Daniel Davis

Last updated

Daniel Davis
Daniel Davis cropped.jpg
Davis in 2016
Born (1945-11-26) November 26, 1945 (age 79)
Gurdon, Arkansas, U.S.
Other namesDanny Davis
OccupationActor
Years active1970–present

Daniel Davis (born November 26, 1945) is an American film, stage and television actor.

Contents

Davis is best known for portraying Niles the butler on the sitcom The Nanny (1993 to 1999), and for his two guest appearances as Professor Moriarty on Star Trek: The Next Generation (a role he reprised on Star Trek: Picard ), affecting an upper class English accent for both roles. He voices the intelligent Cro-Magnon, Longhair, from the Longhair and Doubledome cartoon shorts from Cartoon Network's Big Pick .

Early life and education

Davis was born on November 26, 1945, in Gurdon, Arkansas, [1] and grew up in Little Rock. His parents operated a cinema. [2] His first acting job was at the age of 11, when he was cast in a local broadcast program, Betty's Little Rascals. [3]

Davis graduated from Hall High School in Little Rock in 1964. He graduated from the Arkansas Arts Center with a Bachelor of Fine Arts, [4] followed by work with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, [5] the Stratford Shakespeare Festival, and six years with the American Conservatory Theater (ACT). [2] During his time at ACT, he taught acting classes.

Career

Television and film

Davis first became popular in daytime television playing opposite Beverlee McKinsey as her character Iris Cory's former (and presumed dead) husband, Elliot Carrington, on the soap opera Texas , a spin-off of Another World , from October 1980 to December 1981. In 1985, he played a renegade soldier in the Season 4 episode, "The Doctor is Out", of the television series The A-Team .

Davis played his most famous character, Niles the Butler, on the television series The Nanny throughout its run from 1993 to 1999 and in its reunion special in 2004 (in cameo flashbacks only). Niles was known for his frequent use of deadpan one-liners, usually insulting character C. C. Babcock, with whom Niles eventually fell in love and married in the series' last season.

His natural accent is Southern American; [6] however, his English accent as Niles was so accurate that many viewers thought he was actually English. He also used an English accent as Professor Moriarty in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episodes "Elementary, Dear Data" and "Ship in a Bottle". However, as the commanding officer of the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise in the 1990 film The Hunt for Red October , Davis spoke with his own American accent. Davis' cartoon voice for the charter Longhair, from the Longhair and Doubledome cartoon shorts from Cartoon Network's Big Pick in 2000, was also English.

In 2002, Davis guest-starred on the television series Frasier , playing Dr. Shafer in Season 10, Episode 8, "Rooms with a View".

Davis was among the group of celebrities lip-synching to the Bee Gees' Stayin' Alive on the "Idol Gives Back" episode of American Idol on April 25, 2007. He appeared briefly in the 2006 film The Prestige , directed by Christopher Nolan.

In 2008 he guest-starred on the television series Ugly Betty .

In December 2010, he appeared on The Fran Drescher Show through Skype. In 2012, he recorded the audiobook of the Star Wars novel Star Wars: Darth Plagueis, by James Luceno.

Davis reprised the role of Professor Moriarty in the third and final season of Star Trek: Picard . [7]

Theatre

Davis is an established theatre actor. He has appeared in both Broadway and off-Broadway productions in New York, [8] and has appeared at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, Minnesota. [8]

His first Broadway role was as Antonio Salieri in Amadeus in 1980.

Off-Broadway, he played Rubin in Lake No Bottom in 1990, the Duke of Buckingham in The Tragedy of Richard III , and he starred as Gaev in The Cherry Orchard in 2011. [8]

In 2000, Davis was nominated for a Best Featured Actor Tony Award for his role in David Hirson's Broadway play Wrong Mountain. [9] He played Oscar Wilde in The Invention of Love in 2001. [8] In 2003, he appeared in the Alan Bennett play Talking Heads . In 2004, he portrayed George Bernard Shaw in the Stephen Sondheim musical The Frogs . He co-starred in La Cage Aux Folles with Gary Beach from November 2004 to March 2005. (Reportedly, he clashed frequently with Beach and others. He was eventually replaced by Robert Goulet. [10] )

In 2007, Davis was a member of the cast of an audio production of the play Blue/Orange , in which he took the part of Dr. Robert Smith.

In July 2008, he portrayed King Lear at the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, under the direction of Bonnie J. Monte.

In November 2010, Davis was part of the Celebrity Autobiography series at the Long Center for the Performing Arts in Austin, Texas. He performed along with fellow Nanny alum Lauren Lane and Ugly Betty alum Michael Urie. [11]

In 2012, he played Prospero in The Tempest at Hartford Stage. [12]

In 2015, Davis starred in a one-off performance in A. R. Gurney's Love Letters opposite Lauren Lane with proceeds going to the Texas State BFA Acting Program.

In 2016, he appeared on Broadway as Selsdon Mowbray in the Roundabout Theatre revival of Noises Off at the American Airlines Theatre.

