Jeffrey Warren Daniels made his screen debut in the American police procedural drama series ‘Hawaii Five-O’ in 1980. He made his first big-screen appearance in the 1981 American drama film ‘Ragtime’ directed by Miloš Forman. The film received 8 Academy Award nominations and has an 83% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Following his debut, he went on to star in films like ‘Terms of Endearment’ (1983), ‘The Purple Rose of Cairo’ (1985), ‘Marie’ (1985), ‘Something Wild’ (1986), ‘Heartburn’ (1986), ‘Radio Days’ (1987), ‘The House on Carroll Street’ (1988), ‘Sweet Hearts Dance’ (1988), and ‘Checking Out’ (1989). In 1990, he starred as ‘Dr. Ross Jennings’ in the American natural horror comedy film ‘Arachnophobia’ directed by Frank Marshall. The film received a positive response from critics and grossed over $53.2 million on a $22 million budget. The same year, he also appeared in the Jim Abrahams-directed American comedy-drama film ‘Welcome Home, Roxy Carmichael.’ The film received mixed reviews from critics. He next starred in films like ‘The Butcher's Wife’ (1991), ‘Timescape’ (1992), ‘There Goes the Neighborhood’ (1992), ‘Rain Without Thunder’ (1993), and ‘Gettysburg’ (1993). He next played the role of ‘Officer Harry Temple’ in the 1994 American action thriller film ‘Speed’ directed by Jan de Bont. The film saw critical acclaim upon release and was a major commercial success, grossing over $350.4 million on a budget of $30–37 million. The same year, he also starred in the Peter Farrelly-directed American buddy comedy film ‘Dumb and Dumber’ which also performed well at the box office.
Daniels continued to star in films such as ‘Redwood Curtain’ (1995), ‘Fly Away Home’ (1996), ‘101 Dalmatians’ (1996), ‘Trial and Error’ (1997), ‘Pleasantville’ (1998), ‘My Favorite Martian’ (1999), ‘It's the Rage’ (1999), ‘The Crossing’ (2000), ‘Cheaters’ (2000), ‘Escanaba in da Moonlight’ (2001), ‘Super Sucker’ (2002), ‘The Hours’ (2002), ‘Gods and Generals’ (2003), and ‘Imaginary Heroes’ (2004). Daniels received a ‘Golden Globe Award’ nomination for his portrayal of ‘Bernard Berkman’ in the 2005 American independent drama film ‘The Squid and the Whale’ directed by Noah Baumbach. The film received massive acclaim upon release and grossed over $11.2 million on a budget of $1.5 million. He was next seen in films like ‘RV’ (2006), ‘Infamous’ (2006), ‘The Lookout’ (2007), ‘A Plumm Summer’ (2007), ‘Space Chimps’ (2008), ‘State of Play’ (2009), ‘Paper Man’ (2009), ‘Howl’ (2010), and ‘Looper’ (2012). In 2012, he joined the cast of the American political drama television series ‘The Newsroom’ as ‘Will McAvoy.’ The series ran for 3 seasons and aired its final episode in 2014. Daniels also won the ‘Primetime Emmy Award’ for his performance in the show. He next appeared in television series and shows like ‘The Graham Norton Show’ (2014), ‘Godless’ (2017), ‘The Looming Tower’ (2018), ‘Washington’ (2020), ‘The Comey Rule’ (2020), ‘Impractical Jokers’ (2020), and ‘9/11: Inside the President's War Room’ (2021). In 2021, he became a part of the American crime drama television series ‘American Rust’ created by Dan Futterman. The series was renewed for a second season in 2022. He will be next seen in the upcoming American drama limited series ‘A Man in Full.’
