Уильям Дэниелс: Американский актер и его карьера

American actor (born 1927)

William David Daniels (born March 31, 1927) is an American actor who is known for his television roles, notably as Mark Craig on the drama series St. Elsewhere, for which he won two Primetime Emmy Awards; the voice of KITT on the television series Knight Rider; and George Feeny on the sitcom Boy Meets World, which earned him four People's Choice Award nominations. He reprised his Knight Rider role in the sequel TV movie Knight Rider 2000 and his Boy Meets World role in the sequel series Girl Meets World. He also portrayed Carter Nash (the actual identity of the eponymous comedic superhero) in Captain Nice. Daniels's film roles include Mr. Braddock (Benjamin Braddock's father) in The Graduate, Howard Maxwell Manchester in Two for the Road, and John Adams in the musical film 1776. He was president of the Screen Actors Guild from 1999 to 2001 and led the union's efforts during the 2000 commercial actors strike. Daniels is also noted for having portrayed in film or on television the three most prominent members of the Adams political family: John Adams, his cousin and fellow founding father, Samuel Adams, and John Adams's son John Quincy Adams.

William David Daniels was born on March 31, 1927, in Brooklyn, New York, to Irene and David Daniels. His father was a bricklayer, and his mother was a telephone operator. He has two sisters, Jacqueline and Carol. He grew up in East New York, Brooklyn. Daniels was drafted into the U. S. Army in 1945 and stationed in Italy, where he served as a disc jockey at an Army radio station. At the suggestion of Howard Lindsay, co author of Life with Father, who recommended he use the GI Bill to attend a college with a good drama department, Daniels enrolled at Northwestern University. He graduated from Northwestern in 1949, and is a member of Sigma Nu fraternity.

Daniels began his career as a member of the singing Daniels family in Brooklyn. He made his television debut as part of a variety act (along with other members of his family) in 1943, on NBC, then a single station in New York. He made his Broadway debut in 1943 in Life with Father, and remained a busy Broadway actor for decades afterwards. His Broadway credits include roles in 1776, A Thousand Clowns, On a Clear Day You Can See Forever, and A Little Night Music. He received an Obie Award for The Zoo Story (1960). Daniels's motion picture debut was as a school principal in the 1963 anti war drama film Ladybug Ladybug. In 1965, he reprised his Broadway role as a child welfare worker in the screen version of A Thousand Clowns. In 1967 he appeared in The Graduate as the father of Dustin Hoffman's character. In 1969, Daniels starred as John Adams in the Broadway musical 1776; he also appeared in the film version in 1972. Two years later, he co starred in Richard Donner's telefilm Sarah T. Portrait of a Teenage Alcoholic. in 1979 he again reprised his role as the outspoken John Adams in the film Rebels, again about the American revolution, without seeming to ever break character. He is known as the quintessential John Adams. Daniels's first network television appearance came in 1952 when he portrayed the young John Quincy Adams, eldest son of John and Abigail Adams in the Hallmark Hall of Fame drama A Woman for the Ages. In 1976, he reprised the role as the middle aged and elder John Quincy Adams in the acclaimed PBS miniseries The Adams Chronicles. He starred in the short lived series Captain Nice as police chemist Carter Nash. He appeared as acid tongued Dr. Mark Craig in St. Elsewhere from 1982 to 1988, for which he won two Emmy awards. Concurrently, he provided the voice of KITT in Knight Rider from 1982 to 1986. Daniels said in 1982, "My duties on Knight Rider are very simple. I do it in about an hour and a half. I've never met the cast. I haven't even met the producer." He reprised the role of KITT in the 2015 Lego themed action adventure video game Lego Dimensions. Daniels portrayed strict but loving educator George Feeny at John Adams High School in Boy Meets World from 1993 to 2000. In addition to the previously mentioned 1967 superhero sitcom Captain Nice, he was a regular on the 1970s TV series Freebie and the Bean and The Nancy Walker Show. A familiar character actor, he has appeared as a guest star on numerous TV comedies and dramas, including Soap, The Rockford Files, Quincy, M. E., Kolchak: The Night Stalker, and many others. In 2012, Daniels appeared in the ninth season of Grey's Anatomy as Dr. Craig Thomas, an unlikely mentor to the character of Dr. Cristina Yang played by actress Sandra Oh. His character, Dr. Thomas, died in the operating room while performing a procedure to repair a heart defect midway through the season, which forced Yang to move back to Seattle. In 2014, Daniels reprised his role as Mr. Feeny in the pilot episode of the Boy Meets World spinoff, Girl Meets World. He cameoed in the final scene, praising the adult Cory Matthews for his parenting. He made additional appearances in the second and third seasons. In early 2023, he completed filming of the role of King Henry VI in the upcoming "Richard III".

