Jeff Daniels

Acting

The MovieWise Take

Refining cinematic analysis...

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

The Martian

Theodore "Teddy" Sanders

Looper

Abe

Allegiant

David

Speed

Harry

Dumb and Dumber

Harry Dunne

Family Guy

Jeff Daniels (voice)

Steve Jobs

John Sculley

101 Dalmatians

Roger

Full Filmography

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

Quick Facts

Jeff Daniels

The MovieWise Take

Biography

Known For

Full Filmography

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