Jeff Daniels
February 19, 1955 (71 years old) in Athens, Georgia, USA
Jeffrey Warren "Jeff" Daniels (born February 19, 1955) is an American actor. He founded a non-profit theatre 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. He has been nominated for the Tony Award as Best Actor for the Broadway play God of Carnage (2009), along with his other three cast-mates. He has had a thriving film career, from his debut in 1981 in Ragtime, through State of Play in 2009. For his film work, he has received three 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 theatre company). He has also received nominations by the Screen Actors Guild, Satellite Awards, and several for his work in The Squid and the Whale (London Critics Circle Awards, Independent Spirit Awards, Chlotrudis Awards and Gotham Awards).
Known For
Credits
- 2026 · The Brink of War as Ronald Reagan
- 2025 · The American Revolution as Thomas Jefferson (voice)
- 2024 · Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story as Self
- 2021 · Broadway: Beyond the Golden Age as Self
- 2020 · Adam as Mickey
- 2020 · Washington as Self - Narrator
- 2013 · James Gandolfini: Tribute to a Friend as Self
- 2010 · Howl as Professor David Kirk
- 2009 · Paper Man as Richard Dunn
- 2009 · Away We Go as Jerry Farlander
- 2007 · Mama's Boy as Mert Rosenbloom
- 2006 · Infamous as Alvin Dewey
- 2005 · Because of Winn-Dixie as Preacher
- 2004 · The Five People You Meet In Heaven as Blue Man
- 2004 · Imaginary Heroes as Ben Travis
- 2003 · Saturday Night Live: The Best of Chris Farley as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
- 2003 · I Witness as James Rhodes
- 2003 · Gods and Generals as Lt. Col. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain
- 2000 · Cheaters as Dr. Gerard Plecki
- 2000 · The Crossing as Gen. George Washington
- 1999 · All the Rage as Warren Harding
- 1998 · Saturday Night Live: A Tribute to Chris Farley as Self
- 1997 · Trial and Error as Charles Tuttle
- 1992 · There Goes the Neighborhood as Willis Embry
- 1992 · Timescape as Ben Wilson
- 1991 · The Butcher's Wife as Dr. Alex Tremor
- 1991 · Breakfast with the Arts as
- 1990 · Welcome Home, Roxy Carmichael as Denton Webb
- 1990 · Arachnophobia as Ross Jennings
- 1990 · Love Hurts as Paul Weaver
- 1988 · Checking Out as Ray Macklin
- 1988 · The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial as Lt. Steve Maryk
- 1987 · Trying Times as Jim
- 1985 · Marie: A True Story as Eddie Sisk
- 1985 · The Purple Rose of Cairo as Tom Baxter / Gil Shepherd
- Future · Broadway: The Next Generation as Self
- 2025 · Paddy Chayefsky: Collector of Words as Self
- 2024 · A Man in Full as Charlie Croker
- 2023 · Bye Bye Barry as Self
- 2023 · The American Buffalo as (voice)
- 2023 · The Saint of Second Chances as Narrator (voice)
- 2023 · Shrinking as
- 2023 · Shrinking as Randy
- 2021 · American Rust as Det. Del Harris
- 2021 · 9/11: Inside the President's War Room as Self - Narrator (voice)
- 2021 · Hemingway as Ernest Hemingway (voice)
- 2020 · The Comey Rule as James Comey
- 2020 · Impractical Jokers: Dinner Party as Himself
- 2019 · The Kelly Clarkson Show as Self
- 2019 · Guest Artist as Joseph Harris
- 2018 · The Emperor's Newest Clothes as The Emperor
- 2018 · The Catcher Was a Spy as Bill Donovan
- 2018 · The Russian Five as self
- 2018 · The Looming Tower as John O'Neill
- 2017 · Godless as Frank Griffin
- 2017 · Rolling Stone: Stories From the Edge as Narrator
- 2016 · Allegiant as David
- 2015 · Steve Jobs as John Sculley
- 2015 · The Martian as Theodore "Teddy" Sanders
