Ben Daniels
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| Ben Daniels | |||||||||||
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| Born | 10 June 1964 Nuneaton, Warwickshire, England, UK |
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| Occupation | Film, stage and television actor | ||||||||||
| Years active | 1987–present | ||||||||||
| Domestic partner(s) | Ian Gelder | ||||||||||
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Ben Daniels (born 10 June 1964) is a British actor. A graduate of the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA), he has taken on roles in numerous productions. On television he has appeared in, among other shows, The Lost Language of Cranes (1991), Conspiracy (2001), Cutting It (2002–2005), Ian Fleming: Bondmaker (2005), The Virgin Queen (2005) and The State Within (2006). On the silver screen, Daniels has appeared mostly in supporting roles, including parts in The Bridge (1992), Beautiful Thing (1996), I Want You (1998), Madeline (1998) and Doom (2005). An exception was the 1997 independent film Passion in the Desert, based on a short story by novelist Honoré de Balzac.
Daniels has had most success with theatre work. He was nominated for Best Actor at the Evening Standard Awards for 900 Oneonta (1994), for Best Actor in the M.E.N. Theatre Awards for Martin Yesterday (1998), and for Best Supporting Actor in the 15th Laurence Olivier Awards for Never the Sinner (1991). He eventually won the latter award at the 25th Laurence Olivier Awards, as well as the Best Supporting Actor award at the 2001 Whatsonstage.com Theatregoers' Choice Theatre Awards for his performance in the Arthur Miller play All My Sons. Other theatre credits include Tales From Hollywood (2001), Three Sisters (2003), Iphigenia at Aulis (2004), The God of Hell (2005), The Wild Duck (2005–2006) and Thérèse Raquin (2006). In 2008 Daniels made his Broadway début with American actress Laura Linney in a revival of Les Liaisons Dangereuses (Dangerous Liaisons), for which he was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play. The results will be announced on 15 June 2008.
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[edit] Biography
[edit] Early life and education
Ben Daniels was born on 10 June 1964[1] in Nuneaton in Warwickshire, England.[2] His father was an engineer at Rolls-Royce and later a grocer, while his mother owned a children's clothes shop. He has an older and a younger sister. Daniels has recalled: "I was quite a shy child, but quite disruptive as well. I was very sneaky and underhand."[3]
According to Daniels, drama lessons at O-levels gave him a voice, and when he attended sixth form studies at Stratford College in Stratford-upon-Avon between 1980 and 1982, doing A-levels in theatre studies and English literature, he attended Royal Shakespeare Company performances avidly.[3] A fellow student recalled that Daniels, whom he knew as Dave, "was very serious about his work, and struck me as incredibly intelligent. ... You got the sense his mind was working; the cogs were ticking over".[1] Daniels subsequently trained at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) for three years.[2][4]
[edit] Professional career
One of Daniels' earliest roles was appearing as Justin Hayward, the lead singer of The Moody Blues, as a teenager in two of the band's music videos, Your Wildest Dreams (1986) and I Know You're Out There Somewhere (1988). Since then, he has taken on parts in many UK television dramas, such as Robin in The Lost Language of Cranes (1991), based on David Leavitt's 1986 book; the Biblical character Jonathan in the 1997 Emmy-nominated TV film David; the philandering Finn Bevan in Cutting It (2002–2005); and Nicholas Brocklehurst, the British Counsellor for External Affairs at the British Embassy in Washington, D.C., in the BBC television mini-series The State Within (2006) – the latter role was notable for an unexpected same-sex kiss between Daniels' character and another person.[5] In 2008 he appeared in Lark Rise to Candleford, a BBC production based on three semi-autobiographical novels about the English countryside written by Flora Thompson.
Daniel has also played a number of real-life characters: German State Secretary Dr. Josef Bühler in Conspiracy, 2001 a dramatization of the Wannsee Conference at which the Final Solution was endorsed; the English author and journalist Ian Fleming, creator of James Bond, in Ian Fleming: Bondmaker (2005); Sir Francis Walsingham, Queen Elizabeth I's spymaster, in The Virgin Queen (2005); and English writer Saki in Who Killed Mrs De Ropp? (2007).[6] In addition, he has made guest appearances in a number of British TV drama series, including Soldier Soldier (1992), A Touch of Frost (1992), Outside Edge (1994) and Spooks (2005).
