Jeffrey Warren "Jeff" Daniels (born February 19, 1955) is an American actor. He founded a non-profit theatre company, the Purple Rose Theatre Company, in his home state of Michigan. He has performed in a number of stage productions, both on and off Broadway. He has been nominated for the Tony Award as Best Actor for the Broadway play God of Carnage (2009), along with his other three cast-mates. He has had a thriving film career, from his debut in 1981 in Ragtime, through State of Play in 2009. For his film work, he has received three Golden Globe Award nominations, including as Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Comedy/Musical for Woody Allen's The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985) (hence the name of his theatre company). He has also received nominations by the Screen Actors Guild, Satellite Awards, and several for his work in The Squid and the Whale (London Critics Circle Awards, Independent Spirit Awards, Chlotrudis Awards and Gotham Awards).

Filmography

• 2026The Brink of War — Ronald Reagan
• The American Revolution — Thomas Jefferson (voice)
• A Man in Full — Charlie Croker
• Shrinking — Randy
• The American Buffalo — (voice)
• 2023The Saint of Second Chances — Narrator (voice)
• American Rust — Det. Del Harris, Executive Producer
• Hemingway — Ernest Hemingway (voice)
• 2020Adam — Mickey
• The Comey Rule — James Comey
• 2019Guest Artist — Joseph Harris, Writer, Producer
• The Morning Show — Lukas
• 2018The Catcher Was a Spy — Bill Donovan
• 2018The Emperor's Newest Clothes — The Emperor (voice)
• The Looming Tower — John O'Neill
• Godless — Frank Griffin
• Rolling Stone: Stories from the Edge — Narrator
• The Hunt for the Zodiac Killer — Creator
• 2016Allegiant — David
• ARES: live — Teddy Sanders
• Hunting Hitler — Creator
• 2015Steve Jobs — John Sculley
• The Late Show with Stephen Colbert — Self, Casting Reject
• 2015The Martian — Theodore "Teddy" Sanders
• 2014Dumb and Dumber To — Harry Dunne
• 2012Looper — Abe
• The Newsroom — Will McAvoy
• 2010Howl — Professor David Kirk
• 2009Away We Go — Jerry Farlander
• 2009Paper Man — Richard Dunn
• 2009State of Play — George Fergus
• 2009The Answer Man — Arlen Faber
• 2008A Plumm Summer — Narrator
• 2008Space Chimps — Zartog (voice)
• 2008Sweet Nothing in My Ear — Dan Miller
• 2008Traitor — Carter
• 2007Mama's Boy — Mert Rosenbloom
• 2007The Lookout — Lewis
• 2006Infamous — Alvin Dewey
• 2006RV — Travis Gornicke
• 2005Because of Winn-Dixie — Preacher
• 2005Good Night, and Good Luck. — Sig Mickelson
• 2005The Squid and the Whale — Bernard Berkman
• 2004Imaginary Heroes — Ben Travis
• 2004Remembering Ragtime — P. C. O'Donnell (archive footage)
• 2004The Five People You Meet In Heaven — Blue Man
• 2004The Goodbye Girl — Elliot Garfield
• 2003Gods and Generals — Lt. Col. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain
• 2003I Witness — James Rhodes
• 2002Blood Work — Jasper 'Buddy' Noone
• 2002Super Sucker — Fred Barlow, Director, Writer
• 2002The Hours — Louis Waters
• 2001Chasing Sleep — Ed Saxon
• 2001Escanaba in da Moonlight — Rueben Soady, Director
• 2000Cheaters — Dr. Gerard Plecki
• 2000It's the Rage — Warren
• 2000The Crossing — Gen. George Washington
• Family Guy — Jeff Daniels (voice)
• 1999My Favorite Martian — Tim O'Hara
• 1998Pleasantville — Mr. Johnson
• 1997Trial and Error — Charles Tuttle
• 1996101 Dalmatians — Roger
• 19962 Days in the Valley — Alvin Strayer
• 1996Fly Away Home — Thomas Alden
• 1995Redwood Curtain — Lyman Fellers
• 1994Dumb and Dumber — Harry Dunne
• 1994Speed — Harry
• Frasier — Doug (voice)
• 1993Gettysburg — Col. Joshua Chamberlain
• 1993Rain Without Thunder — Jonathan Garson
• HBO First Look
• 1992Teamster Boss: The Jackie Presser Story — Tom Noonan
• The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
• 1992There Goes the Neighborhood — Willis Embry
• 1992Timescape — Ben Wilson
• Breakfast with the Arts
• 1991The Butcher's Wife — Dr. Alex Tremor
• 1990Arachnophobia — Ross Jennings
• 1990Love Hurts — Paul Weaver
• 1990Welcome Home, Roxy Carmichael — Denton Webb
• 1989No Place Like Home — Mike Cooper
• 1988Checking Out — Ray Macklin
• LIVE with Kelly and Mark
• 1988Sweet Hearts Dance — Sam Manners
• 1988The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial — Lt. Steve Maryk
• 1988The House on Carroll Street — Cochran
• 1987Radio Days — Biff Baxter
• Trying Times — Jim
• 1986Heartburn — Richard
• 1986Something Wild — Charles Driggs
• 1985Marie: A True Story — Eddie Sisk
• 1985The Purple Rose of Cairo — Tom Baxter / Gil Shepherd
• 1983An Invasion of Privacy — Francis Ryan
• 1983Terms of Endearment — Flap Horton
• American Playhouse — Jed Jenkins
• 1982Fifth of July — Jed Jenkins
• 1981Ragtime — P.C. O'Donnell
• A Rumor of War — Chaplain
• Hawaii Five-O — Neal Forrester
• Hallmark Hall of Fame — Lyman Fellers
• 2034
• Blind Logic: The Ralph R. Teetor Story — Ralph Teetor (voice)
• Gerald R. Ford: A Test of Character — Narrator
• Starman — Ed Watkins
• The Reception

