Jeff Daniels Biography

Jeffry Warren "Jeff" Daniels (born February 19, 1955) is an Emmy Award-winning American actor, musician, and playwright. He founded a nonprofit theater company, the Purple Rose Theatre Company, in his home state of Michigan. He has performed in a number of stage productions, both on and off Broadway, and has been nominated for the Tony Award as Best Actor for the Broadway play God of Carnage (2009), along with his other three castmates.

His film debut was in 1981's Ragtime, and his most recent film is Looper in 2012. For his work, he has received four Golden Globe Award nominations, including as Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture"?Comedy/Musical for Woody Allen's The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985) (hence the name of his theater company). He has also received nominations by the Screen Actors Guild, Satellite Awards, and several others for his work in The Squid and the Whale (London Critics Circle Awards, Independent Spirit Awards, Chlotrudis Awards and Gotham Awards). He played Debra Winger's husband in the 1983 Oscar-winning film Terms of Endearment. Currently, he stars as Will McAvoy in Aaron Sorkin's HBO television series The Newsroom, for which he won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series in 2013.

Early life

Daniels was born in Athens, Georgia, the son of Marjorie J. (née Ferguson) and Robert Lee "Bob" Daniels. He lived in Georgia for six weeks, and grew up in Chelsea, Michigan; his father owned a lumber yard in Chelsea, until his death in 2012, and had once served as the city's mayor. Daniels was raised Methodist. He attended Central Michigan University and participated in the school's theater program. In the summer of 1976, Daniels attended the Eastern Michigan University drama school to participate in a special Bicentennial Repertory program, where he performed in Hot L Baltimore and three other plays performed in repertoire. Marshall W. Mason was the guest director at EMU and he invited Jeff to come to New York to work at the Circle Repertory Theatre, where he performed in Fifth of July by Lanford Wilson in the 1977"78 season. He also performed in New Mexico in The Shortchanged Review (1979) at Second Stage Theatre. It was the first show of the inaugural season for Second Stage Theatre.

Career

Stage career

Daniels has starred in a number of New York productions, on and off Broadway. On Broadway, he has appeared in Lanford Wilson's Redwood Curtain, A. R. Gurney's The Golden Age and Wilson's Fifth of July, for which he won a Drama Desk Award for Best Supporting Actor. Off-Broadway, he received a Drama Desk nomination for Wilson's Lemon Sky, and an Obie Award for his performance in the Circle Repertory Company production of Johnny Got His Gun. He returned to the stage in 2009, appearing in Broadway's God of Carnage with Marcia Gay Harden, Hope Davis, and James Gandolfini.

In 1991 he founded the regionally acclaimed Purple Rose Theatre Company, a nonprofit stage company in his childhood and current home of Chelsea, Michigan. He is currently executive director of PRTC and has written 15 plays for them.

Film career

Daniels made his screen debut in Milo? Forman's Ragtime in 1981. His next film, the Oscar-winning Terms of Endearment in which he played Debra Winger's husband was his breakthrough. Daniels then garnered a Golden Globe nomination as the star of Purple Rose of Cairo directed by Woody Allen.

Daniels earned his second Golden Globe nomination for starring in Jonathan Demme's dramedy Something Wild as an unassuming businessman swept up into a wild night by a mysterious woman (Melanie Griffith). Daniels then starred in the horror"comedy Arachnophobia in 1990. The next year Daniels starred in two films (Love Hurts and The Butcher's Wife) and hosted NBC's legendary sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live.

Daniel's next notable role was as Colonel Joshua Chamberlain in Gettysburg. Alongside Daniels were Tom Berenger, Martin Sheen, Stephen Lang, 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 Generals, with much of the same cast except for Sheen, who was replaced by Robert Duvall.

In 1994 Daniels would have one of his most successful films commercially, starring in the Farrelly Brothers' hit Dumb and Dumber alongside Jim Carrey. It was a noted departure for Daniels, owing to his status as a dramatic heavyweight. Also in '94 was the Keanu Reeves action blockbuster Speed. Daniels starred as Reeves's 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 Hopper and Sandra Bullock, Speed was an enormous hit, grossing over $350 million at the box office.

