Jeff Daniels

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

Family Guy

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

The Daily Show

The Kelly Clarkson Show

The Graham Norton Show

Saturday Night Live

All Movies (98)

• The Brink of War2026 · as Ronald Reagan
• Paddy Chayefsky: Collector of Words2025 · as Self
• Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story2024 · as Self
• Bye Bye Barry2023 · as Self
• The Saint of Second Chances2023 · as Narrator (voice)
• 9/11: Inside the President's War Room2021 · as Self - Narrator (voice)
• Broadway: Beyond the Golden Age2021 · as Self
• Adam2020 · as Mickey
• Guest Artist2019 · as Joseph Harris
• The Emperor's Newest Clothes2018 · as The Emperor
• The Catcher Was a Spy2018 · as Bill Donovan
• The Russian Five2018 · as self
• Allegiant2016 · as David
• Steve Jobs2015 · as John Sculley
• The Martian2015 · as Theodore "Teddy" Sanders
• "That's Awesome!": The Story of 'Dumb and Dumber To'2015 · as Self
• Of Miracles and Men2015 · as Self - Narrator
• Dumb and Dumber To2014 · as Harry Dunne
• James Gandolfini: Tribute to a Friend2013 · as Self
• Looper2012 · as Abe
• Howl2010 · as Professor David Kirk
• Paper Man2009 · as Richard Dunn
• Away We Go2009 · as Jerry Farlander
• State of Play2009 · as George Fergus
• The Answer Man2009 · as Arlen Faber
• Traitor2008 · as Carter
• Space Chimps2008 · as Zartog (voice)
• A Plumm Summer2008 · as Narrator
• Sweet Nothing in My Ear2008 · as Dan Miller
• Mama's Boy2007 · as Mert Rosenbloom
• The Lookout2007 · as Lewis
• Infamous2006 · as Alvin Dewey
• Barry Sonnenfeld: The Kosher Cowboy2006 · as Self
• RV Nation: The Culture of Road Warriors2006 · as Self
• Robin Williams: A Family Affair2006 · as Self
• RV Nation: The Culture of Road Warriors2006 · as Self
• Robin Williams: A Family Affair2006 · as Self
• RV2006 · as Travis Gornicke
• Still Dumb After All These Years2006 · as Self
• The Squid and the Whale2005 · as Bernard Berkman
• Good Night, and Good Luck.2005 · as Sig Mickelson
• Because of Winn-Dixie2005 · as Preacher
• The Five People You Meet In Heaven2004 · as Blue Man
• Remembering Ragtime2004 · as P. C. O'Donnell (archive footage)
• Imaginary Heroes2004 · as Ben Travis
• The Goodbye Girl2004 · as Elliot Garfield
• Dumb and Dumber - Making Of2004 · as Self
• Saturday Night Live: The Best of Chris Farley2003 · as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
• I Witness2003 · as James Rhodes
• Gods and Generals2003 · as Lt. Col. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain
• The Hours2002 · as Louis Waters
• Blood Work2002 · as Jasper 'Buddy' Noone
• Super Sucker2002 · as Fred Barlow
• Chasing Sleep2001 · as Ed Saxon
• Escanaba in da Moonlight2001 · as Rueben Soady
• Cheaters2000 · as Dr. Gerard Plecki
• The Crossing2000 · as Gen. George Washington
• All the Rage1999 · as Warren Harding
• My Favorite Martian1999 · as Tim O'Hara
• Pleasantville1998 · as Mr. Johnson
• Saturday Night Live: A Tribute to Chris Farley1998 · as Self
• Trial and Error1997 · as Charles Tuttle
• Walt Disney World's 25th Anniversary Party1997 · as Self
• 101 Dalmatians1996 · as Roger
• Fly Away Home1996 · as Thomas Alden
• 2 Days in the Valley1996 · as Alvin Strayer
• Redwood Curtain1995 · as Lyman Fellers
• Dumb and Dumber1994 · as Harry Dunne
• Speed1994 · as Harry
• Gettysburg1993 · as Col. Joshua Chamberlain
• Rain Without Thunder1993 · as Jonathan Garson
• There Goes the Neighborhood1992 · as Willis Embry
• Teamster Boss: The Jackie Presser Story1992 · as Tom Noonan
• Timescape1992 · as Ben Wilson
• America's Classic Ballparks1991 · as Narrator
• The Butcher's Wife1991 · as Dr. Alex Tremor
• Welcome Home, Roxy Carmichael1990 · as Denton Webb
• Arachnophobia1990 · as Ross Jennings
• Love Hurts1990 · as Paul Weaver
• No Place Like Home1989 · as Mike Cooper
• Checking Out1988 · as Ray Macklin
• Sweet Hearts Dance1988 · as Sam Manners
• The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial1988 · as Lt. Steve Maryk
• The House on Carroll Street1988 · as Cochran
• Radio Days1987 · as Biff Baxter
• Something Wild1986 · as Charles Driggs
• Heartburn1986 · as Richard
• Marie: A True Story1985 · as Eddie Sisk
• The Purple Rose of Cairo1985 · as Tom Baxter / Gil Shepherd
• Terms of Endearment1983 · as Flap Horton
• An Invasion of Privacy1983 · as Francis Ryan
• Fifth of July1982 · as Jed Jenkins
• Ragtime1981 · as P.C. O'Donnell
• Broadway: The Next Generation— · as Self
• Gerald R. Ford: A Test of Character— · as Narrator
• Blind Logic: The Ralph R. Teetor Story— · as Ralph Teetor (voice)
• 2034—
• Starman— · as Ed Watkins

