Biography

Daniel was born in Bedford, TX. He studied Liberal Arts at the University of North Texas. He was the lead singer/ songwriter of his band, Modakai. They had three songs on the radio and toured the US for several years until 2009 when the band broke up.  

 

Training

Daniel studied in theater school for five years at Stella Adler Studio of Acting (Adler), Circle in the Square Theater School (Strasburg), Atlantic Theater (Meisner), and Magnet Theater (Improv). He studied classics with Sybil Lines (Royal Shakespeare Company), Voice with Beth Maguire (Yale MFA), and directing and Screenwriting with John Shear (Grad Professor at Columbia University). In 2021, Daniel studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London.  He is currently studying with Gregory Berger (MFA Grad Professor at Yale University). He has also taught acting at the American Theater of Actors in New York City. 

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Career

In 2013, his first short film, Rambler, won him several Best Actor awards, which landed him on Person of Interest (NBC), Blacklist (NBC), Blindspot (CBS), and Marvel's Luke Cage (Netflix). In 2021,

 

Daniel made his directorial debut in 'Love in Kilnerry', a romantic comedy he also wrote, produced (p.g.a.), and starred in. The story was about the elderly residents of a small remote town panic when the EPA announces mandatory changes to their chemical plant could cause a dramatic increase in their libido.

 

Love in Kilnerry

 What was originally a play, written by Daniel, was workshopped for a year at the Manhattan Theater Club studios. It was edited by John Wilson (Downton Abbey, Billy Elliott), an original score written and performed by Randy Edelman (Last of the Mohicans), visual effects by Brian DeMetz (Deadpool, 2012), and colored by Company 3 (Star Wars, A Star is Born).

 

It went on to win 45 Awards and 27 Nominations including Best Film, Best Screenplay, Best Director, Best Actor(s), and Best Choreography. In 2022, it played in 100 cities for 21 weeks. Regal Cinemas picked the film up in 35 markets.

 

The film is now in over 56 countries in five languages and is being rewritten, recast, and reshot in India, Indonesia, and China.

 

On April 9, 2022, the mayor of Portsmouth, NH (the filming location) signed a decree renaming Portsmouth to Kilnerry every April 9 for Kilnerry Day. Kilnerry, NH can now be found on Google Maps.

 

In August, 2022, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences requested Love in Kilnerry be added to their core library.

 

Fifty-Six memes were uploaded to Giphy.com in five langauges. In the last year, they have been used and shared over 156.1 million times worldwide.

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Daniel has residents in both Los Angeles and New York City.