Daniels may be most recognizable to American audiences for appearing in the 1996 gay film Beautiful Thing, written by Jonathan Harvey and based on his play of the same name. Daniels portrayed Tony, boyfriend of Sandra, the protagonist Jamie's mother. In an independent film directed by Lavinia Currier titled Passion in the Desert (1997), based on a short story by novelist Honoré de Balzac, Daniels, in one of the few films where he has the lead role, acted as a French soldier named Augustin Robert. His character becomes lost in the desert during Napoleon's invasion of Egypt and develops a strange bond with a leopard he meets.[7] Passion in the Desert, which was nominated for a Golden Seashell award, also featured renowned French actor Michel Piccoli and was filmed in Jordan and in Utah, USA. Other feature films that Daniels has starred in are The Bridge (1992), Michael Winterbottom’s I Want You (1998); Madeline (1998), in which he was cast as the somewhat sinister British tutor Leopold; and Doom (2005), loosely based on the computer game of the same name. He was offered roles in the 2000 releases The Patriot with Oscar-winning actor/director Mel Gibson, and in Vertical Limit, but turned them down, stating: "The money was good, but it wasn't for me".[8]
In the theatre, Daniels is in his element – he has said "I love doing theatre – it's tough and keeps you on your toes as an actor."[9] He has appeared on stage in Shakespeare's All's Well That Ends Well and As You Like It (1999–2000), and appeared as Mercutio in a 1994 TV production of Romeo and Juliet. Other theatre credits include Beckett's Waiting for Godot (1994); 900 Oneonta (1994), which earned him a nomination for Best Actor at the Evening Standard Awards;[2] Martin Yesterday (1998), for which he was nominated as Best Actor in the M.E.N. Theatre Awards;[2] Naked (1998) alongside Juliette Binoche; Christopher Hampton's Tales From Hollywood (2001); Chekhov's Three Sisters (2003); Iphigenia at Aulis (2004), Sam Shepard's The God of Hell (2005), and Ibsen's The Wild Duck (2005–2006). In 2006 Daniels appeared in Émile Zola's Thérèse Raquin as Laurent, Thérèse's lover; a reviewer pronounced their performances "riveting".[10] He won the Best Supporting Actor award at the Whatsonstage.com Theatregoers' Choice Theatre Awards[11] and the 25th Laurence Olivier Awards[12][13] in 2001 for his performance in the Arthur Miller play All My Sons. He was first nominated for the latter award earlier in his career, in 1991, for his performance as Richard Loeb, a real-life murderer of a 14-year-old boy, in another stage play titled Never the Sinner at the Playhouse Theatre, but lost to David Bradley.[12] In 2008, Daniels fulfilled a lifetime ambition[8][14] when he made his Broadway début headlining as the Vicomte de Valmont with American actress Laura Linney in a revival of Les Liaisons Dangereuses (Dangerous Liaisons).[15] Preview performances began on April 11 and the show opened 1 May 2008.[16] Daniels was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play for his role; the results will be announced on 15 June 2008.[17]
[edit] Selected work
[edit] Film
| Year(s) of appearance |
Film | Role | Awards and nominations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Wish You Were Here | Policeman | |
| 1992 | The Bridge | Rogers | |
| 1993 | Rwendo (short film) | [Unknown] | |
| 1995 (UK), 1996 (US) |
Beautiful Thing | Tony | |
| 1998 | Passion in the Desert | Augustin Robert | |
| 1998 | I Want You | D.J. Bob | |
| 1998 | Madeline | Leopold the Tutor | |
| 1999 | Fanny and Elvis | Andrew | |
| 2001 | Married/Unmarried | Danny | |
| 2002 | Fogbound | Leo | |
| 2005 | Doom | Goat |
Some of the information in this table was obtained from Ben Daniels: Filmography. Internet Movie Database (IMDb). Retrieved on 2007-12-28.