Daniels has been married to actress and fellow Emmy Award winner Bonnie Bartlett since June 30, 1951; at more than 72 years, it is the longest active Hollywood marriage as of August 2023. In 1961, Bartlett gave birth to a son, who died 24 hours later. They adopted two sons: Michael, who became an assistant director and stage manager in Los Angeles, and Robert, who became an artist and computer graphics designer based in New York City. Bartlett and Daniels both served on the Screen Actors Guild's board of directors.

Daniels refused the 1969 Tony Award nomination for Featured Actor in a Musical in 1776 due to his insistence that the part of John Adams was a leading role rather than supporting. He was ruled to be ineligible for the Best Actor nomination because of the technicality that his name was not billed above the title of the show. From 1983 to 1987, Daniels' work in St. Elsewhere earned him five consecutive nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, winning in 1985 and 1986. In 1986, Daniels and Bartlett, who played his fictional wife on St. Elsewhere, won Emmy Awards on the same night (Bartlett for Supporting Actress in a Drama Series), becoming the first married couple to accomplish the feat since Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne in 1965 for a production of The Magnificent Yankee for the Hallmark Hall of Fame.

Year Title Role Notes1963Ladybug LadybugMr. Calkins1965A Thousand ClownsAlbert Amundson1967Two for the RoadHoward ManchesterThe GraduateMr. BraddockThe President's AnalystWynn Quantrill1969MarloweMr. Crowell19721776John Adams1974The Parallax ViewAustin Tucker1977Black SundayHarold PughOh, God!George Summers1978The One and OnlyMr. CrawfordFamilyDr. Taylor1979SunburnCrawfordThe RebelsJohn Adams1980The Blue LagoonArthur Lestrange1981All Night LongRichard H. CoplestonRedsJulius Gerber1987Blind DateJudge Harold Bedford1989Her AlibiSam1994Magic Kid 2Manny2006The BenchwarmersKITTVoice, uncredited2007Blades of GloryCommissioner Ebbers2020SuperintelligenceKITTVoice

