938 by American novelist and screenwriter Dalton Trumboand published by J. B. Lippincott company.-Plot:...
. He returned to the stage in 2009, appearing in
BroadwayBroadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
's
God of CarnageGod of Carnage is a play by Yasmina Reza. It is about two pairs of parents, one of whose child has hurt the other at a public park, who meet to discuss the matter in a civilized manner. However, as the evening goes on, the parents become increasingly childish, resulting in the evening devolving...
with
Marcia Gay HardenMarcia Gay Harden is an American film and theatre actress. Harden's breakthrough role was in Miller's Crossing and then The First Wives Club which was followed by several roles which gained her wider fame including the hit comedy Flubber and Meet Joe Black...
,
Hope DavisHope Davis is an American actress. She has starred in more than 20 feature films, including About Schmidt, Arlington Road, Flatliners, Mumford, American Splendor, The Lodger and Next Stop Wonderland....
and
James GandolfiniJames J. Gandolfini, Jr. is an Italian American actor. He is best known for his role as Tony Soprano in the HBO TV series The Sopranos, about a troubled crime boss struggling to balance his family life and career in the Mafia...
.
In 1991, he founded the regionally-acclaimed
Purple Rose Theatre CompanyThe Purple Rose Theatre Company was founded by Jeff Daniels in 1991. Originally known as the Garage Theatre, 'The Rose' takes its name from Woody Allen's 1985 film The Purple Rose of Cairo starring Daniels...
, a non-profit stage company in his childhood and current home of
Chelsea, MichiganChelsea is a city in Washtenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 4,398 at the 2000 census, at which time it was a village....
. He is currently Executive Director of PRTC, and has written 11 plays for them.
Film career
Daniels made his screen debut in
Miloš FormanJan Tomáš Forman , better known as Miloš Forman , is a Czech-American director, screenwriter, professor, and an emigrant from Czechoslovakia. Two of his films, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and Amadeus, are among the most celebrated in the history of film, both gaining him the Academy Award for...
's
RagtimeRagtime is a 1981 American film based on the historical novel Ragtime by E. L. Doctorow. The action takes place in and around New York City, New Rochelle, and Atlantic City in the first decade of the 1900s, and includes fictionalized references to actual people and events of the time. The film was...
in 1981. His next film would prove to be his breakthrough as
Debra WingerMary Debra Winger is an American actress. Three-times an Oscar nominee, she received awards for acting in Terms of Endearment, for which she won the National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actress in 1983, and in A Dangerous Woman, for which she won the Tokyo International Film Festival...
's husband in the Oscar-winning film
Terms of EndearmentTerms of Endearment is a 1983 romantic comedy-drama film adapted by James L. Brooks from the novel by Larry McMurtry and starring Shirley MacLaine, Debra Winger, and Jack Nicholson...
. Daniels then garnered a Golden Globe nomination as the star of
Purple Rose of Cairo directed by
Woody AllenWoody Allen is an American screenwriter, director, actor, comedian, jazz musician, author, and playwright. Allen's films draw heavily on literature, sexuality, philosophy, psychology, Jewish identity, and the history of cinema...
.
Daniels earned his second Golden Globe nomination for starring in
Jonathan DemmeRobert Jonathan Demme is an American filmmaker, producer and screenwriter. Best known for directing The Silence of the Lambs, which won him the Academy Award for Best Director, he has also directed the acclaimed movies Philadelphia, Rachel Getting Married, the Talking Heads concert movie Stop...
's dramedy
Something Wild as an unassuming business man swept up into a wild night by a mysterious woman (
Melanie GriffithMelanie Richards Griffith is an American actress. She is an Academy Award nominee and Golden Globe winner for her performance in the 1988 film Working Girl...
). Daniels then starred in the horror-comedy
ArachnophobiaArachnophobia is a 1990 American comedy horror film directed by Frank Marshall and starring Jeff Daniels and John Goodman. It was the first film released by Hollywood Pictures....
in 1990. The next year Daniels starred in two films (
Love Hurts"Love Hurts" is the name of a song, written and composed by Boudleaux Bryant. First recorded by The Everly Brothers in July 1960, the song is also well known from a 1975 international hit version by the rock band Nazareth and in the UK by a top 5 hit in 1975 by Jim Capaldi.The song was introduced...
and
The Butcher's WifeThe Butcher's Wife is a 1991 romantic comedy film, in which a clairvoyant woman thinks that she's met her future husband , who she has seen in her dreams and is a butcher in New York. They marry and move to the city, where her powers tend to influence everyone she meets while working in the shop...
) and hosted NBC's legendary sketch comedy show
Saturday Night LiveSaturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
.
