Daniel Sunjata, born Daniel Sunjata Condon on December 30, 1971, in Evanston, Illinois, is an American actor acclaimed for his work in television, film, and theater. Adopted by white parents of Irish and Italian-German descent, Sunjata's name honors the Mandinka king Sundiata Keita, meaning "hungry lion." He grew up in the Chicago area, excelling in football at Mount Carmel High School before pursuing higher education at Florida A&M University, the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, and ultimately earning a Master of Fine Arts from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. His breakthrough came with a Tony-nominated performance in the Broadway play Take Me Out where he portrayed a gay Major League Baseball player. Sunjata is widely recognized for his role as firefighter Franco Rivera in the FX series Rescue Me, as well as appearances in films like The Devil Wears Prada and The Dark Knight Rises. His television work includes roles on Grey's Anatomy, Graceland, and the ABC/Hulu series High Potential.

Filmography

• High Potential — Adam Karadec
• The Company You Keep — Robert Renway
• Echoes — Charlie Davenport
• The Crew Has It
• 2021Christmas...Again?! — Mike
• Power Book II: Ghost — Mecca
• The Stand — Cobb
• Prodigal Son — Quentin Vosler
• The Twilight Zone
• Manifest — Danny
• 2018Small Town Crime — Detective Whitman
• Notorious — Jake Gregorian
• 2014Lullaby — Officer Ramirez
• Graceland — Paul Briggs
• 2012Generation Um... — Charles
• 2012Gone — Det. Powers
• 2012One for the Money — Ranger
• Smash — Peter Gilman
• 2012The Dark Knight Rises — Captain Jones
• 2010At Risk — Win Garano
• 2010The Front — Win Garano
• 2010Weakness — Alejandro
• 2009Ghosts of Girlfriends Past — Brad
• Lie to Me — Andrew Jenkins
• 2009Loose Change 9/11: An American Coup — Narrator
• 2008Cyrano de Bergerac — Christian de Neuvillette
• 2008Cyrano de Bergerac — Christian
• The Bronx Is Burning — Reggie Jackson
• 30 Rock — Chris
• Love Monkey — Diego
• 2006The Devil Wears Prada — James Holt
• Grey's Anatomy — Eli Lloyd
• 2004Brother to Brother — Langston
• 2004Melinda and Melinda — Billy, Billy Wheeler
• 2004Noel — Marco
• Rescue Me — Franco Rivera
• 2002Bad Company — Officer Carew
• 2001Feast of All Saints — Christophe Mercier
• D.C. — Lewis Freeman
• Ed — Danny Martin
• Law & Order: Special Victims Unit — Burt Trevor, Bomb Squad Officer
• Sex and the City — Louis Leroy, USN
• 1998Twelfth Night — Valentine
• Law & Order — Kenny Tremont

Appearances as themselves (3)

• 20119/11 Truth: Hollywood Speaks Up — Self
• The Tony Danza Show — Self
• Tony Awards — Self - Nominee