Daniel Davis (actor)
American actor (born 1945)
title: "Daniel Davis (actor)" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["living-people", "1945-births", "20th-century-american-male-actors", "21st-century-american-male-actors", "actors-from-clark-county,-arkansas", "american-male-film-actors", "american-male-musical-theatre-actors", "american-male-stage-actors", "american-male-television-actors", "american-male-voice-actors", "hall-high-school-(arkansas)-alumni", "male-actors-from-little-rock,-arkansas"] description: "American actor (born 1945)" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Davis_(actor)" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary American actor (born 1945) ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox person"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Daniel Davis |
| image | Daniel Davis cropped.jpg |
| caption | Davis in 2016 |
| birth_date | |
| birth_place | Gurdon, Arkansas, U.S. |
| occupation | Actor |
| other_names | Danny Davis |
| years_active | 1970–present |
| :: |
| name = Daniel Davis | image = Daniel Davis cropped.jpg | caption = Davis in 2016 | birth_name = | birth_date = | birth_place = Gurdon, Arkansas, U.S. | occupation = Actor | other_names = Danny Davis | years_active = 1970–present | spouse = | website =
Daniel Davis (born November 26, 1945) is an American film, stage and television actor. He portrayed Niles the butler on the sitcom The Nanny (1993 to 1999) and had two guest appearances as Professor Moriarty on Star Trek: The Next Generation (a role he reprised on Star Trek: Picard), affecting a received pronunciation English dialect for both roles.
Early life and education
Davis was born on November 26, 1945, in Gurdon, Arkansas, and grew up in Little Rock. His parents operated a cinema. His first acting job was at the age of 11, when he was cast in a local broadcast program, Betty's Little Rascals.
Davis graduated from Hall High School in Little Rock in 1964. He graduated from the Arkansas Arts Center with a Bachelor of Fine Arts, followed by work with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, the Stratford Shakespeare Festival, and six years with the American Conservatory Theater (ACT). 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; however, his English dialect as Niles was so accurate that many viewers thought he was actually English. He also used an English received pronounced dialect 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 dialect.
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.
Theatre
Davis is an established theatre actor. He has appeared in both Broadway and off-Broadway productions in New York, and has appeared at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
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.
In 2000, Davis was nominated for a Best Featured Actor Tony Award for his role in David Hirson's Broadway play Wrong Mountain. He played Oscar Wilde in The Invention of Love in 2001. 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.)
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.
In 2012, he played Prospero in The Tempest at Hartford Stage.
In 2015, Davis starred in a one-off performance of A. R. Gurney's Love Letters co-starring with Lane. Proceeds were donated 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
::data[format=table]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | The Sidelong Glances of a Pigeon Kicker | Skinny | Uncredited |
| 1985 | Chain Letters | Steve | |
| 1989 | K-9 | Halstead | |
| 1990 | The Hunt for Red October | Captain Davenport | |
| 1990 | Havana | Marion Chigwell | |
| 2005 | Thru the Moebius Strip | Arthur (voice) | title=Daniel Davis (visual voices guide) |
| 2006 | The Prestige | Judge | |
| 2018 | Roses are Blind | Addison Spelling | |
| :: |
Television
::data[format=table]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | Great Performances | Moulineaux | Episode: "In Fashion" |
| 1980–81 | Texas | Eliot Carrington | 71 episodes |
| 1983 | Hardcastle and McCormick | Joe Kello | Episode: "The Day the Music Died" |
| 1984 | Cagney & Lacey | Arthur Cole | Episode: "Lady Luck" |
| 1984 | Highway to Heaven | Lance Gaylord | Episode: "Catch a Falling Star" |