Year Title Role Notes1952A Woman for the AgesJohn Quincy AdamsTV movie1956Robert Montgomery PresentsDonald KemperEpisode: "Three Men From Tomorrow"1956,1960,1961Armstrong Circle TheatreLeonard GregoryEpisode: "Five Who Shook the Mighty"Episode: "Separate Parents"Episode: "The Spy Next Door"1959BrennerLarry DyerEpisode: "Man in the Middle"1961,1962Naked CityHerbert GraftonHarry CulverinEpisode: "A Kettle of Precious Fish"Episode: "Idyllis of a Running Back"1962,1964The DefendersMalloyMike HermanEpisode: "The Locked Room"Episode: "A Voice Loud and Clear"1963East Side/West SidePrincipal CostiganEpisode: "I Before E Except After C"1963,1965The Doctors and the NursesVernon KaneBuddyEpisode: "Field of Battle"Episode: "A Couple of Dozen Tiny Pills"1965For the PeopleFred RiceEpisode: "Any Benevolent Purpose"1966T. H. E. CatTony WebbEpisode: "The Ring of Anasis"1967Captain NiceCarter Nash / Captain NiceMain cast; 15 episodes1968The Good GuysArnold SchreckEpisode: "Let 'em Eat Rolls"1968The Ghost & Mrs. MuirBlair ThompsonEpisode: "Mr. Perfect"1969Judd, for the DefenseHarry StrattonEpisode: "Epitaph on a Computer Card"1972CannonDale CoreyEpisode: "Hear No Evil"1973Love, American StyleAlanSegment: "Love and the Old Lover"1973IronsideStillwald, the Bank ManagerEpisode: "All Honorable Men"1973Murdock's GangRoger BatesTV movie1973The Fabulous Doctor FableElliot BordenTV movie1973,1976McCloudClayton GillsFred PearsonEpisode: "Butch Cassidy Rides Again"Episode: "The Day New York Turned Blue"1974Kolchak: The Night StalkerPolice Lt. Jack MatteoEpisode: "The Vampire"1974A Case of RapeLeonard AlexanderTV movie1975InsightMike MaddenEpisode: "Hunger Knows My Name"1975Barbary CoastBoyleEpisode: "Irish Luck"1975The Bob Newhart ShowEdgar T. Vickers Jr. Episode: "Fathers and Sons and Mothers"1975Sarah T. – Portrait of a Teenage AlcoholicMatt HodgesTV movie1975One of Our OwnDr. MoresbyTV movie1976Francis Gary Powers: The True Story of the U 2 Spy IncidentBissellTV movie1976That Was the Year That Was – 1976Sketch ActorTV movie1976The Adams ChroniclesJohn Quincy Adams (age 50–81)1976McMillan & WifeCommander CampbellEpisode: "Point of Law"1976The Rockford FilesThomas CaineGary BevinsEpisode: "The Italian Bird Fiasco"Episode: "So Help Me God"1976–1977The Nancy Walker ShowLt. Commander Kenneth KitteridgeMain cast; 13 episodes1976,1979,1980Quincy, M. E. Paul ReardonCharlie TrusdaleDr. Charlie VolmerEpisode: "A Star is Dead"Episode: "Dark Angel"Episode: "Last Rights"1977The Incredible HulkDr. John BonifantEpisode: "Death in the Family"1977Killer on BoardMarshall SnowdenTV movie1977The Court Martial of George Armstrong CusterColonel Marcus RenoTV movie1978SoapHeinrich HimmelSeason 1, Episode 161978FamilyDr. TaylorEpisode: "Counterpoint"1978Grandpa Goes to WashingtonGov. BronxEpisode: "Pilot"1978Greatest Heroes of the BibleChasrubalEpisode: "Joshua and the Battle of Jericho"1978The BastardSamuel AdamsTV movie1978Big Bob Johnson and His Fantastic Speed CircusLawrence Stepwell IIITV movie1978Sergeant Matlovich vs. the U. S. Air ForceFather VellerTV movie1979Blind AmbitionG. Gordon Liddy1979The Chinese TypewriterDevlinTV movie1979The RebelsJohn AdamsTV movie1980The Misadventures of Sheriff LoboDr. Walter TaylorEpisode: "Who's the Sexiest Girl in the World"1980Galactica 1980Norman BloreEpisodes: The Night the Cylons Landed Part 1 & 21980City in FearFreeman StirblingTV movie1980Father Damien: The Leper PriestBishop KoeckemannTV movie1980–1981Freebie and the BeanDistrict Attorney Walter W. CruikshankRecurring role; 4 episodes1981Trapper John, M. D. Dr. SlaterEpisode: "Second Sight"1981Private BenjaminTeddyEpisode: "Bye, Bye Benjamin"1981The Million Dollar FaceHenry BurnsTV movie1982Hart to HartSimon RichardsonEpisode: "Hartless Hobby"1982Rehearsal for MurderWalter LambTV movie1982RoosterDr. DeVegaTV movie1982Drop Out FatherDraper WrightTV movie1982–1986Knight RiderKITTVoice role; 84 episodes1982–1988St. ElsewhereDr. Mark CraigMain cast; 137 episodes1986Faerie Tale TheatreNarratorEpisode: "The Princess Who Had Never Laughed"1987The Little Match GirlHaywood DuttonTV movie1989Howard Beach: Making a Case for MurderSlaneyTV movie1990On Thin Ice: The Tai Babilonia StoryJohn NicksTV movie1991General Motors Playwright TheaterDetective Lieutenant FineEpisode: "Clara"1991Knight Rider 2000KITTTV movie; voice1992Back to the Streets of San FranciscoJudge Julius BurnsTV movie1993NursesNorm KaplanEpisode: "Family Outing"1993–2000Boy Meets WorldGeorge FeenyMain cast; 148 episodes1996The LotteryReverend HutchinsonTV movie1996,2003Touched by an AngelWhit RussellGeorgeEpisode: "Birthmarks"Episode: "And a Nightingale Song"1998,2004The SimpsonsKITTVoiceEpisode: "The Wizard of Evergreen Terrace"Episode: "Milhouse Doesn't Live Here Anymore"2000Star Trek: VoyagerHospital Ship 4–2, Allocation AlphaVoice; Episode: "Critical Care"2002ScrubsDr. DouglasEpisode: "My Sacrificial Clam"2003Lost at HomeArthurEpisode: "Our Town"2003The Lyon's DenJudge Franklin CampbellEpisode: "Blood"2004The King of QueensPhilip WaldecottEpisode: "Icky Shuffle"2004Kim PossibleRobot PilotVoice; Episode: "Ron Millionaire"2005The Grim Adventures of Billy & MandyScythe 2.0Voice; Episode: "Runaway Pants/Scythe 2.0"2006The CloserCommissioner Andrew SchmidtEpisodes: "Serving the King Part 1 & 2"2008Boston LegalJudge Milton BrodyEpisode: "Smoke Signals"2012Paulilu MixtapeDr. VanderhoofEpisode: "Ghost Tits"2012Grey's AnatomyDr. Craig Thomas5 episodes2014–2017Girl Meets WorldGeorge FeenyRecurring role; 5 episodes

Year Title Role Notes 2015 Lego Dimensions K. I. T. T. Voice