Daniel Davis


Daniel Davis is an American stage, screen, and television actor.
Davis is best known for portraying Niles the butler on the sitcom The Nanny, and for his two guest appearances as Professor Moriarty on , affecting an upper class English accent for both roles. He voices the intelligent Cro-Magnon, Longhair, from the Longhair and Doubledome cartoon shorts from Cartoon Network's Big Pick.
In 2016, Davis played Selsdon Mowbray in the Roundabout Theatre revival of Noises Off at the American Airlines Theatre in New York City. The production opened on January 14 for a limited engagement, running through March 6, 2016.

Life and career

Davis was born in Gurdon, Arkansas, and grew up in Little Rock. His parents operated a cinema. His first acting job was at the age of 11, when he was cast in a local broadcast program, Betty's Little Rascals.
Davis graduated from Hall High School in Little Rock in 1963. He graduated from the Arkansas Arts Center with a Bachelor of Fine Arts, followed by work with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, the Stratford Shakespeare Festival, and six years with the American Conservatory Theater. During his time at ACT, he taught acting classes.

Career

Davis first became popular in daytime television playing opposite Beverlee McKinsey as her character Iris Cory's former husband, Elliot Carrington, on the soap opera Texas, a spin-off of Another World, from October 1980 to December 1981. In 1985, he played a renegade soldier in the Season 4 episode, "The Doctor is Out", of the television series The A-Team.
Davis played his most famous character, Niles the Butler, on the television series The Nanny throughout its run from 1993 to 1999 and in its in 2004. Niles was known for his frequent use of deadpan one-liners, usually insulting character C. C. Babcock, with whom Niles eventually fell in love and married in the series' last season.
Davis' natural accent is Southern American; however, his English accent as Niles was so accurate that many viewers have been convinced that Davis actually is English. He also used an English accent as Professor Moriarty in the episodes "Elementary, Dear Data" and "Ship in a Bottle |Ship in a Bottle". However, as the commanding officer of the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise in the 1990 film The Hunt for Red October, Davis spoke with his own American accent. Davis' cartoon voice for the afore-mentioned Longhair character used a British accent.
In 2000, Davis was nominated for a Best Actor Tony Award for his role in David Hirson's Broadway play Wrong Mountain. In 2003, he appeared in the Alan Bennett play Talking Heads. In 2004, he portrayed George Bernard Shaw in the Stephen Sondheim musical The Frogs. He co-starred in La Cage Aux Folles with Gary Beach from November 2004 to March 2005.
In 2002, Davis guest-starred on the television series Frasier, playing Dr. Shafer in Season 10, Episode 8, "Rooms with a View".
Davis was among the group of celebrities lip-synching to the Bee Gees' Stayin' Alive on the "Idol Gives Back" episode of American Idol on April 25, 2007. He appeared briefly in the 2006 film The Prestige, directed by Christopher Nolan.
In July 2008, Davis portrayed King Lear at the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, under the direction of Bonnie J. Monte. That year he also guest-starred on the television series Ugly Betty.
In November 2010, Davis was part of the Celebrity Autobiography series at the Long Center in Austin, Texas. He performed along with fellow Nanny alum Lauren Lane and Ugly Betty alum Michael Urie.
In December 2010, he guested on The Fran Drescher Show through Skype.
In 2012, he recorded the audiobook of the Star Wars novel Star Wars: Darth Plagueis, by James Luceno.

Theatre

Davis is an established theatre actor. He has appeared in both Broadway and off-Broadway productions in New York, and has appeared at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Off-Broadway, he played Rubin in Lake No Bottom in 1990, the Duke of Buckingham in The Tragedy of Richard III, Graham in the Alan Bennett monologue "A Chip in the Sugar" for the series Talking Heads in 2003, and he starred as Gaev in The Cherry Orchard in 2011.
On Broadway, he played Antonio Salieri in Amadeus in 1980, Maurice Montesor in Wrong Mountain in 2000, Oscar Wilde in The Invention of Love in 2001, Georges in La Cage aux Folles in 2004, George Bernard Shaw in The Frogs, also in 2004.
In 2007, Davis was a member of the cast of an audio production of the play Blue/Orange, in which he took the part of Dr. Robert Smith.
In 2012, he played Prospero in The Tempest at Hartford Stage.
In 2016, he appeared on Broadway as Selsdon Mowbray in the Roundabout Theatre revival of Noises Off at the American Airlines Theatre.