[edit] Television
| Year(s) of appearance |
Television programme or series | Role | Awards and nominations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Wall of Tyranny (US: Freedom Fighter) |
Streimer | |
| 1989 (2 episodes) |
The Paradise Club
"Family Favours" |
D.C. (Detective Constable) Webster | |
| ?1989–1990 (unknown episodes) |
Capital City (1989–1990) | Colin | |
| 1990 (1 episode) |
Drop the Dead Donkey (1990–1998)
"Old Father Time" |
Jack Davenport | |
| 1991 | The Lost Language of Cranes | Robin | |
| 1992 (1 episode) |
Casualty (1986–present)
"Cascade" |
First Officer Graham Marda | |
| 1992 (1 episode) |
Soldier Soldier (1991–1997)
"The Last Post" |
Capt. Andy Wright | |
| 1992 (1 episode) |
A Touch of Frost (1992–present)
"Conclusions" |
Roger Massie | |
| 1993 (1 episode) |
The Inspector Alleyn Mysteries (1990–1994)
"Death at the Bar" |
Norman Cubitt | |
| 1994 | Romeo and Juliet | Mercutio | |
| 1994 (5 episodes) |
Outside Edge (1994–1996) | Alex Harrington | |
| 1996 | Truth or Dare | Ben | |
| 1997 | David | Jonathan | |
| 1998 (1 episode) |
Silent Witness (1996–present)
"Brothers in Arms" |
Owen Johnson | |
| 1999 | Aristocrats | Lord Kildare | |
| 2000 | Britannic | Townsend | |
| 2001 | Conspiracy | Dr. Josef Bühler | |
| 2002–2005 | Cutting It[18] | Finn Bevan | |
| 2003 | Real Men | D.I. (Detective Inspector) Matthew Fenton | |
| 2004 | Marple: 4.50 from Paddington (US: What Mrs. McGillicuddy Saw) |
Alfred Crackenthorpe | |
| 2005 | Ian Fleming: Bondmaker | Ian Fleming | |
| 2005 (1 episode) |
Spooks (2002–present)
"The Russian" |
Oleg Korsakov | |
| 2005 | The Virgin Queen | Sir Francis Walsingham | |
| 2006 | The State Within[19] | Nicholas Brocklehurst | |
| 2007 | Who Killed Mrs De Ropp? | Saki | |
| 2008 (1 episode) |
Lark Rise to Candleford | Rushton, the Post Office inspector | |
| 2008 | The Passion | Caiaphas | |
| [Unknown] | The Crossing | Adrian | |
| [Unknown] | Great Writers: Thomas Mann | Hans Castorp | |
| [Unknown] | Murky Waters | Bracken Burke | |
| [Unknown] | One by One | Bob |
Some of the information in this table was obtained from the following sources: Ben Daniels: Filmography. Internet Movie Database (IMDb). Retrieved on 2007-12-28. Ben Daniels. Markham & Froggatt. Retrieved on 2007-12-28.
