Overview (3)

Mini Bio (1)

Spouse (1)

Kathleen Rosemary Treado (13 July 1979 - present) ( 3 children)

Trivia (39)

Jeff Daniels grew up in Chelsea, Michigan.



Has been married to his high school sweetheart since 1979.



Had he not gone into acting, he would likely be working in his hometown of Chelsea, Michigan, with his siblings at the Chelsea Lumber Company, owned by the Daniels' family. The Chelsea Lumber Co. provided all the building materials for the construction of his Purple Rose Theater.





Sings a very ironic song about celebrity turned singers called "If William Shatner Can, I Can Too".



Was considered for the role of Joey Gladstone on Full House (1987).

Attended Central Michigan University before dropping out to pursue acting.



Daniels has been married to his high school sweetheart, Kathleen Rosemary Treado, since 1979. They have three children: Benjamin (born 1984), Lucas (born 1987), and Nellie (born 1990). A baseball fan and an avid Detroit Tigers fan, he married his wife on Friday the 13th because he wore the number 13 on his baseball uniform.



Was inducted into the Michigan Walk of Fame on May 25, 2006, in Lansing, Michigan.



Writing song diaries for over thirty years, he has focused on recording a number of songs that he has written throughout his life, apparently marking key moments. He has kept busy with frequent gigs and two full length albums, Grandfather's Hat and Jeff Daniels Live and Unplugged.



Nominated for the 2009 Tony Award for Best Performance for a Leading Actor in a Play for "God of Carnage".



Lives in Chelsea, Michigan.





His favorite role was Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain from Gettysburg (1993) and its prequel Gods and Generals (2003).

In the 2013 Hollywood Reporter Drama Actor Emmy Roundtable, Jeff Daniels was asked to tell a story about his worst audition moment ever. He recounted his first meeting with famed casting agent Juliet Taylor; he had been told to lie on his resume and say that he had studied with the acting teacher Sandy Meisner, so when Taylor asked Daniels about studying with Meisner, Daniels said "yeah, she was great." Sanford "Sandy" Meisner was a man.



He has English, Scots-Irish/Northern Irish, Scottish, and German ancestry.



Currently playing in Turn of the Centuary at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago, Ilinois that is now extended through November 2nd. [October 2008]



Appeared in a commercial for the "Michigan Economic Development Corporation" at MichiganAdvantage.org. [2010]



On Broadway, playing Alan in "God of Carnage". [March 2009]



Daniels, a Michigan native and Civil War buff who played the role of Col. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain in "Gettysburg" and "Gods and Generals," wrote the foreword to Richard Bak's award-winning book, "A Distant Thunder: Michigan in the Civil War".





He won his Leading Actor Emmy Award for The Newsroom (2012) the night before principal photography of Dumm und Dümmehr (2014) began.



Has played two American war heroes who later become popular elected officials. In The Crossing - Die entscheidende Schlacht (2000), he played Gen. George Washington, who later became the first President of the United States. He later played Col. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain in Gettysburg (1993) and Gods and Generals (2003). In those films, he fights against Robert E. Lee, whose wife was Martha Washington's granddaughter, Mary Custis. Lee is played in the second film by Robert Duvall , a descendant of Lee. Daniels's character later went on to become Governor of Maine.



He was in two movies that feature Chateau Margaux wine: Arachnophobia (1990) (1961 vintage) and Steve Jobs (2015) (1955 vintage).

Has twice appeared as a character in a story-within-a-story - The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985) and Pleasantville (1998). In each case the "fictional" character interacts with the story's "real" characters, and in each case he experiences a transition from a limited black-and-white existence to an existence filled with color and new sensations.



James Gandolfini, Hope Davis, Marcia Gay Harden and he were awarded the 2012 Back Stage Garland Award for Ensemble for "God of Carnage" at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles, California.





Credits Shirley MacLaine as his favorite acting mentor/best friend.



As an actor, he was highly influenced by [ Shirley MacLaine ].



His acting mentor is [ Shirley MacLaine ].

Is the proud owner of a Gulf Stream Tour Master he calls "The Bus". Occasionally when he pulls into his driveway after a tiresome journey, he'll sleep in the bus for the night. He doesn't believe that you can call yourself a true American until you've been behind the wheel of an RV.





Plays a "Martin OM Jeff Daniels Custom Signature Edition" guitar when he goes on tour with son's "The Ben Daniels ' Band".



Won the 2018 Emmy Award in the Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie category for his role as Frank Griffin in Godless (2017).

Early in his career as a struggling Off-Broadway actor, Jeff was earning $125 per week.



Personal Quotes (4)

One of the more noble things the Oscars can do is pay attention to movies no one knows about. Blockbusters don't need much help.



(2009 - on living in Michigan) I love living in Michigan, which has been great for my kids and my family. I just never did buy this idea that you have to live in Los Angeles to be an actor. I didn't see that as a requirement in my job description. We do have an airport in Michigan. Basically, years ago we had a child and wanted to raise our baby in a part of the country that we understood. My agent said, 'If you're willing to go to L.A. at your own expense for a meeting, then we're fine. Don't ever tell us that you can't afford it.' I think Michigan keeps you sane and on an even keel through the ups and downs. In Michigan, I do fireworks, shovel snow and live life.





[on the death of James Gandolfini ] If Broadway has a version of a guy you want in your foxhole, Jim Gandolfini was mine. During our time together in "God of Carnage" we played 320 performances together. He didn't miss one. Sadly, I now miss him like a brother.

Salary (1)