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
1970The Sidelong Glances of a Pigeon KickerSkinnyUncredited
1985 Chain LettersSteve
1986 Blind Justice Attorney Seth ThompsonTV Movie
1989 K-9 Halstead
1990 The Hunt for Red October Captain Davenport
1990 Havana Marion Chigwell
2005 Thru the Moebius Strip ArthurVoice
2006 The Prestige Judge
2018Roses are BlindAddison Spelling

TV

YearTitleRoleNotes
1974 Great Performances Moulineaux1 episode
1980–81 Texas Eliot Carrington71 episodes
1983 Hardcastle and McCormick Joe KelloEpisode: "The Day the Music Died"
1984 Cagney & Lacey Arthur Cole1 episode
1984 Highway to Heaven Lance GaylordEpisode: "Catch a Falling Star"
1985 Remington Steele Pierre FumarEpisode: "Gourmet Steele"
1985 Scarecrow and Mrs. King Robert Castille and Tony MartinetEpisodes: "Vigilante Mothers" and "All the World's a Stage"
1985 The A-Team Phillips1 episode
1985The Eagle and the BearUnderhillTV Movie
1986 George Washington II: The Forging of a Nation Patrick HenryTV Movie
1986 Matlock James BillingsEpisode: "The Professor"
1986 Cheers Mr. ReinhardtEpisode: "The Peterson Principle"
1986 Tall Tales & Legends Congressman1 episode
1987 Dynasty Harry ThresherSeason 8 – 5 Episodes: "The New Moguls", "The Spoiler", "Images", "The Rifle", & "The Scandal"
1987 The Spirit Simon TeasdaleTV Movie
1988 Frank's Place Arnold David Tuney1 episode
1988 The Equalizer Eddie Mason1 episode
1988What Price VictoryTrainerTV Movie
1988, 1993 Star Trek: The Next Generation Professor James Moriarty Episodes: "Elementary, Dear Data" and "Ship in a Bottle"
1989 MacGyver Mr. Helman / Nicholas HelmanEpisode: "Halloween Knights"
1991PalominoDoctorTV Movie
1991She Stood AloneParker ElsworthTV Movie
1991The Perfect TributeGov. CurtinTV Movie
1992 Columbo Alex Varrick / Wedding photographerEpisode: "No Time to Die"
1992 Civil Wars Harvey GutfruendEpisode: "Tape Fear"
1992 L.A. Law C. Howard GradyEpisode: "Love in Bloom"
1992 Murder, She Wrote Neal DishmanEpisode: "Badge of Honor"
1993–99 The Nanny Niles145 episodes
1996 Aaahh!!! Real Monsters Lugo1 episode
1996 Adventures from the Book of Virtues The Horse / Schoolmaster Dobbins1 episode
1997 Duckman Rodney1 episode
1997 Remember WENN Desmond Quist1 episode
1999 Rugrats Conan McNulty / WrestlerTV Series Short; 1 episode
2000 The Practice Judge Barton WolfeEpisodes: "Summary Judgment", "Germ Warfare" and "Appeal and Denial"
2000 Longhair and Doubledome LonghairFailed pilot; voice only
2002 Frasier Dr ShaferEpisode: "Rooms With A View"
2008 Ugly Betty Dr. Morgan RemusGuest, Episode: "Burning Questions"
2010 The Fran Drescher Show HimselfGuest
2015 Gotham Jacob SkolimskiEpisode: "Under the Knife"
2017 The Blacklist Baldur MagnussonEpisode: "Natalie Luca [#184]"
2019 Elementary Antoine LaGrangeEpisode: "The Price of Admission"
2019 The Good Fight Professor Harrison1 episode
2022 New Amsterdam Vic WallaceSeason 4 Episode 21: Castles Made of Sand
2023 Star Trek: Picard Professor James MoriartySeason 3, Episode 6: "The Bounty"
2024 Elsbeth Dr. Yablonsky2 episodes

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References

  1. ↑ "Daniel Davis". Playbill Vault . Playbill. Archived from the original on December 24, 2014. Retrieved December 22, 2014.
  2. 1 2 Arkatov, Janice (February 18, 1987). "Daniel Davis: An Actor In His Milieu". Los Angeles Times . Archived from the original on January 11, 2015. Retrieved December 22, 2014.
  3. ↑ Zoren, Neal (September 21, 2014). "Michael Learned and Daniel Davis write new chapter in 'Love Letters'". Delaware County Daily Times . Archived from the original on October 25, 2014. Retrieved October 25, 2014.
  4. ↑ Ludvigson, Evelyn (December 21, 1994). "Lucky Jill Eikenberry only takes projects that interest her". The Spokesman-Review . Archived from the original on March 11, 2023. Retrieved December 22, 2014.
  5. ↑ Horwitz, Simi (September 7, 2004). "Daniel Davis: Playing Shaw in "The Frogs"". Backstage . Archived from the original on December 23, 2014. Retrieved December 22, 2014.
  6. ↑ "The Nutler presents...Daniel Davis in the American Theater Wing Seminar". Angelfire.com. April 19, 2001. Archived from the original on November 8, 2012. Retrieved February 12, 2012.
  7. ↑ Trek Central [@TheTrekCentral] (October 8, 2022). "🚨 NEW - Daniel Davis As PROFESOR MORIARTY! He reprises the role from #StarTrek: The Next Generation for #StarTrekPicard Season 3! https://t.co/kBmjiFWb69" (Tweet). Retrieved December 4, 2022– via Twitter.
  8. 1 2 3 4 "Daniel Davis Theatre Credits". broadwayworld.com. Archived from the original on July 29, 2012. Retrieved March 8, 2018.
  9. ↑ "Wrong Mountain". Playbill Vault. Playbill. Archived from the original on October 26, 2014. Retrieved October 25, 2014.
  10. ↑ Gans, Andrew; Simonson, Robert (March 28, 2005). "Daniel Davis Let Go From La Cage; Robert Goulet to Step in Mid-April". Playbill. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved October 25, 2014.
  11. ↑ "Long Center Presents Celebrity Autobiography". Thelongcenter.org. Archived from the original on March 16, 2012. Retrieved February 12, 2012.
  12. ↑ Rizzo, Frank (February 9, 2012). "Daniel Davis Is Prospero In "The Tempest" At Hartford Stage". Hartford Courant . Archived from the original on December 22, 2014. Retrieved December 22, 2014.
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