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Jeffrey Warren "Jeff" Daniels (born February 19, 1955) is an American actor, musician and playwright.

Biography

Early life

Daniels was born in Athens, Georgia and grew up in Chelsea, Michigan, where his father, Robert Lee Daniels, still owns the local lumber yard. He was raised in the Methodist religion.¹ Daniels attended Central Michigan University and participated in their theater program before dropping out during his junior year to move to New York City. His first performance in New York was in The Shortchanged Review (1979) at Second Stage Theatre.² It was the first show of the inaugural season for Second Stage Theatre.

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.

In 1986, Daniels moved his home to the town where he and his wife grew up, Chelsea, Michigan. Five years later, he founded the regionally-acclaimed³ Purple Rose Theatre Company, a non-profit professional theatre company. He is currently Executive Director of PRTC, and has written 11 plays for the company.

Film career

Daniels is best known for his roles in Dumb & Dumber, Speed, Terms of Endearment, Gettysburg, Arachnophobia, Because of Winn-Dixie, and The Squid and the Whale. Although primarily a dramatic actor, some of Daniels' most well-known scenes are from the comedy Dumb & Dumber, in which he gets his tongue stuck to a ski-lift as well as having an attack of explosive diarrhea. In the 2002 film Blood Work, Daniels was cast against type.

Musical career

He is currently focusing on recording a number of songs that he has written throughout his life, apparently marking key moments. According to personal statements, it seems that he has undergone a complete career change, keeping busy with frequent gigs and two full length albums, Grandfather's Hat and Jeff Daniels Live and Unplugged.^{citation needed}

Personal life

Daniels and his family reside in Chelsea, Michigan.⁴ He wrote, directed, and starred in Escanaba in da Moonlight and Super Sucker with Purple Rose Films. He was inducted into the Michigan Walk of Fame on May 25, 2006 in Lansing, Michigan.

Daniels has been married to his high school sweetheart, Kathleen Rosemary Treado, since 1979. They have three children: Benjamin (born 1984), Lucas (born 1987), and Nellie (born 1990). He married Treado on Friday the 13th because he wore the number 13 on his baseball uniform. Daniels is a baseball fan who follows the Detroit Tigers and is also an avid Detroit Red Wings fan.^{citation needed}

Recently Daniels can be seen as the TV spokesperson for the Michigan Economic Development Corporation promoting Michigan's effectiveness in bringing in new companies. These commercials can be seen regularly on CNBC.

Filmography

• Ragtime (1981)
• Terms of Endearment (1983)
• The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985)
• Marie (1985)
• Heartburn (1986)
• Something Wild (1986)
• Radio Days (1987)
• The House on Carroll Street (1988)
• Sweet Hearts Dance (1988)
• Checking Out (1989)
• Arachnophobia (1990)
• Welcome Home, Roxy Carmichael (1990)
• Love Hurts (1991)
• The Butcher's Wife (1991)
• Grand Tour: Disaster in Time (1992)
• There Goes the Neighborhood (1992)
• Teamster Boss: The Jackie Presser Story (1992)
• Rain Without Thunder (1993)
• Gettysburg (1993)
• Speed (1994)
• Dumb and Dumber (1994)
• Fly Away Home (1996)
• 2 Days in the Valley (1996)
• 101 Dalmatians (1996)
• Trial and Error (1997)
• Pleasantville (1998)
• My Favorite Martian (1999)
• All the Rage (1999)
• The Crossing (Made for TV, 2000)
• Chasing Sleep (2000)
• Cheaters (HBO film, 2000)
• Escanaba in da Moonlight (2001)
• Super Sucker (2002)
• Blood Work (2002)
• The Hours (2002)
• Gods and Generals (2003)
• I Witness (2003)
• The Goodbye Girl (Made For TV, 2004)
• Imaginary Heroes (2004)
• Segment (2004)
• The Squid and the Whale (2005)
• Because of Winn-Dixie (2005)
• Good Night, and Good Luck. (2005)
• RV (2006)
• Infamous (2006)
• The Lookout (2007)
• Mama's Boy (2007)
• A Plumm Summer (2007)
• Sweet Nothing in My Ear (2008) (TV)
• Space Chimps (2008) (voice)
• Traitor (2008)

Upcoming

• State of Play (2009)
• This Must Be the Place (2009)
• The Dream of the Romans (2009)

References

External links

• Jeff Daniels at the Internet Movie Database
• Jeff Daniels at the Internet Broadway Database
• Jeff Daniels Music Interview
• Jeff Daniels interview