[edit] Theatre
| Year(s) of appearance |
Performance | Role | Awards and nominations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Never the Sinner by John Logan |
Richard Loeb |
|
| 1994 | Waiting for Godot (1948–1949) by Samuel Beckett |
Lucky | |
| 1994 | 900 Oneonta by David Beaird |
Tiger |
|
| 1998 | Martin Yesterday | Matt |
|
| 1998 | Naked | Franco | |
| 1999–2000 | As You Like It[20] (1599 or 1600) by William Shakespeare Crucible Theatre, Sheffield; and Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith, London |
Orlando | |
| 2001 | All My Sons[21] (1947) by Arthur Miller Cottesloe and Lyttelton Theatres, Royal National Theatre, London |
Chris Keller |
|
| 2001 | Tales from Hollywood[22] (1984) by Christopher Hampton |
Ödön von Horváth | |
| 2003 | Three Sisters[23] (1900) by Anton Chekhov Lyttelton Theatre, Royal National Theatre, London |
Lt. Col. Aleksandr Ignatyevich Vershinin | |
| 2004 | Iphigenia at Aulis[24] (410 BC) by Euripides, translated by Don Taylor (1990) Lyttelton Theatre, Royal National Theatre, London |
Agamemnon | |
| 2005 | The God of Hell[25] (?2004) by Sam Shepard |
Welch | |
| 2005–2006 | The Wild Duck[26] (1884) by Henrik Ibsen |
Gregers Werle | |
| 2006 | Thérèse Raquin[10][27] (1873) by Émile Zola, adapted by Nicholas Wright Lyttelton Theatre, Royal National Theatre, London |
Laurent | |
| 2008 | Les Liaisons Dangereuses (Dangerous Liaisons)[15][28] (first produced 1985) by Christopher Hampton |
Vicomte de Valmont |
|
| [Unknown] | All's Well That Ends Well (1601–1608)[11] by William Shakespeare |
Bertram | |
| [Unknown] | The Brontës of Haworth[11] by ?Alan Ayckbourn |
James Feather | |
| [Unknown] | Cracks[11] | Gideon | |
| [Unknown] | Electra (probably after 413 BC)[11] by Euripides |
Pylades | |
| [Unknown] | Entertaining Mr Sloane[11] (1964) by Joe Orton |
Sloane | |
| [Unknown] | Family Circles[11] (1970) by Alan Ayckbourn |
James | |
| [Unknown] | The Hypochondriac[11] | Cleante | |
| [Unknown] | Pride and Prejudice[11] based on Jane Austen's 1813 book |
George Wickham | |
| [Unknown] | The Tutor[11] (1774) by Jakob Michael Reinhold Lenz |
Bollwerk |
Some of the information in this table was obtained from the following sources: Ben Daniels: Filmography. Internet Movie Database (IMDb). Retrieved on 2007-12-28. Ben Daniels. Markham & Froggatt. Retrieved on 2007-12-28.
[edit] Personal life
Daniels is openly gay – he has remarked "Out? I've never been in"[3] – and lives with stage actor Ian Gelder.[29] They began seeing each other during a production of Joe Orton's Entertaining Mr Sloane. Daniels was already sure of his sexuality in his teens, although he did not discuss the matter with his parents because they did not have a very close emotional relationship. He was "cautious about mentioning it when I left drama school, because Aids was terrifying everyone and there was a huge, homophobic backlash." He decided to be open about being gay at the age of 24 years, while appearing in an all-star benefit performance of Martin Sherman's Bent. Daniels has said:
Homophobia is still shockingly prevalent in film and TV. I know I've lost work because of being gay, and it is always an issue. Even on a serious BBC2 drama there will be some suit in some office going, "Hmmm, isn't he a poof?" I don't consider myself politically gay, but whenever I catch a whiff of that now, I'm on it like a ton of bricks.[3]
In 2007, Daniels was ranked number 79 in the annual Pink List of 100 influential gay and lesbian people in Britain published by The Independent on Sunday,[30] down from number 47 in 2006.[31]
In his spare time, he is an amateur painter and Ashtanga yoga devotee.[8]
[edit] Notes
- ^ a b Shimmon, Katie. "College days [Ben Daniels]", The Guardian (EducationGuardian), 2005-05-17.
- ^ a b c d Ben Daniels at the Internet Movie Database. Retrieved on 28 December 2007.
- ^ a b c d Curtis, Nick (2004-06-17). Cutting it on stage. Thisislondon.co.uk, Evening Standard. Retrieved on 2007-12-28.
- ^ Ben Daniels – Augustin. Fine Line Features (2005). Retrieved on 2007-12-28.
- ^ Urban, Robert (2007-02-15). Ben Daniels is our kind of gay actor. AfterElton.com. Retrieved on 2007-12-28.
- ^ Who killed Mrs De Ropp?. TV & Satellite Week. Retrieved on 2007-12-28.
- ^ Passion in the Desert at the Internet Movie Database. Retrieved on 28 December 2007.
- ^ a b c Interview with Ben Daniels. Television New Zealand (TVNZ) ([?2003]). Retrieved on 2007-12-28.
- ^ Ben Daniels – Caiaphas. The Passion, BBC (2008). Retrieved on 2008-05-11.
