William Daniels
Biography
William Daniels is an American actor whose career has moved between Broadway, film, and television. Born in Brooklyn and raised in East New York, he first appeared on Broadway in 1943 in Life with Father and worked steadily on stage, winning an Obie for The Zoo Story in 1960. His film debut came in Ladybug Ladybug in 1963, and he later reprised his stage part in A Thousand Clowns (1965). He played Benjamin Braddock's father in The Graduate (1967) and John Adams in both the Broadway musical 1776 and its film version (1972). On television he was Dr. Mark Craig on St. Elsewhere from 1982 to 1988, winning two Emmys, supplied KITT's voice on Knight Rider from 1982 to 1986, and played George Feeny on Boy Meets World from 1993 to 2000. He served as Screen Actors Guild president from 1999 to 2001.
99years old
Turns 100 on March 31in 167 days
- Born Brooklyn
- Star sign: AriesThe sign runs March 21 to April 19
- Also credited as William David Daniels
Movie Career
- Films
- 23
- Career span
- 60 years1965 to 2025
Genres
First and latest
Photos
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Behind the award
Daniels turned down the 1969 Tony Award nomination for Featured Actor in a Musical for 1776, arguing that John Adams was a leading part, not a supporting one. A technicality, since his name was not billed above the show's title, made him ineligible for Best Actor.
Getting ready for a role
Daniels said his voice work as KITT on Knight Rider took about an hour and a half, and that he never met the cast or even the producer.
Early training
Howard Lindsay, who co-wrote Life with Father, suggested Daniels use the GI Bill for a college with a strong drama department, so Daniels enrolled at Northwestern University and graduated in 1949.
William Daniels movies on Netflix
Best known for
The films on Netflix they are best known for, with the part played in each.
Most often with
Carl Reiner directed two of these films. Three actors appear in two of them each. Pick a number on the chart or a name in the list to see the films they share.
Films together
Severn Darden's page
Walter Brooke's page
Gene Saks's page
All films by Carl Reiner
Box office
What William Daniels's films earned in cinemas worldwide.
Combined worldwide box office
$411 million
10 of the 23 films have a worldwide figure.
Of the 23 films: 10 worldwide figure; 3 us gross only; 5 never in cinemas; 5 figure not found.
- 10Worldwide figure
- 3US gross only
- 5Never in cinemas
- 5Figure not found
Highest grossing
The eight biggest films earned 99% of the total. The bars are drawn to scale.
- 1$118M28.7% of the total
- 2$105M25.5% of the total
- 3$59M14.3% of the total
- 4$42M10.1% of the total
- 5$39M9.6% of the total
- 6$17M4.1% of the total
- 7$16M3.8% of the total
- 8$10M2.4% of the total
$5.7 millionfrom the other 2 films with a worldwide figure, 1% of the total
Awards
Three awards and honors from 1985 to 1986, two of them major.
| Year | Award | Film | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emmy Awards | |||
| 1986 | Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series | St. Elsewhere | Won |
| 1985 | Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series | St. Elsewhere | Won |
| Other honors | |||
| Clarence Derwent Awards | Won | ||
Online
Official profiles and reference pages.