Daniels would then host Saturday Night Live 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 Vil (Glenn Close). The film was a rousing success, grossing $320 million. Also in 1996 was the family hit film Fly Away Home with Daniels as the supportive single father of Anna Paquin's goose-raising preteen. Daniels then had a critical and commercial misfire with 1997's Trial and Error alongside Seinfeld's Michael Richards.

Daniels would rebound, however, with 1998's Pleasantville 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 Witherspoon, Joan Allen, and Don Knotts, Pleasantville was one of the best-reviewed films of the year, nominated for three Academy Awards. Daniels would then star alongside Christopher Lloyd in the critical and commercial bomb My Favorite Martian. The film severely damaged Daniels's 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, Cheaters, and direct-to-video release Chasing Sleep. At this point, in the early 2000s Daniels began to focus more on his theater work at The Purple Rose Theatre as well as writing, starring, and directing the films Escanaba in da Moonlight and Super Suckers.

Daniels's next major film role would be in Clint Eastwood's Blood Work. The film received mixed reviews and was a commercial failure. He would rebound later that year with Stephen Daldry's Academy Award"winning The Hours, alongside Nicole Kidman, Meryl Streep, and Julianne Moore. The film was also a monetary success, grossing well over $100 million. Gods and Generals followed in 2003, as did the action film I Witness, co-starring James Spader. Daniels then starred in Imaginary Heroes and the 2004 television film adaptation of fellow Michigander and friend Mitch Albom's bestseller The Five People You Meet in Heaven.

2005 proved to be a strong year for Daniels as he garnered notice as the star of the lauded Noah Baumbach film The Squid and the Whale. 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-Dixie. He would round out the year with a supporting role in the Oscar-nominated film Good Night and Good Luck directed by George Clooney.

Daniels then starred as the redneck comic foil to Robin Williams's uptight business man in the vacation comedy RV directed by Barry Sonnenfeld. He had a supporting role in the Truman Capote biopic Infamous 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 Chimps. Daniels then took back-to-back supporting roles in political thrillers: Traitor with Don Cheadle and State of Play with Russell Crowe and Rachel McAdams. 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 Howl alongside James Franco as Allen Ginsberg.

In 2012 he became the new voice for Apple with the iPhone 5 ads.

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 five full-length albums, Jeff Daniels Live and Unplugged, Jeff Daniels Live at The Purple Rose Theater, Grandfather's Hat, Keep It Right Here, and Together Again. Proceeds from the album sales benefit The Purple Rose Theater.

Daniels was featured on the cover of the April"May 2011 issue of Guitar Aficionado magazine as well as the July"August 2011 issue of Making Music Magazine, where he discussed 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, Michigan, 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 spokesman for the Michigan Economic Development Corporation promoting Michigan's effectiveness in bringing in new companies, featured on CNBC.

Daniels was inducted into the Michigan Walk of Fame on May 25, 2006, in Lansing, Michigan, and delivered the winter commencement address at the University of Michigan on December 20, 2009, at which he was granted an Honorary Doctorate in Fine Arts.