- ^ a b Neill, Heather. "Therese Raquin [review]", The Stage, 2006-11-15.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Ben Daniels. Markham & Froggatt. Retrieved on 2007-12-28.
- ^ a b c Awards database: Ben Daniels. The Envelope: The Awards Insider, Los Angeles Times. Retrieved on 2007-12-28.
- ^ a b "Julie Walters wins Olivier", BBC News, 2001-02-23. "Olivier award winners in full", BBC News, 2001-02-23.
- ^ Ben Daniels. Television New Zealand (TVNZ). Retrieved on 2007-12-28.
- ^ a b Laura Linney, Ben Daniels to headline Broadway revival of Les Liaisons Dangereuses. Broadway.com (2007-11-27). Retrieved on 2007-12-28. Les Liaisons Dangereuses: Ben Daniels to star alongside Laura Linney in Roundabout's revival of Christopher Hampton's dark comedy. New York Theatre Guide (2007-11-27). Retrieved on 2007-12-28. Stars line up for 'Dangereuses' revival. United Press International (UPI) (2007-12-17). Retrieved on 2007-12-28.
- ^ Roundabout Theatre Company: Les Liaisons Dangereuses. Entertainment, Cabaret, Broadway, Opera, Ballet & Concerts NYC (2007-11-27). Retrieved on 2007-12-29.
- ^ a b "Meet the nominees: Who's nominated?", The American Theatre Wing's Tony Awards, May 2008. Retrieved on 2008-05-13.
- ^ Cutting It is back on BBC ONE: Ben Daniels is Finn Bevan [interview]. BBC Press Office (2004-04-16). Retrieved on 2007-12-29.
- ^ The State Within: Ben Daniels plays Nicholas Brocklehurst [interview]. BBC Press Office (2006-10-23). Retrieved on 2007-12-29.
- ^ Spencer, Charles. "Top five theatrical sex scenes", The Daily Telegraph, 2002-08-31.Gardner, Lyn. "Ravishing Rosalind: As You Like It, Lyric, Hammersmith", The Guardian, 2000-03-04.
- ^ Cavendish, Dominic. "Family at war thrives on a bigger stage", The Daily Telegraph, 2001-08-09.Billington, Michael. "All My Sons, National Theatre, London", The Guardian, 2001-08-09.
- ^ Tales from Hollywood [archive page]. Albemarle of London (2001). Retrieved on 2007-12-28. Loveridge, Lizzie (2001). Tales From Hollywood. CurtainUp: The Internet Theater Magazine of Reviews, Features, Annotated Listings. Retrieved on 2007-12-28. Spencer, Charles. "Exodus to the Hollywood hills", The Daily Telegraph, 2001-05-03.Billington, Michael. "Christopher Hampton's Hollywood horrors, Donmar Warehouse, London", The Guardian, 2001-05-03.
- ^ Fisher, Philip (2003). Three Sisters by Anton Chekhov, in the new version by Nicholas Wright, RNT Lyttelton. The British Theatre Guide. Retrieved on 2007-12-28. Summer at the National: THREE SISTERS – Lyttelton Theatre. The British Theatre Guide (2003-06-01). Retrieved on 2007-12-28. Spencer, Charles. "Magnificent, moving masterpiece", The Daily Telegraph, 2003-08-14.Hoggard, Liz. "Twisted sisters: A dead-end job in the post office? That's no way to treat a lady...", The Guardian, 2003-08-17.
- ^ NT: Archive: Iphigenia at Aulis [excerpts from reviews]. National Theatre (23–27 June 2004). Retrieved on 2007-12-28. Billington, Michael. "Iphigenia at Aulis, National Theatre, London", The Guardian, 2004-06-23. Berkowitz, Gerald (2004-06-24). Iphigenia at Aulis. The Stage. Retrieved on 2007-12-28. Spencer, Charles. "At war with Euripides", The Daily Telegraph, 2004-06-24.
- ^ Loveridge, Charlotte (2005). God of Hell [review]. CurtainUp.com: The Internet Theater Magazine of Reviews, Features, Annotated Listings. Retrieved on 2007-12-28. Billington, Michael. "The God of Hell, Donmar, London", The Guardian, 2005-10-27. Spencer, Charles. "Hell is right-on, Left-wing claptrap", The Daily Telegraph, 2005-10-27.