Daniel's next notable role was as Colonel
Joshua ChamberlainJoshua Lawrence Chamberlain , born as Lawrence Joshua Chamberlain, was an American college professor from the State of Maine, who volunteered during the American Civil War to join the Union Army...
in
Gettysburg. Alongside Daniels were
Tom BerengerTom Berenger is an American actor known mainly for his roles in action films.-Early life:Berenger was born as Thomas Michael Moore in Chicago to an Irish Catholic family. Berenger's father was a printer for the Chicago Sun-Times. Berenger has a sister, Susan...
,
Martin SheenRamón Gerardo Antonio Estévez , better known by his stage name Martin Sheen, is an American film actor best known for his performances in the films Badlands and Apocalypse Now , and in the television series The West Wing from 1999 to 2006.He is considered one of the best actors never to be...
,
Stephen LangStephen Lang is an American actor and playwright. He started in theatre on Broadway but is well known for his film portrayals of Stonewall Jackson in Gods and Generals and George Pickett in Gettysburg , as well as for his 2009 roles as Colonel Miles Quaritch in Avatar and as Texan lawman Charles...
and Sam Elliot. The two part film proved so popular on television that the 262 minute movie garnered a theatrical release. Daniels would reprise the role of Chamberlain ten years later in the prequel film
Gods and GeneralsGods and Generals is a 2003 American film based on the novel Gods and Generals by Jeffrey Shaara. It depicts events that take place prior to those shown in the 1993 film Gettysburg, which was based on The Killer Angels, a novel by Shaara's father, Michael...
, with much of the same cast except for Sheen who was replaced by
Robert DuvallRobert Selden Duvall is an American actor and director. He has won an Academy Award, two Emmy Awards, four Golden Globe Awards and a BAFTA over the course of his career....
.
In 1994 Daniels would have one of his most successful films commercially, starring in the
Farrelly BrothersPeter John Farrelly and Robert Leo "Bobby" Farrelly, Jr. , professionally known as the Farrelly Brothers are screenwriters and directors of ten comedy films, including There's Something About Mary; Dumb and Dumber; Kingpin; Hall Pass; Me, Myself & Irene; Shallow Hal; Stuck on You; Osmosis Jones;...
' hit
Dumb and Dumber alongside
Jim CarreyJames Eugene "Jim" Carrey is a Canadian-American actor and comedian. He has received two Golden Globe Awards and has also been nominated on four occasions. Carrey began comedy in 1979, performing at Yuk Yuk's in Toronto, Ontario...
. It was a noted departure for Daniels, due to his status as a dramatic heavyweight. Also in '94 was the
Keanu ReevesKeanu Charles Reeves is a Canadian actor. Reeves is perhaps best known for his roles in Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, Speed, Point Break and the science fiction-action trilogy The Matrix...
action blockbuster
Speed. Daniels starred as Reeves' partner on the LAPD bomb squad, in a race against time to defuse a bomb planted on a bus, set to explode if the bus's speed falls below 50 miles per hour. Also starring
Dennis HopperDennis Lee Hopper was an American actor, filmmaker and artist. As a young man, Hopper became interested in acting and eventually became a student of the Actors' Studio. He made his first television appearance in 1954 and appeared in two films featuring James Dean, Rebel Without a Cause and Giant...
and
Sandra BullockSandra Annette Bullock is an Academy Award winning American actress and producer who rose to fame in the 1990s after roles in successful films such as Demolition Man, Speed, The Net, A Time to Kill, and While You Were Sleeping. She continued with films such as Miss Congeniality, The Lake House,...
,
Speed was an enormous hit, grossing over $350 million at the box office.
Daniels would then host
Saturday Night LiveSaturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
a second time before the release of the 1996 Disney remake of
101 Dalmatians. Daniels starred as the owner of a litter of dalmatians stolen by the evil
Cruella De VilCruella de Vil is a fictional character and the iconic villain in Dodie Smith's 1956 novel The Hundred and One Dalmatians, Disney's 1961 animated film adaptation One Hundred and One Dalmatians, and Disney's live-action film adaptations 101 Dalmatians and 102 Dalmatians. In all her incarnations,...
(
Glenn CloseGlenn Close is an American actress and singer of theatre and film, known for her roles as a femme fatale Glenn Close (born March 19, 1947) is an American actress and singer of theatre and film, known for her roles as a femme fatale Glenn Close (born March 19, 1947) is an American actress and...
). The film was a rousing success, grossing $320 million. Also in 1996 was the family hit film
Fly Away HomeFly Away Home is a 1996 drama and comedy film directed by Carroll Ballard, the director of The Black Stallion . The film stars Anna Paquin, Jeff Daniels and Dana Delany. The story follows a young girl from New Zealand who survives a car crash that results in the death of her mother...
with Daniels as the supportive single father of
Anna PaquinAnna Helene Paquin is a Canadian-born New Zealand actress. Paquin's first critically successful film was The Piano, for which she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 1994 at the age of 11 – the second youngest winner in history...
's goose raising preteen. Daniels then had a critical and commercial misfire with 1997's
Trial and Error alongside
SeinfeldSeinfeld is an American television sitcom that originally aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, lasting nine seasons, and is now in syndication. It was created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld, the latter starring as a fictionalized version of himself...