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1981	Ragtime	P. C. O'Donnell
1983	Terms of Endearment	Flap Horton
1985	Marie	Eddie Sisk
1985	The Purple Rose of Cairo	Tom Baxter/Gil Shepherd	Nominated"?Golden Globe Award for Best Actor " Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
1986	Something Wild	Charles Driggs
1986	Heartburn	Richard
1987	Radio Days	Biff Baxter
1988	The House on Carroll Street	Cochran
1988	Sweet Hearts Dance	Sam Manners
1989	Checking Out	Ray Macklin
1989	No Place Like Home	Mike	Television film
1990	Arachnophobia	Ross Jennings	Saturn Award for Best Actor
1990	Welcome Home, Roxy Carmichael	Denton Webb
1991	Love Hurts	Paul Weaver
1991	The Butcher's Wife	Dr. Alex Tremor
1992	Timescape	Ben Wilson	also known as Grand Tour: Disaster in Time International Fantasy Film Award for Best Actor
1992	There Goes the Neighborhood	Willis Embry
1992	Teamster Boss: The Jackie Presser Story	Tom Noonan	Television film
1993	Rain Without Thunder	Jonathan Garson
1993	Gettysburg	Colonel Joshua Chamberlain	Nominated"?Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor
1994	Speed	Harry Temple
1994	Dumb and Dumber	Harry Dunne
1995	Redwood Curtain	Lyman Fellers
1996	Fly Away Home	Thomas Alden	Nominated"?Chlotrudis Award for Best Actor
1996	2 Days in the Valley	Alvin Strayer
1996	101 Dalmatians	Roger Dearly
1997	Trial and Error	Charlie Tuttle
1998	Pleasantville	Bill Johnson	Nominated"?Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor " Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
1999	My Favorite Martian	Tim O'Hara
1999	All the Rage	Warren Harding	retitled It's the Rage for American television
2000	The Crossing	George Washington	Television film
2000	Chasing Sleep	Ed Saxon
2000	Cheaters	Dr. Gerard Plecki	Television film; HBO
2001	Escanaba in da Moonlight	Reuben Soady	Also cowriter and director
2002	Super Sucker	Fred Barlow	Also cowriter and director
2002	Blood Work	Jasper "Buddy" Noone
2002	The Hours	Louis Waters
2003	Gods and Generals	Lt. Colonel Joshua Chamberlain
2003	I Witness	James Rhodes
2004	The Goodbye Girl	Elliot Garfield	Television film
2004	Imaginary Heroes	Ben Travis
2004	The Five People You Meet In Heaven	The Blue Man
2005	The Squid and the Whale	Bernard Berkman	Chlotrudis Award for Best Supporting Actor 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 Nominated"?National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actor (2nd place)
2005	Because of Winn-Dixie	The Preacher
2005	Good Night, and Good Luck.	Sig Mickelson
2006	RV	Travis Gornicke
2006	Infamous	Alvin Dewey
2007	The Lookout	Lewis	Nominated"?Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor " Motion Picture
2007	Mama's Boy	Mert Rosenbloom
2007	A Plumm Summer	Narrator
2008	Sweet Nothing in My Ear	Dan Miller	Television film
2008	Space Chimps	Zartog	Voice only
2008	Traitor	Carter
2009	State of Play	Representative George Fergus
2009	The Answer Man	Arlen Faber
2009	Away We Go	Jerry Farlander
2009	Paper Man	Richard Dunn
2010	Howl	Professor David Kirk
2010	Planet Sheen	Glonb	Voice Episode: "What's Up Chock?"
2010	The Adventures of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer	Santa Claus
2011	Right Angle	Mickey
2012"present	The Newsroom	Will McAvoy	Television series Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series (2013) Nominated"?Golden Globe Award for Best Actor " Television Series Drama (2012) Nominated"?Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series (2012)
2012	Looper	Abe
2014	Dumb and Dumber To	Harry Dunne

Purple Rose Theatre Company

The Purple Rose Theatre Company (or PRTC) 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. The theatre provides resources for training actors, playwrights and other theatre artists residing in the Midwest region and develops new plays based on life in the Great Lakes Basin, USA.

The main performance space and administrative offices occupy a building in Chelsea, Michigan once owned by Daniels's grandfather. The theatre produces four shows a year on a 3/4 thrust stage in a 168 seat house. The PRTC is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization and operates under a Small Professional Theatre (SPT) Agreement with the Actors' Equity Association (AEA).

Apprentice program

The Purple Rose offers a year-long apprenticeship program for young artists entering a career in theatre. Apprentices are paid a 'modest stipend' and work as many as 60"80 hours per week gaining experience in lighting, sound, stage management, design, set construction, and administrative/box office work. The seven apprentices also maintain and clean the theatre's facilities. The program was inspired by Jeff Daniels's experience as an apprentice with the Circle Repertory Company in New York City.