- ^ Casting update for The Wild Duck at The Donmar. London Theatre Guide (2005-10-19). Retrieved on 2007-12-28. Spencer, Charles. "A masterpiece of truth", The Daily Telegraph, 2005-12-13. Billington, Michael (2005-12-14). The Wild Duck, Donmar Warehouse, London. The Guardian. Brantley, Ben (2006-01-02). On London's stages, wrestling with belief and its discontents. The New York Times. Retrieved on 2007-12-28.
- ^ "CB" (2006-08-21). National makes Waves with two new productions. Official London Theatre Guide. Retrieved on 2007-12-28. Fisher, Philip (2006). Thérèse Raquin by Emile Zola, adapted by Nicholas Wright, RNT Lyttelton. The British Theatre Guide. Retrieved on 2007-12-28. The First Night Feature: Thérèse Raquin. Official London Theatre Guide (2006-11-14). Retrieved on 2007-12-28. De Jongh, Nicholas. "Love sealed with a kill", Evening Standard, 2006-11-14. Were critics impressed by the National's New Staging of Zola's Therese Raquin?. Broadway.com in London (2006-11-15). Retrieved on 2007-12-28. Spencer, Charles. "Dim shadows of Zola's hellish vision", The Daily Telegraph, 2006-11-15. Billington, Michael. "Thérèse Raquin, Lyttelton, London", The Guardian, 2006-11-15. Scurr, Ruth. "Émile Zola's pool of filth", The Times Literary Supplement, 2006-11-22.
- ^ Kimberley Kaye (2008-04-24). Ben Daniels. Broadway.com. Retrieved on 2008-05-13. Elysa Gardner. "'Liaisons' revival is dangerously good, seductive", USA Today, 2008-05-01. Clive Barnes. "Hooking up with 'Liaisons' a safe bet", New York Post, 2008-05-02. Ben Brantley. "What lurks beneath the ruffles", The New York Times, 2005-05-02. Linda Winer. "Sexual humiliation is the best revenge", Newsday, 2008-05-02.
- ^ A 2004 article about Daniels states that Ian Gelder was aged 55 years and that they had been partners for more than a decade: Curtis, Nick (2004-06-17). Cutting it on stage. Thisislondon.co.uk, Evening Standard. Retrieved on 2007-12-28.
- ^ "The Pink List 2007: The IoS annual celebration of the great and the gay", The Independent on Sunday, 2007-05-06.
- ^ Shoffman, Marc (2006-07-03). Ian McKellen ranked most influential gay man. Pink News. Retrieved on 2007-12-28.
[edit] References
- Curtis, Nick (2004-06-17). Cutting it on stage. Thisislondon.co.uk, Evening Standard. Retrieved on 2007-12-28.
- Ben Daniels at the Internet Movie Database. Retrieved on 28 December 2007.
- Ben Daniels. Markham & Froggatt. Retrieved on 2007-12-28.
[edit] Further reading
- Ben Daniels (Tony). Beautiful Thing, Sony Pictures Classics (1996-09-06). Retrieved on 2007-12-28.
- "Answer the questions! Ben Daniels – 'I'd love to go into space'", The Independent on Sunday (reproduced on Findarticles.com), 2003-07-27.
[edit] External links
- Ben Daniels at bbc.co.uk Drama
- Ben Daniels at Film4
- Ben Daniels at GaydarNation
- Ben Daniels at Hello!
- Ben Daniels at the Royal National Theatre
- "Ben Daniels on IRC, the logfile..." – transcript of an online chat with Ben Daniels from the Official Dutch Beautiful Thing Fanclub
- Official website of Cutting It
- Official website of The State Within
- Official website of Les Liaisons Dangereuses on Broadway, 12 April – 6 July 2008
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Daniels, Ben |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | British actor |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 10 June 1964 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Nuneaton, Warwickshire, England, United Kingdom |
| DATE OF DEATH | |
| PLACE OF DEATH | |
