Jeff Daniels
Acting • Born 1955-02-19
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).
Filmography
139 credits
The Hours
Movie • 2002
Louis Waters
Speed
Movie • 1994
Harry
Good Night, and Good Luck.
Movie • 2005
Sig Mickelson
Gettysburg
Movie • 1993
Col. Joshua Chamberlain
Pleasantville
Movie • 1998
Mr. Johnson
The Squid and the Whale
Movie • 2005
Bernard Berkman
The Purple Rose of Cairo
Movie • 1985
Tom Baxter / Gil Shepherd
The Butcher's Wife
Movie • 1991
Dr. Alex Tremor
The Answer Man
Movie • 2009
Arlen Faber
Terms of Endearment
Movie • 1983
Flap Horton
Fly Away Home
Movie • 1996
Thomas Alden
The Five People You Meet In Heaven
Movie • 2004
Blue Man
Arachnophobia
Movie • 1990
Ross Jennings
Something Wild
Movie • 1986
Charles Driggs
Space Chimps
Movie • 2008
Zartog (voice)
Radio Days
Movie • 1987
Biff Baxter
All the Rage
Movie • 1999
Warren Harding
Welcome Home, Roxy Carmichael
Movie • 1990
Denton Webb
101 Dalmatians
Movie • 1996
Roger
Dumb and Dumber
Movie • 1994
Harry Dunne
The Lookout
Movie • 2007
Lewis
Chasing Sleep
Movie • 2001
Ed Saxon
Imaginary Heroes
Movie • 2004
Ben Travis
Ragtime
Movie • 1981
P.C. O'Donnell
RV
Movie • 2006
Travis Gornicke
Blood Work
Movie • 2002
Jasper 'Buddy' Noone
2 Days in the Valley
Movie • 1996
Alvin Strayer
Infamous
Movie • 2006
Alvin Dewey
My Favorite Martian
Movie • 1999
Tim O'Hara
Mama's Boy
Movie • 2007
Mert Rosenbloom
Heartburn
Movie • 1986
Richard
The Crossing
Movie • 2000
Gen. George Washington
Timescape
Movie • 1992
Ben Wilson
Cheaters
Movie • 2000
Dr. Gerard Plecki
I Witness
Movie • 2003
James Rhodes
Gods and Generals
Movie • 2003
Lt. Col. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain
Howl
Movie • 2010
Professor David Kirk
State of Play
Movie • 2009
George Fergus
The Saint of Second Chances
Movie • 2023
Narrator (voice)
Because of Winn-Dixie
Movie • 2005
Preacher
Paper Man
Movie • 2009
Richard Dunn
Trial and Error
Movie • 1997
Charles Tuttle
The Goodbye Girl
Movie • 2004
Elliot Garfield
Escanaba in da Moonlight
Movie • 2001
Rueben Soady
Sweet Hearts Dance
Movie • 1988
Sam Manners
Away We Go
Movie • 2009
Jerry Farlander
A Plumm Summer
Movie • 2008
Narrator
Checking Out
Movie • 1988
Ray Macklin
The House on Carroll Street
Movie • 1988
Cochran
Looper
Movie • 2012
Abe
Marie: A True Story
Movie • 1985
Eddie Sisk
Dumb and Dumber To
Movie • 2014
Harry Dunne
The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial
Movie • 1988
Lt. Steve Maryk
Redwood Curtain
Movie • 1995
Lyman Fellers
Remembering Ragtime
Movie • 2004
P. C. O'Donnell (archive footage)
No Place Like Home
Movie • 1989
Mike Cooper
The Catcher Was a Spy
Movie • 2018
Bill Donovan
Love Hurts
Movie • 1990
Paul Weaver
Bye Bye Barry
Movie • 2023
Self
9/11: Inside the President's War Room
Movie • 2021
Self - Narrator (voice)
Sweet Nothing in My Ear
Movie • 2008
Dan Miller
There Goes the Neighborhood
Movie • 1992
Willis Embry
The Martian
Movie • 2015
Theodore "Teddy" Sanders
Saturday Night Live: The Best of Chris Farley
Movie • 2003
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Rain Without Thunder
Movie • 1993
Jonathan Garson
Steve Jobs
Movie • 2015
John Sculley
Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story
Movie • 2024
Self
America's Classic Ballparks