's
Michael RichardsMichael Anthony Richards is an American actor, comedian, writer and television producer, best known for his portrayal of the eccentric Cosmo Kramer on the television sitcom Seinfeld....
.
Daniels would rebound however with 1998's
PleasantvillePleasantville is a 1998 American fantasy comedy-drama film written, produced, and directed by Gary Ross. The film stars Tobey Maguire, Reese Witherspoon, William H. Macy, Joan Allen, Marley Shelton and Jeff Daniels. Don Knotts, Paul Walker, Jane Kaczmarek, and J. T. Walsh are also featured.The film...
as diner owner Bill Johnson who learns to act as an individual and rebel against the norm at the urging of Tobey Macguire's David. Also starring
Reese WitherspoonLaura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon , better known as Reese Witherspoon, is an American actress and film producer. Witherspoon landed her first feature role as the female lead in the film The Man in the Moon in 1991; later that year she made her television acting debut, in the cable movie Wildflower...
,
Joan AllenJoan Allen is an American actress. She worked in theatre, television and film during her early career, and achieved recognition for her Broadway debut in Burn This, winning a Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play in 1989.She has received three Academy Award nominations;...
, and
Don KnottsJesse Donald "Don" Knotts was an American comedic actor best known for his portrayal of Barney Fife on the 1960s television sitcom The Andy Griffith Show, a role which earned him five Emmy Awards...
,
Pleasantville was one of the best reviewed films of the year, nominated for three Academy Awards. Daniels would then star alongside
Christopher LloydChristopher Allen Lloyd is an American actor. He is best known for playing Emmett Brown in the Back to the Future trilogy, Uncle Fester in The Addams Family and Addams Family Values, and Judge Doom in Who Framed Roger Rabbit. He played Reverend Jim Ignatowski in the television series Taxi and more...
in the critical and commercial bomb
My Favorite MartianMy Favorite Martian is a 1999 science fiction comedy film starring Christopher Lloyd, Jeff Daniels, Daryl Hannah, Elizabeth Hurley, Wallace Shawn and Ray Walston, based on the 1960s television series of the same name. It was directed by Donald Petrie and written by original-series creator John L....
. The film severely damaged Daniels' status as a box office star and he would proceed to work in increasingly less mainstream starring roles.
Daniels then starred in the TV films
The Crossing,
CheatersCheaters is an HBO movie released in 2000 that chronicles the story of the 1994-1995 Steinmetz High School team that cheated in the United States Academic Decathlon . It is based on a true story...
and direct-to-video release
Chasing SleepChasing Sleep is a 2000 psychological thriller film written and directed by Michael Walker released to video in 2001. It depicts the reaction of a college professor who awakens to find his wife missing...
. At this point, in the early 2000s Daniels began to focus more on his theater work at The Purple Rose Theatre in his hometown of Chelsea, MI.
Daniels' next major film role would be in
Clint EastwoodClinton "Clint" Eastwood, Jr. is an American film actor, director, producer, composer and politician. Eastwood first came to prominence as a supporting cast member in the TV series Rawhide...
's
Blood Work. The film received mixed reviews and was a commercial failure. He would rebound later that year with
Stephen DaldryStephen David Daldry, CBE is an English theatre and film director and producer, as well as a three-time Academy Award nominated and Tony Award winning director.-Early years:...
's Academy Award-winning
The HoursThe Hours is a 2002 drama film directed by Stephen Daldry, and starring Nicole Kidman, Meryl Streep, Julianne Moore and Ed Harris. The screenplay by David Hare is based on the 1999 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same title by Michael Cunningham....
, alongside
Nicole KidmanNicole Mary Kidman, AC is an American-born Australian actress, singer, film producer, spokesmodel, and humanitarian. After starring in a number of small Australian films and TV shows, Kidman's breakthrough was in the 1989 thriller Dead Calm...
,
Meryl StreepMary Louise "Meryl" Streep is an American actress who has worked in theatre, television and film.Streep made her professional stage debut in 1971's The Playboy of Seville, before her screen debut in the television movie The Deadliest Season in 1977. In that same year, she made her film debut with...
and
Julianne MooreJulianne Moore is an American actress and a children's book author. Throughout her career, she has been nominated for four Oscars, six Golden Globes, three BAFTAs and nine Screen Actors Guild Awards....
. The film was also a monetary success, grossing well over $100 million.
Gods and GeneralsGods and Generals is a 2003 American film based on the novel Gods and Generals by Jeffrey Shaara. It depicts events that take place prior to those shown in the 1993 film Gettysburg, which was based on The Killer Angels, a novel by Shaara's father, Michael...
followed in 2003 as did the action film
I WitnessI Witness is an action film starring Jeff Daniels and James Spader. It was released in the United States on February 1, 2003.-Plot:Human rights activist James Rhodes arrives in Tijuana to help oversee local union elections. While there, he becomes embroiled in a mass murder at what appears to be a...
co-starring
James SpaderJames Todd Spader is an American actor best known for his eccentric roles in movies such as Pretty in Pink, Less Than Zero, Sex, Lies, and Videotape, Crash, Stargate, and Secretary...