| 1985 | Remington Steele | Pierre Fumar | Episode: "Gourmet Steele" |
| 1985 | Scarecrow and Mrs. King | Robert Castille, Tony Martinet | 2 episodes |
| 1985 | The A-Team | Phillips | Episode: "The Doctor Is Out" |
| 1985 | The Eagle and the Bear | Underhill | Television film |
| 1986 | Blind Justice | Attorney Seth Thompson | Television film |
| 1986 | George Washington II: The Forging of a Nation | Patrick Henry | Television film |
| 1986 | Matlock | James Billings | Episode: "The Professor" |
| 1986 | Cheers | Mr. Reinhardt | Episode: "The Peterson Principle" |
| 1986 | Tall Tales & Legends | Congressman | Episode: "Davy Crockett" |
| 1987 | Dynasty | Harry Thresher | 5 episodes |
| 1987 | The Spirit | Simon Teasdale | Television film |
| 1988 | Frank's Place | Arnold Tuney | Episode: "Frank's Place - The Movie" |
| 1988 | The Equalizer | Eddie Mason | Episode: "Video Games" |
| 1988 | What Price Victory | Trainer | Television film |
| 1988, 1993 | Star Trek: The Next Generation | Professor James Moriarty | 2 episodes |
| 1989 | MacGyver | Nicholas Helman | Episode: "Halloween Knights" |
| 1991 | Palomino | Doctor | Television film |
| 1991 | She Stood Alone | Parker Elsworth | Television film |
| 1991 | The Perfect Tribute | Gov. Curtin | Television film |
| 1992 | Columbo | Alex Varrick, Wedding Photographer | Episode: "No Time to Die" |
| 1992 | Civil Wars | Harvey Gutfruend | Episode: "Tape Fear" |
| 1992 | L.A. Law | C. Howard Grady | Episode: "Love in Bloom" |
| 1992 | Murder, She Wrote | Neal Dishman | Episode: "Badge of Honor" |
| 1993–99 | The Nanny | Niles | 145 episodes |
| 1996 | Aaahh!!! Real Monsters | Lugo (voice) | Episode: "Lifestyles of the Rich and Scary" |
| 1996 | Adventures from the Book of Virtues | Horse, Schoolmaster Dobbins (voice) | Episode: "Work" |
| 1997 | Duckman | Rodney (voice) | Episode: "Duckman and Cornfed in 'Haunted Society Plumbers'" |
| 1997 | Remember WENN | Desmond Quist | Episode: "Eugenia Bremer, Master Spy" |
| 1999 | Rugrats | Conan McNulty, Wrestler (voice) | Episode: "Wrestling Grandpa" |
| 2000 | The Practice | Judge Barton Wolfe | 3 episodes |
| 2000 | What a Cartoon! | Longhair (voice) | Episode: "Longhair and Doubledome: Good Wheel Hunting" |
| 2002 | Frasier | Dr Shafer | Episode: "Rooms With A View" |
| 2008 | Ugly Betty | Dr. Morgan Remus | Episode: "Burning Questions" |
| 2010 | The Fran Drescher Show | Himself | Guest |
| 2015 | Gotham | Jacob Skolimski | Episode: "Under the Knife" |
| 2017 | The Blacklist | Baldur Magnusson | Episode: "Natalie Luca" |
| 2019 | Elementary | Antoine LaGrange | Episode: "The Price of Admission" |
| 2019 | The Good Fight | Professor Harrison | Episode: "The One About the End of the World" |
| 2022 | New Amsterdam | Vic Wallace | Episode: "Castles Made of Sand" |
| 2023 | Star Trek: Picard | Professor James Moriarty | Episode: "The Bounty" |
| 2024 | Elsbeth | Dr. Yablonsky | 2 episodes (S1, Ep 6, S2, Ep 1) |
| :: |
References
References
- "Daniel Davis". [[Playbill]].
- (February 18, 1987). "Daniel Davis: An Actor In His Milieu". [[Los Angeles Times]].
- (September 21, 2014). "Michael Learned and Daniel Davis write new chapter in 'Love Letters'". [[Delaware County Daily Times]].
- (December 21, 1994). "Lucky Jill Eikenberry only takes projects that interest her". [[The Spokesman-Review]].
- (September 7, 2004). "Daniel Davis: Playing Shaw in "The Frogs"". [[Backstage (magazine).
- (April 19, 2001). "The Nutler presents...Daniel Davis in the American Theater Wing Seminar". Angelfire.com.
- Trek Central. (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".
- "Daniel Davis Theatre Credits".
- "Wrong Mountain". Playbill.
- (March 28, 2005). "Daniel Davis Let Gohttps://playbill.com/article/daniel-davis-let-go-from-la-cage-robert-goulet-to-step-in-mid-april-com-124936 From La Cage; Robert Goulet to Step in Mid-April". Playbill.
- "Long Center Presents Celebrity Autobiography". Thelongcenter.org.
- (February 9, 2012). "Daniel Davis Is Prospero In "The Tempest" At Hartford Stage". [[Hartford Courant]].
- "Daniel Davis (visual voices guide)". Behind The Voice Actors.
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