Jeff Daniels
Acting1955Athens, Georgia, USA
Biography
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
Acting History
Future
Reykjavik
as Ronald Reagan
Gerald R. Ford: A Test of Character
as Narrator
Blind Logic: The Ralph R. Teetor Story
as Ralph Teetor (voice)
2026
Shrinking
TVas Randy• 1 eps
2025
The American Revolution
TVas Thomas Jefferson (voice)• 4 eps
2024
A Man in Full
TVas Charlie Croker• 6 eps
The Kelly Clarkson Show
TVas Self• 1 eps
2023
Bye Bye Barry
as Self
The Saint of Second Chances
as Narrator (voice)
The American Buffalo
TVas (voice)• 2 eps
2021
9/11: Inside the President's War Room
as Self - Narrator (voice)
American Rust
TVas Det. Del Harris• 19 eps
Hemingway
TVas Ernest Hemingway (voice)• 3 eps
American Rust
TVExecutive Producer
2020
Adam
as Mickey
Impractical Jokers
TVas Self• 1 eps
The Comey Rule
TVas James Comey• 2 eps
Washington
TVas Self - Narrator
Impractical Jokers: Dinner Party
TVas Himself
2019
2018
The Catcher Was a Spy
as Bill Donovan
The Russian Five
as self
The Emperor's Newest Clothes
as The Emperor
Close Up with The Hollywood Reporter
TVas Self• 1 eps
Variety Studio: Actors on Actors
TVas Self• 1 eps
The Looming Tower
TVas John O'Neill• 10 eps
2017
Godless
TVas Frank Griffin• 7 eps
Off Camera with Sam Jones
TVas Self• 1 eps
Rolling Stone: Stories From the Edge
TVas Narrator
The Hunt for the Zodiac Killer
TVCreator• 5 eps
2016
Allegiant
as David
2015
The Martian
as Theodore "Teddy" Sanders
Steve Jobs
as John Sculley
Of Miracles and Men
as Self - Narrator
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
TVas Self
ARES: live
TVas Teddy Sanders
2014
Dumb and Dumber To
as Harry Dunne
The Graham Norton Show
TVas Self• 1 eps
MTV Video Music Awards
TVas Self - Presenter• 1 eps
2013
Family Guy
TVas Jeff Daniels (voice)• 1 eps
2012
Looper
as Abe
The Newsroom
TVas Will McAvoy• 25 eps
2010
Howl
as Professor David Kirk
2009
The Answer Man
as Arlen Faber
Unlikely Hero
as Richard Dunn
Away We Go
as Jerry Farlander
State of Play
as George Fergus
2008
A Plumm Summer
as Narrator
Space Chimps
as Zartog (voice)
Traitor
as Carter
Sweet Nothing in My Ear
as Dan Miller
2007
The Lookout
as Lewis
Mama's Boy
as Mert Rosenbloom
2005
Good Night, and Good Luck.
as Sig Mickelson
Because of Winn-Dixie
as Preacher
The Squid and the Whale
as Bernard Berkman
The Colbert Report
TVas Self
2004
Imaginary Heroes
as Ben Travis
Remembering Ragtime
as P. C. O'Donnell (archive footage)
The Goodbye Girl
as Elliot Garfield
The Five People You Meet In Heaven
as Blue Man
Dumb and Dumber - Making Of
as Self
2003
Gods and Generals
as Lt. Col. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain
I Witness
as James Rhodes
Saturday Night Live: The Best of Chris Farley
as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
TVas Self
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
TVas Self
2002
The Hours
as Louis Waters
Blood Work
as Jasper 'Buddy' Noone
Super Sucker
as Fred Barlow
Super Sucker
Director
Super Sucker
Writer
2001
2000
Cheaters
as Dr. Gerard Plecki
The Crossing
as Gen. George Washington
1999
My Favorite Martian
as Tim O'Hara
It's the Rage
as Warren Harding
1998
Pleasantville
as Mr. Johnson
1997
1996
Fly Away Home
as Thomas Alden
101 Dalmatians
as Roger
2 Days in the Valley
as Alvin Strayer
The Daily Show
TVas Self
1995
Redwood Curtain
as Lyman Fellers
1994
Speed
as Harry
Dumb and Dumber
as Harry Dunne
1993
Gettysburg
as Col. Joshua Chamberlain
Rain Without Thunder
as Jonathan Garson
Frasier
TVas Doug (voice)• 1 eps
Late Night with Conan O'Brien
TVas Self - Guest
Late Show with David Letterman
TVas Self - Guest
1992
Timescape
as Ben Wilson
There Goes the Neighborhood
as Willis Embry
Teamster Boss: The Jackie Presser Story
as Tom Noonan
1991
The Butcher's Wife
as Dr. Alex Tremor
America's Classic Ballparks
as Narrator
1990
1989
No Place Like Home
as Mike Cooper
1988
The House on Carroll Street
as Cochran
Sweet Hearts Dance
as Sam Manners
The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial
as Lt. Steve Maryk
Checking Out
as Ray Macklin
1987
Radio Days
as Biff Baxter
Trying Times
TVas Jim• 1 eps
1986
Heartburn
as Richard
Something Wild
as Charles Driggs
1985
Marie: A True Story
as Eddie Sisk
The Purple Rose of Cairo
as Tom Baxter / Gil Shepherd
1983
Terms of Endearment
as Flap Horton
An Invasion of Privacy
as Francis Ryan
1982
Fifth of July
as Jed Jenkins
1981
Ragtime
as P.C. O'Donnell
1980
Hawaii Five-O
TVas Neal Forrester• 1 eps
A Rumor of War
TVas Chaplain• 2 eps
1979
CBS News Sunday Morning
TVas Self
1975
Saturday Night Live
TVas Self - Host / Self - Cameo (uncredited)
1951
Hallmark Hall of Fame
TVas Lyman Fellers