. Daniels then starred in
Imaginary HeroesImaginary Heroes is a 2004 American drama film written and directed by Dan Harris. It focuses on the traumatic effect the suicide of the elder son has on a suburban family.-Plot:...
and the 2004 television film adaptation of fellow Michigander and friend
Mitch AlbomMitchell David "Mitch" Albom is an American best-selling author, journalist, screenwriter, dramatist, radio and television broadcaster and musician. His books have sold over 30 million copies worldwide...
's best-seller
The Five People You Meet in HeavenThe Five People You Meet in Heaven is a novel by Mitch Albom. It recounts the life and death of an old maintenance man named Eddie. After dying in an accident, Eddie finds himself in heaven where he encounters five people who have significantly affected his life, whether he realized at the time or...
.
2005 proved to be a strong year for Daniels as he garnered notice as the star of the lauded
Noah BaumbachNoah Baumbach is an American writer, director and independent filmmaker.-Background and education:Baumbach was born in Brooklyn, New York City, the son of novelist/film critic Jonathan Baumbach and Village Voice critic Georgia Brown. He graduated from Brooklyn's Midwood High School in 1987 and ...
film
The Squid and the WhaleThe Squid and the Whale is a 2005 American drama film written and directed by Noah Baumbach and produced by Wes Anderson. It tells the semi-autobiographical story of two boys in Brooklyn dealing with their parents' divorce in the 1980s. The film is named after a giant squid and sperm whale diorama...
. Daniels received his third Golden Globe nomination for the film, about a divorcing couple and the effect the split has on their children. That year Daniels also starred in the family film adaptation of
Because of Winn-DixieBecause of Winn-Dixie is a 2005 film adapted from the book of the same name by Kate DiCamillo and directed by Wayne Wang. It was produced by Walden Media and released by 20th Century Fox...
. He would round out the year with a supporting role in the Oscar-Nominated film
Good Night and Good Luck directed by
George ClooneyGeorge Timothy Clooney is an American actor, film director, producer, and screenwriter. For his work as an actor, he has received two Golden Globe Awards and an Academy Award...
.
Daniels then starred as the redneck comic foil to
Robin WilliamsRobin McLaurin Williams is an American actor and comedian. Rising to fame with his role as the alien Mork in the TV series Mork and Mindy, and later stand-up comedy work, Williams has performed in many feature films since 1980. He won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance...
' uptight business man in the vacation comedy
RVRV is a 2006 comedy film directed by Barry Sonnenfeld, written by Geoff Rodkey, and starring Robin Williams, Joanna "JoJo" Levesque, Cheryl Hines, Josh Hutcherson, Jeff Daniels, Kristin Chenoweth and Will Arnett. It was released on April 28, 2006 in North America...
directed by
Barry SonnenfeldBarry Sonnenfeld is an American filmmaker and television director. He worked as cinematographer for the Coen brothers, then later he directed and produced big budget films such as Men in Black.-Life and career:...
. He had a supporting role in the Truman Capote biopic
InfamousInfamous is a 2006 American drama film, based on the 1997 book by George Plimpton, Capote: In Which Various Friends, Enemies, Acquaintances and Detractors Recall His Turbulent Career....
, and in two other independent films
Mama's Boy and
The Lookout for which he was nominated for a Satellite Award.
Daniels then had a starring voice-over role as the villain Zartog in animated film
Space ChimpsSpace Chimps is a 2008 computer-animated family comedy film produced by Vanguard Animation, Starz Media and 20th Century Fox, and it was released on July 18, 2008. The film is produced by Barry Sonnenfeld, John H. Williams, and John W...
. Daniels then took back-to-back supporting roles in political thrillers:
TraitorTraitor is a 2008 American spy thriller film, based on an idea by Steve Martin who is also an executive producer. Written and directed by Jeffrey Nachmanoff, the film stars Don Cheadle and Guy Pearce in the lead roles.-Plot:...
with
Don CheadleDonald Frank "Don" Cheadle, Jr. is an American film actor and producer. Cheadle rose to prominence in the late 1990s and the early 2000s for his supporting roles in the Steven Soderbergh-directed films Out of Sight, Traffic, and Ocean's Eleven...
and
State of PlayState of Play is a 2009 French-British-American political thriller film. It is an adaptation of the six-part British television serial of the same name which first aired on BBC One in 2003. The plot of the six-hour serial was condensed to fit a two-hour movie format, with the location changed to...
with
Russell CroweRussell Ira Crowe is a New Zealander Australian actor , film producer and musician. He came to international attention for his role as Roman General Maximus Decimus Meridius in the 2000 historical epic film Gladiator, directed by Ridley Scott, for which he won an Academy Award for Best Actor, a...
and
Rachel McAdamsRachel Anne McAdams is a Canadian actress. After graduating from a theatre program at York University, Toronto in 2001, she worked steadily as an actress until finding fame in 2004 with starring roles in teen comedy Mean Girls and romantic drama The Notebook...