Filmography

YearTitleRoleNotes
1970The Sidelong Glances of a Pigeon KickerSkinnyUncredited
1985 Chain LettersSteve
1986Blind JusticeAttorney Seth ThompsonTV Movie
1989K-9Halstead
1990The Hunt for Red OctoberCaptain Davenport
1990HavanaMarion Chigwell-
2005Thru the Moebius StripArthurVoice
2006 The PrestigeJudge
2018Roses are BlindAddison Spelling

YearTitleRoleNotes
1974Great PerformancesMoulineaux1 episode
1980–81TexasEliot Carrington71 episodes
1983Hardcastle and McCormickJoe KelloEpisode: "The Day the Music Died"
1984Cagney & LaceyArthur Cole1 episode
1984Highway to HeavenLance GaylordEpisode: "Catch a Falling Star"
1985Remington SteelePierre FumarEpisode: "Gourmet Steele"
1985Scarecrow and Mrs. KingRobert Castille and Tony MartinetEpisodes: "Vigilante Mothers" and "All the World's a Stage"
1985The A-TeamPhillips1 episode
1985The Eagle and the BearUnderhillTV Movie
1986'Patrick HenryTV Movie
1986MatlockJames BillingsEpisode: "The Professor"
1986CheersMr. ReinhardtEpisode: "The Peterson Principle"
1986Tall Tales & LegendsCongressman1 episode
1987DynastyHarry ThresherSeason 8 - 5 Episodes: "The New Moguls", "The Spoiler", "Images", "The Rifle", & "The Scandal"
1987The SpiritSimon TeasdaleTV Movie
1988Frank's PlaceArnold David Tuney1 episode
1988The EqualizerEddie Mason1 episode
1988What Price VictoryTrainerTV Movie
1988-93'Professor James MoriartyEpisodes: "Elementary, Dear Data" and "Ship in a Bottle |Ship in a Bottle"
1989MacGyverMr. Helman / Nicholas HelmanEpisode: "Halloween Knights"
1991PalominoDoctorTV Movie
1991She Stood AloneParker ElsworthTV Movie
1991The Perfect TributeGov. CurtinTV Movie
1992ColumboAlex Varrick / Wedding photographerEpisode: "No Time to Die"
1992Civil WarsHarvey GutfruendEpisode: "Tape Fear"
1992L.A. LawC. Howard GradyEpisode: "Love in Bloom"
1992Murder, She WroteNeal DishmanEpisode: "Badge of Honor"
1993SeinfeldMaitre dEpisode: "The Smelly Car"
1993–99The NannyNiles145 episodes
1996Aaahh!!! Real MonstersLugo1 episode
1996Adventures from the Book of VirtuesThe Horse / Schoolmaster Dobbins1 episode
1997DuckmanRodney1 episode
1997Remember WENNDesmond Quist1 episode
1999RugratsConan McNulty / WrestlerTV Series Short; 1 episode
2000The PracticeJudge Barton WolfeEpisodes: "Summary Judgment", "Germ Warfare" and "Appeal and Denial"
2000Longhair and DoubledomeLonghairFailed pilot; voice only
2002FrasierDr ShaferEpisode: "Rooms With A View "
2008Ugly BettyDr. Morgan RemusGuest, Episode: "Burning Questions"
2010The Fran Drescher ShowHimselfGuest
2015GothamJacob SkolimskiEpisode: "Under the Knife"
2017The BlacklistBaldur MagnussonEpisode: The Blacklist |"Natalie Luca "
2019ElementaryAntoine LaGrangeEpisode: "The Price of Admission"
2019The Good FightProfessor Harrison1 episode