Appearances as themselves (42)

• 2025Paddy Chayefsky: Collector of Words — Self
• 2024Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story — Self
• 2023Bye Bye Barry — Self
• 20219/11: Inside the President's War Room — Self - Narrator (voice)
• 2021Broadway: Beyond the Golden Age — Self
• Impractical Jokers: Dinner Party — Himself
• Washington — Self - Narrator
• The Kelly Clarkson Show — Self
• 2018The Russian Five — self
• 2015"That's Awesome!": The Story of 'Dumb and Dumber To' — Self
• Close Up with The Hollywood Reporter — Self
• 2015Of Miracles and Men — Self - Narrator
• Off Camera with Sam Jones — Self
• The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon — Self
• Variety Studio: Actors on Actors — Self
• 2013James Gandolfini: Tribute to a Friend — Self
• Impractical Jokers — Self
• The Graham Norton Show — Self
• 2006Barry Sonnenfeld: The Kosher Cowboy — Self
• 2006RV Nation: The Culture of Road Warriors — Self
• 2006RV Nation: The Culture of Road Warriors — Self
• 2006Robin Williams: A Family Affair — Self
• 2006Robin Williams: A Family Affair — Self
• 2006Still Dumb After All These Years — Self
• The Colbert Report — Self
• The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson — Self
• 2004Dumb and Dumber - Making Of — Self
• Jimmy Kimmel Live! — Self, Self - Guest
• 2003Saturday Night Live: The Best of Chris Farley — Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
• The Ellen DeGeneres Show — Self
• 1998Saturday Night Live: A Tribute to Chris Farley — Self
• The View — Self
• 1997Walt Disney World's 25th Anniversary Party — Self
• The Daily Show — Self
• 1994The Making of 'Speed' — Self
• Late Night with Conan O'Brien — Self - Guest
• Late Show with David Letterman — Self - Guest
• 1991America's Classic Ballparks — Self - Narrator (voice)
• MTV Video Music Awards — Self - Presenter
• CBS News Sunday Morning — Self
• Saturday Night Live — Self - Host, Self - Cameo (uncredited)
• Broadway: The Next Generation — Self