. Also in 2009 Daniels would appear in indie hit
Away We Go. 2010 would prove to be a slow year for Daniels, as he continued his theater work and had a starring role in the little-seen indie
HowlFirst Howl is an upcoming horror film directed by David Flores and written by Clint Morris and stars Parisse Boothe, Eric Stoltz and Kristina Anapau...
alongside
James FrancoJames Edward Franco is an American actor, film director, producer, screenwriter, author, painter, performance artist and instructor at New York University. He left college in order to pursue acting and started off his career by making guest appearances on television series in the 1990s...
as
Allen GinsbergIrwin Allen Ginsberg was an American poet and one of the leading figures of the Beat Generation in the 1950s. He vigorously opposed militarism, materialism and sexual repression...
.
Musical career
He has focused on recording a number of songs that he has written throughout his life, apparently marking key moments. He has kept busy with frequent gigs and two full length albums,
Grandfather's Hat and
Jeff Daniels Live and Unplugged..
He is featured on the cover of the July/August 2011 issue of Making Music Magazine where there is an article about his experiences with music.
Personal life
Daniels has been married to his high school sweetheart, Kathleen Rosemary Treado, since 1979. They married on Friday the 13th because he wore the number 13 on his baseball uniform.
In 1986, Daniels moved his home to
Chelsea, MichiganChelsea is a city in Washtenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 4,398 at the 2000 census, at which time it was a village....
, where the couple had grown up. They have three children: Benjamin (born 1984), Lucas (born 1987), and Nellie (born 1990).
He has appeared as the TV spokesperson for the
MichiganMichigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
Economic Development Corporation promoting Michigan's effectiveness in bringing in new companies, featured on
CNBCCNBC is a satellite and cable television business news channel in the U.S., owned and operated by NBCUniversal. The network and its international spinoffs cover business headlines and provide live coverage of financial markets. The combined reach of CNBC and its siblings is 390 million viewers...
.
He has written, directed, and starred in two films by Purple Rose Films, each set in Michigan:
Escanaba in da MoonlightEscanaba in da Moonlight is a 2001 movie starring Jeff Daniels. It is a comedy about hunting and hunting traditions and is set in the Escanaba, Michigan area...
and
Super SuckerSuper Sucker is a 2003 film featuring Jeff Daniels, Harve Presnell, and Kate Peckham.Filmed in Jackson, Michigan, Daniels and Presnell play Fred Barlow and Winslow Schnaebelt, the heads of two different groups of door-to-door vacuum cleaner salesmen who are competing for the same territory. Their...
. He was inducted into the
Michigan Walk of FameThe Michigan Walk of Fame, styled on the famous Hollywood Walk of Fame, will honor Michigan residents, past or present, who have made significant contributions to the state or nation....
on May 25, 2006 in
Lansing, MichiganLansing is the capital of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is located mostly in Ingham County, although small portions of the city extend into Eaton County. The 2010 Census places the city's population at 114,297, making it the fifth largest city in Michigan...
. He delivered the winter commencement address at the
University of MichiganThe University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
on December 20, 2009, and was granted an Honorary Doctorate in Fine Arts.
Filmography
| Year |
Title |
Role |
Notes |
| 1981 |
Ragtime Ragtime is a 1981 American film based on the historical novel Ragtime by E. L. Doctorow. The action takes place in and around New York City, New Rochelle, and Atlantic City in the first decade of the 1900s, and includes fictionalized references to actual people and events of the time. The film was...
|
P. C. O'Donnell |
|
| 1983 |
Terms of EndearmentTerms of Endearment is a 1983 romantic comedy-drama film adapted by James L. Brooks from the novel by Larry McMurtry and starring Shirley MacLaine, Debra Winger, and Jack Nicholson...
|
Flap Horton |
|
| 1985 |
Marie Marie is a 1985 film starring Sissy Spacek as the real-life Marie Ragghianti, former head of the Tennessee Board of Pardons and Paroles, who was removed from office in 1977 after refusing to release prisoners who had bribed aides to then-Governor Ray Blanton...
|
Eddie Sisk |
|
| 1985 |
The Purple Rose of CairoThe Purple Rose of Cairo is a 1985 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Woody Allen. Inspired by Sherlock, Jr., Hellzapoppin, and Pirandello's Six Characters in Search of an Author, it is the tale of a film character who leaves a fictional film of the same name and enters the real...