Movie • 1991
Narrator
Broadway: The Next Generation
Movie
Self
Allegiant
Movie • 2016
David
Of Miracles and Men
Movie • 2015
Self - Narrator
Traitor
Movie • 2008
Carter
Gerald R. Ford: A Test of Character
Movie
Narrator
Blind Logic: The Ralph R. Teetor Story
Movie
Ralph Teetor (voice)
Teamster Boss: The Jackie Presser Story
Movie • 1992
Tom Noonan
Super Sucker
Movie • 2002
Fred Barlow
The Emperor's Newest Clothes
Movie • 2018
The Emperor
Guest Artist
Movie • 2019
Joseph Harris
Fifth of July
Movie • 1982
Jed Jenkins
Saturday Night Live: A Tribute to Chris Farley
Movie • 1998
Self
An Invasion of Privacy
Movie • 1983
Francis Ryan
Robin Williams: A Family Affair
Movie • 2006
Self
RV Nation: The Culture of Road Warriors
Movie • 2006
Self
Barry Sonnenfeld: The Kosher Cowboy
Movie • 2006
Self
"That's Awesome!": The Story of 'Dumb and Dumber To'
Movie • 2015
Self
Still Dumb After All These Years
Movie • 2006
Self
Adam
Movie • 2020
Mickey
Walt Disney World's 25th Anniversary Party
Movie • 1997
Self
James Gandolfini: Tribute to a Friend
Movie • 2013
Self
Broadway: Beyond the Golden Age
Movie • 2021
Self
Reykjavik
Movie
Ronald Reagan
Dumb and Dumber - Making Of
Movie • 2004
Self
The Russian Five
Movie • 2018
self
Paddy Chayefsky: Collector of Words
Movie • 2025
Self
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
TV • 2003
Self
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
TV • 2003
Self
Hawaii Five-O
TV • 1968
Neal Forrester
The View
TV • 1997
Self
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
TV • 1992
Frasier
TV • 1993
Doug (voice)
The Colbert Report
TV • 2005
Self
Late Night with Conan O'Brien
TV • 1993
Self - Guest
Hallmark Hall of Fame
TV • 1951
Lyman Fellers
Breakfast with the Arts
TV • 1991
The Newsroom
TV • 2012
Will McAvoy
The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson
TV • 2005
Self
A Man in Full
TV • 2024
Charlie Croker
LIVE with Kelly and Mark
TV • 1988
The Daily Show
TV • 1996
Self
MTV Video Music Awards
TV • 1984
Self - Presenter
Saturday Night Live
TV • 1975
Self - Host
The Looming Tower
TV • 2018
John O'Neill
Godless
TV • 2017
Frank Griffin
Rolling Stone: Stories From the Edge
TV • 2017
Narrator
ARES: live
TV • 2015
Teddy Sanders
Close Up with The Hollywood Reporter
TV • 2015
Self
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
TV • 2014
Self
The American Buffalo
TV • 2023
(voice)
A Rumor of War
TV • 1980
Chaplain
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
TV • 2015
Self
American Rust
TV • 2021
Det. Del Harris
Trying Times
TV • 1987
Jim
Saturday Night Live
TV • 1975
Self - Cameo (uncredited)
The Graham Norton Show
TV • 2007
Self
The Kelly Clarkson Show
TV • 2019
Self
Family Guy
TV • 1999
Jeff Daniels (voice)
Off Camera with Sam Jones
TV • 2014
Self
Washington
TV • 2020
Self - Narrator
The Comey Rule
TV • 2020
James Comey
Hemingway
TV • 2021
Ernest Hemingway (voice)
HBO First Look
TV • 1992
Impractical Jokers: Dinner Party
TV • 2020
Himself
Impractical Jokers
TV • 2011
Self
CBS News Sunday Morning
TV • 1979
Self
Variety Studio: Actors on Actors
TV • 2014
Self
Shrinking
TV • 2023
The American Revolution
TV • 2025
Thomas Jefferson (voice)
Shrinking
TV • 2023
Randy
Late Show with David Letterman
TV • 1993
Self - Guest