All TV Shows (46)

• The American Revolution2025 · as Thomas Jefferson (voice)
• A Man in Full2024 · as Charlie Croker
• The American Buffalo2023 · as (voice)
• Shrinking2023
• Shrinking2023 · as Randy
• American Rust2021 · as Det. Del Harris
• Hemingway2021 · as Ernest Hemingway (voice)
• The Comey Rule2020 · as James Comey
• Impractical Jokers: Dinner Party2020 · as Himself
• Washington2020 · as Self - Narrator
• The Kelly Clarkson Show2019 · as Self
• The Looming Tower2018 · as John O'Neill
• Godless2017 · as Frank Griffin
• Rolling Stone: Stories from the Edge2017 · as Narrator
• The Late Show with Stephen Colbert2015 · as Self
• The Late Show with Stephen Colbert2015 · as Casting Reject
• Close Up with The Hollywood Reporter2015 · as Self
• ARES: live2015 · as Teddy Sanders
• Variety Studio: Actors on Actors2014 · as Self
• The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon2014 · as Self
• Off Camera with Sam Jones2014 · as Self
• The Newsroom2012 · as Will McAvoy
• Impractical Jokers2011 · as Self
• The Graham Norton Show2007 · as Self
• The Colbert Report2005 · as Self
• The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson2005 · as Self
• The Ellen DeGeneres Show2003 · as Self
• Jimmy Kimmel Live!2003 · as Self
• Family Guy1999 · as Jeff Daniels (voice)
• The View1997 · as Self
• The Daily Show1996 · as Self
• Frasier1993 · as Doug (voice)
• Late Night with Conan O'Brien1993 · as Self - Guest
• Late Show with David Letterman1993 · as Self - Guest
• HBO First Look1992
• The Tonight Show with Jay Leno1992
• Breakfast with the Arts1991
• LIVE with Kelly and Mark1988
• Trying Times1987 · as Jim
• MTV Video Music Awards1984 · as Self - Presenter
• A Rumor of War1980 · as Chaplain
• CBS News Sunday Morning1979 · as Self
• Saturday Night Live1975 · as Self - Host
• Saturday Night Live1975 · as Self - Cameo (uncredited)
• Hawaii Five-O1968 · as Neal Forrester
• Hallmark Hall of Fame1951 · as Lyman Fellers