|
Tom Baxter/Gil Shepherd |
Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy |
| 1986 |
Something Wild |
Charles Driggs |
| 1986 |
HeartburnHeartburn is a 1986 American drama film directed by Mike Nichols. The screenplay by Nora Ephron is based on her semi-autobiographical novel of the same name, which was inspired by her tempestuous second marriage to Carl Bernstein and his affair with Margaret Jay. Rachel is a food writer at a New...
|
Richard |
|
| 1987 |
Radio Days Radio Days is a 1987 comedy film directed by Woody Allen. The film looks back on an American family's life during the Golden Age of Radio using both music and memories to tell the story.-Plot:...
|
Biff Baxter |
|
| 1988 |
The House on Carroll Street The House on Carroll Street is an American thriller film directed by Peter Yates. The film features Kelly McGillis, Jeff Daniels, Mandy Patinkin and Jessica Tandy.-Plot:...
|
Cochran |
|
| 1988 |
Sweet Hearts Dance Sweet Hearts Dance is a 1988 American comedy drama film directed by Robert Greenwald. The screenplay by Ernest Thompson centers on two small town couples, one married for several years and the other at the beginning of their relationship....
|
Sam Manners |
|
| 1989 |
Checking Out Checking Out is an American comedy film, made in 1989, directed by David Leland and starring Jeff Daniels.-Plot summary:Ray Macklin is obsessed with his own mortality. When a close friend suddenly dies of a heart attack at a barbecue, Ray becomes convinced that every ache, pain and twinge he...
|
Ray Macklin |
|
| 1989 |
No Place Like Home |
Mike |
Television film |
| 1990 |
Arachnophobia Arachnophobia is a 1990 American comedy horror film directed by Frank Marshall and starring Jeff Daniels and John Goodman. It was the first film released by Hollywood Pictures....
|
Ross Jennings |
Saturn Award for Best Actor The Saturn Award is an award presented annually by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films to honor the top works in science fiction, fantasy, and horror in film, television, and home video. The Saturn Awards were devised by Dr. Donald A. Reed, who felt that films within those genres...
|
| 1990 |
Welcome Home, Roxy CarmichaelWelcome Home, Roxy Carmichael is a 1990 American comedy-drama film starring Winona Ryder and Jeff Daniels.-Plot:The film's main character is a 15-year-old girl named Dinky Bossetti . Dinky was adopted as a baby. She appears to have little acceptance in her social circle, although it is not obvious...
|
Denton Webb |
|
| 1991 |
Love Hurts |
Paul Weaver |
|
| 1991 |
The Butcher's Wife The Butcher's Wife is a 1991 romantic comedy film, in which a clairvoyant woman thinks that she's met her future husband , who she has seen in her dreams and is a butcher in New York. They marry and move to the city, where her powers tend to influence everyone she meets while working in the shop...
|
Dr. Alex Tremor |
|
| 1992 |
Timescape (1992 film) Timescape, released on video as Grand Tour: Disaster in Time, is a 1992 American science fiction film by Director David Twohy. This time-travel-themed film is based on the novel Vintage Season by Henry Kuttner andC.L...
also known as Grand Tour: Disaster in Time |
Ben Wilson |
International Fantasy Film Award for Best Actor |
| 1992 |
There Goes the Neighborhood There Goes the Neighborhood, released as Paydirt in most foreign countries, is a 1992 comedy film. The film tells a story of a dying prisoner who whispers the location of his loot to the facility's psychologist Willis Embry who heads to the New Jersey suburbs to find it.-Synopsis:Prison...
|
Willis Embry |
|
| 1992 |
Teamster Boss: The Jackie Presser Story |
Tom Noonan |
Television film |
| 1993 |
Rain Without ThunderRain Without Thunder is a 1992 movie directed by Gary Bennet and starring Betty Buckley and Jeff Daniels. The film is set fifty years in the future from the time of production. Although the Planned Parenthood v...
|
Jonathan Garson |
|
| 1993 |
Gettysburg |
Colonel Joshua Chamberlain |
Nominated – Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor The Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor is an annual award given by the Chicago Film Critics Association.-1980s:-1990s:-2000s:-2010s:-References:...
|
| 1994 |
Speed |
Harry Temple |
|
| 1994 |
Dumb and Dumber |
Harry Dunne |
|
| 1995 |
Redwood Curtain Redwood Curtain is a 1995 American dramatic TV movie created by Hallmark Hall of Fame, and directed by John Korty based upon the 1993 Broadway play of the same name by Lanford Wilson. Starring Jeff Daniels, Lea Salonga, Debra Monk and John Lithgow, the film debuted on ABC on April 23,...
|
Lyman Fellers |
|
| 1996 |
Fly Away HomeFly Away Home is a 1996 drama and comedy film directed by Carroll Ballard, the director of The Black Stallion . The film stars Anna Paquin, Jeff Daniels and Dana Delany. The story follows a young girl from New Zealand who survives a car crash that results in the death of her mother...