- 2015 · The Late Show with Stephen Colbert as Self
- 2015 · Close Up with The Hollywood Reporter as Self
- 2015 · ARES: live as Teddy Sanders
- 2015 · "That's Awesome!": The Story of 'Dumb and Dumber To' as Self
- 2015 · Of Miracles and Men as Self - Narrator
- 2014 · Variety Studio: Actors on Actors as Self
- 2014 · Dumb and Dumber To as Harry Dunne
- 2014 · The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon as Self
- 2014 · Off Camera with Sam Jones as Self
- 2012 · Looper as Abe
- 2012 · The Newsroom as Will McAvoy
- 2011 · Impractical Jokers as Self
- 2009 · State of Play as George Fergus
- 2009 · The Answer Man as Arlen Faber
- 2008 · Traitor as Carter
- 2008 · Space Chimps as Zartog (voice)
- 2008 · A Plumm Summer as Narrator
- 2008 · Sweet Nothing in My Ear as Dan Miller
- 2007 · The Lookout as Lewis
- 2007 · The Graham Norton Show as Self
- 2006 · Barry Sonnenfeld: The Kosher Cowboy as Self
- 2006 · Robin Williams: A Family Affair as Self
- 2006 · RV Nation: The Culture of Road Warriors as Self
- 2006 · RV as Travis Gornicke
- 2006 · Still Dumb After All These Years as Self
- 2005 · The Colbert Report as Self
- 2005 · The Squid and the Whale as Bernard Berkman
- 2005 · Good Night, and Good Luck. as Sig Mickelson
- 2005 · The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson as Self
- 2004 · Remembering Ragtime as P. C. O'Donnell (archive footage)
- 2004 · The Goodbye Girl as Elliot Garfield
- 2004 · Dumb and Dumber - Making Of as Self
- 2003 · The Ellen DeGeneres Show as Self
- 2003 · Jimmy Kimmel Live! as Self
- 2002 · The Hours as Louis Waters
- 2002 · Blood Work as Jasper 'Buddy' Noone
- 2002 · Super Sucker as Fred Barlow
- 2001 · Chasing Sleep as Ed Saxon
- 2001 · Escanaba in da Moonlight as Rueben Soady
- 1999 · My Favorite Martian as Tim O'Hara
- 1999 · Family Guy as Jeff Daniels (voice)
- 1998 · Pleasantville as Mr. Johnson
- 1997 · The View as Self
- 1997 · Walt Disney World's 25th Anniversary Party as Self
- 1996 · 101 Dalmatians as Roger
- 1996 · Fly Away Home as Thomas Alden
- 1996 · 2 Days in the Valley as Alvin Strayer
- 1996 · The Daily Show as Self
- 1995 · Redwood Curtain as Lyman Fellers
- 1994 · Dumb and Dumber as Harry Dunne
- 1994 · Speed as Harry
- 1993 · Gettysburg as Col. Joshua Chamberlain
- 1993 · Frasier as Doug (voice)
- 1993 · Late Night with Conan O'Brien as Self - Guest
- 1993 · Late Show with David Letterman as Self - Guest
- 1993 · Rain Without Thunder as Jonathan Garson
- 1992 · Teamster Boss: The Jackie Presser Story as Tom Noonan
- 1992 · HBO First Look as
- 1992 · The Tonight Show with Jay Leno as
- 1991 · America's Classic Ballparks as Narrator
- 1989 · No Place Like Home as Mike Cooper
- 1988 · Sweet Hearts Dance as Sam Manners
- 1988 · LIVE with Kelly and Mark as
- 1988 · The House on Carroll Street as Cochran
- 1987 · Radio Days as Biff Baxter
- 1986 · Something Wild as Charles Driggs
- 1986 · Heartburn as Richard
- 1984 · MTV Video Music Awards as Self - Presenter
- 1983 · Terms of Endearment as Flap Horton
- 1983 · An Invasion of Privacy as Francis Ryan
- 1982 · Fifth of July as Jed Jenkins
- 1981 · Ragtime as P.C. O'Donnell
- 1980 · A Rumor of War as Chaplain
- 1979 · CBS News Sunday Morning as Self
- 1975 · Saturday Night Live as Self - Host
- 1975 · Saturday Night Live as Self - Cameo (uncredited)
- 1968 · Hawaii Five-O as Neal Forrester
- 1951 · Hallmark Hall of Fame as Lyman Fellers
- Future · Blind Logic: The Ralph R. Teetor Story as Ralph Teetor (voice)
- Future · Gerald R. Ford: A Test of Character as Narrator