|
Thomas Alden |
Nominated – Chlotrudis Award for Best Actor The Chlotrudis Award for Best Actor is an award given by the Chlotrudis Society for Independent Film to the actor or actors whose winning performance is voted by participating members. The Chlotrudis Awards is an annual ceremony where the best of the previous year's independent and international...
|
| 1996 |
2 Days in the Valley 2 Days in the Valley is a 1996 film, directed by John Herzfeld. The film revolves around the events over 48 hours in the lives of a group of people who are drawn together by a murder. Several parallel storylines overlap one another in the film.-Plot:...
|
Alvin Strayer |
|
| 1996 |
101 Dalmatians |
Roger Dearly |
|
| 1997 |
Trial and Error |
Charlie Tuttle |
|
| 1998 |
Pleasantville Pleasantville is a 1998 American fantasy comedy-drama film written, produced, and directed by Gary Ross. The film stars Tobey Maguire, Reese Witherspoon, William H. Macy, Joan Allen, Marley Shelton and Jeff Daniels. Don Knotts, Paul Walker, Jane Kaczmarek, and J. T. Walsh are also featured.The film...
|
Bill Johnson |
Nominated – Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy |
| 1999 |
My Favorite Martian My Favorite Martian is a 1999 science fiction comedy film starring Christopher Lloyd, Jeff Daniels, Daryl Hannah, Elizabeth Hurley, Wallace Shawn and Ray Walston, based on the 1960s television series of the same name. It was directed by Donald Petrie and written by original-series creator John L....
|
Tim O'Hara |
|
| 1999 |
All the Rage |
Warren Harding |
retitled It's the Rage for American television |
| 2000 |
The Crossing |
George WashingtonGeorge Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
|
Television film |
| 2000 |
Chasing Sleep Chasing Sleep is a 2000 psychological thriller film written and directed by Michael Walker released to video in 2001. It depicts the reaction of a college professor who awakens to find his wife missing...
|
Ed Saxon |
|
| 2000 |
Cheaters Cheaters is an HBO movie released in 2000 that chronicles the story of the 1994-1995 Steinmetz High School team that cheated in the United States Academic Decathlon . It is based on a true story...
|
Dr. Gerard Plecki |
Television film; HBO |
| 2001 |
Escanaba in da Moonlight Escanaba in da Moonlight is a 2001 movie starring Jeff Daniels. It is a comedy about hunting and hunting traditions and is set in the Escanaba, Michigan area...
|
Reuben Soady |
|
| 2002 |
Super Sucker Super Sucker is a 2003 film featuring Jeff Daniels, Harve Presnell, and Kate Peckham.Filmed in Jackson, Michigan, Daniels and Presnell play Fred Barlow and Winslow Schnaebelt, the heads of two different groups of door-to-door vacuum cleaner salesmen who are competing for the same territory. Their...
|
Fred Barlow |
|
| 2002 |
Blood Work |
Jasper "Buddy" Noone |
|
| 2002 |
The Hours The Hours is a 2002 drama film directed by Stephen Daldry, and starring Nicole Kidman, Meryl Streep, Julianne Moore and Ed Harris. The screenplay by David Hare is based on the 1999 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same title by Michael Cunningham....
|
Louis Waters |
|
| 2003 |
Gods and Generals Gods and Generals is a 2003 American film based on the novel Gods and Generals by Jeffrey Shaara. It depicts events that take place prior to those shown in the 1993 film Gettysburg, which was based on The Killer Angels, a novel by Shaara's father, Michael...
|
Lt. Colonel Joshua Chamberlain |
|
| 2003 |
I Witness I Witness is an action film starring Jeff Daniels and James Spader. It was released in the United States on February 1, 2003.-Plot:Human rights activist James Rhodes arrives in Tijuana to help oversee local union elections. While there, he becomes embroiled in a mass murder at what appears to be a...
|
James Rhodes |
|
| 2004 |
The Goodbye Girl The Goodbye Girl is a 1977 American romantic comedy-drama film. Directed by Herbert Ross, the film stars Richard Dreyfuss, Marsha Mason, Quinn Cummings, and Paul Benedict...
|
Elliot Garfield |
Television film |
| 2004 |
Imaginary Heroes Imaginary Heroes is a 2004 American drama film written and directed by Dan Harris. It focuses on the traumatic effect the suicide of the elder son has on a suburban family.-Plot:...
|
Ben Travis |
|
| 2004 |
The Five People You Meet In Heaven |
The Blue Man |
|
| 2005 |
The Squid and the WhaleThe Squid and the Whale is a 2005 American drama film written and directed by Noah Baumbach and produced by Wes Anderson. It tells the semi-autobiographical story of two boys in Brooklyn dealing with their parents' divorce in the 1980s. The film is named after a giant squid and sperm whale diorama...
|
Bernard Berkman |
Chlotrudis Award for Best Supporting Actor The Chlotrudis Award for Best Supporting Actor is an award given by the Chlotrudis Society for Independent Film to the actor or actors whose winning performance is voted by participating members. The Chlotrudis Awards is an annual ceremony where the best of the previous year's independent and...
Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
Nominated – Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead
Nominated – London Film Critics Circle Award for Actor of the Year |
| 2005 |
Because of Winn-Dixie Because of Winn-Dixie is a 2005 film adapted from the book of the same name by Kate DiCamillo and directed by Wayne Wang. It was produced by Walden Media and released by 20th Century Fox...
|
The Preacher |
|
| 2005 |
Good Night, and Good Luck. Good Night, and Good Luck. is a 2005 American drama film directed by George Clooney. The film was written by Clooney and Grant Heslov and portrays the conflict between veteran radio and television journalist Edward R. Murrow and U.S...
|
Sig Mickelson |
|
| 2006 |
RVRV is a 2006 comedy film directed by Barry Sonnenfeld, written by Geoff Rodkey, and starring Robin Williams, Joanna "JoJo" Levesque, Cheryl Hines, Josh Hutcherson, Jeff Daniels, Kristin Chenoweth and Will Arnett. It was released on April 28, 2006 in North America...
|
Travis Gornicke |
|
| 2006 |
Infamous Infamous is a 2006 American drama film, based on the 1997 book by George Plimpton, Capote: In Which Various Friends, Enemies, Acquaintances and Detractors Recall His Turbulent Career....
|
Alvin Dewey |
|
| 2007 |
The Lookout |
Lewis |
Nominated – Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture |
| 2007 |
Mama's Boy Mama's Boy is a 2007 comedy starring Diane Keaton and Jon Heder, and features music by Mark Mothersbaugh. The film was distributed by Warner Bros. for a limited release to certain parts of the United States. Mama's Boy was directed by Tim Hamilton....
|
Mert Rosenbloom |
|
| 2007 |
A Plumm Summer A Plumm Summer is a 2007 adventure-family film directed by Caroline Zelder. It starred Owen Pearce, Chris Massoglia , Morgan Flynn, William Baldwin, Henry Winkler, and Lisa Guerrero...
|
narrator |
|
| 2008 |
Sweet Nothing in My Ear Sweet Nothing in My Ear is a television movie that debuted on the CBS television network as a Hallmark Hall of Fame movie on April 20, 2008. The film is directed by Joseph Sargent, and is based on a 1998 play of the same name by Stephen Sachs, who also wrote the teleplay...
|
Dan Miller |
Television film |
| 2008 |
Space ChimpsSpace Chimps is a 2008 computer-animated family comedy film produced by Vanguard Animation, Starz Media and 20th Century Fox, and it was released on July 18, 2008. The film is produced by Barry Sonnenfeld, John H. Williams, and John W...
|
Zartog |
voice only |
| 2008 |
Traitor Traitor is a 2008 American spy thriller film, based on an idea by Steve Martin who is also an executive producer. Written and directed by Jeffrey Nachmanoff, the film stars Don Cheadle and Guy Pearce in the lead roles.-Plot:...
|
Carter |
|
| 2009 |
State of PlayState of Play is a 2009 French-British-American political thriller film. It is an adaptation of the six-part British television serial of the same name which first aired on BBC One in 2003. The plot of the six-hour serial was condensed to fit a two-hour movie format, with the location changed to...
|
Representative George Fergus |
|
| 2009 |
The Answer Man |
Arlen Faber |
|
| 2009 |
Away We Go Away We Go is a 2009 comedy-drama directed by Academy Award-winning director Sam Mendes and written by the husband-and-wife team of Dave Eggers and Vendela Vida...
|
Jerry Farlander |
|
| 2009 |
Paper Man Paper Man is a 2009 independent film by Kieran and Michele Mulroney.-Plot:Richard is a failed novelist who still talks to his childhood imaginary friend, Captain Excellent...
|
Richard Dunn |
|
| 2010 |
Howl Howl is a 2010 American experimental film which explores both the Six Gallery debut and the 1957 obscenity trial of 20th century American poet Allen Ginsberg's noted poem Howl. The film is written and directed by Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman and stars James Franco as Ginsberg.-Plot:Howl...
|
Professor David Kirk |
|
| 2010 |
Planet Sheen Planet Sheen is an American CGI animated television series. It is the 2010 spin-off of the 2002 series The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius as well as the 2001 Oscar-nominated film Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius. The show was created by John A. Davis, Keith Alcorn and Steve Oedekerk and based on...
|
Glonb |
Voice
Episode: "What's Up Chock?" |
| 2010 |
The Adventures of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer |
Santa Claus |
|
| 2011 |
Right Angle Right Angle is an upcoming drama film starring Tom Berenger, Tom Sizemore, and Jeff Daniels. Filming took place in Michigan.-Cast:*Tom Berenger ... Jerry*Jeff Daniels ... Mickey*Tom Sizemore ... Lucky*Aaron Paul ... TBA...
|
Mickey |
|
External links