Danny Jacobs (actor)


Daniel Charles Jacobs Jr. is an American actor, voice actor, comedian and singer, best known as the voice of King Julien in the Madagascar franchise, substituting for Sacha Baron Cohen since 2008. In ', he provided Julien's singing voice in the soundtrack.
Jacobs made his voice acting debut in 1999 with an uncredited role in Full Blast. He began his role of King Julien in The Penguins of Madagascar and had reprised his role in the Christmas special Merry Madagascar, the Valentine's Day special Madly Madagascar, and All Hail King Julien. He also impersonated Baron Cohen's character Borat Sagdiyev in Epic Movie.
Besides King Julien, his voice work includes the role of Rowdy Remington in ', Victor Zsasz in ' and ', Special Agent Porter in ', Snake / Snakeweed in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Grifter / Captain Cold in ', Baron Mordo in Ultimate Spider-Man vs. The Sinister 6, and Heinrich Zemo in Avengers: Ultron Revolution.

Early life

Jacobs was born Daniel Charles Jacobs, Jr. in Detroit, Michigan on July 7, 1968 to Danny Jacobs, Sr.. He is the sixth of seven children.
Jacobs attended St. Matthew Elementary School and Bishop Gallagher High School. He then went on to business school at Wayne State University for 2 years. In 1988, he transferred to the University of Arizona and switched his major to musical theatre.

Career

After graduating from the University of Arizona, Jacobs had acted in regional theaters across the country. He had established himself as a national voice-over talent with clients, such as Bissel, Blockbuster, Bud Light, Ford Dealers, GMAC, and KFC, among others.
In 1993, Jacobs originated the role of Chico Fernández in Jeff Daniels' comedy The Vast Difference at the Purple Rose Theatre.
In 1996–97, he won acting awards in Michigan, Florida, and Wisconsin for his portrayal of Aram in Richard Kalinoski's "Beast on the Moon."
In 1999, Jacobs landed an uncredited voice role as Curt in Full Blast. In the same year, he appeared in his first live-action role in Get the Hell Out of Hamtown.
In 2003, he began to tour the nation with "Triple Espresso: A Highly Caffeinated Comedy."
Jacobs portrayed Borat Sagdiyev and made a cameo appearance as a Pirate with an Eye Patch in Epic Movie. When portraying the role of Borat, Jacobs did an impression of Sacha Baron Cohen.
In 2008–2015, Jacobs was a substitute for Baron Cohen as the voice of King Julien in The Penguins of Madagascar, again as an impression of Baron Cohen. In 2011, he won a Daytime Emmy Award for the role. Jacobs reprised his role in Merry Madagascar and Madly Madagascar. In 2014–2017, he returned to the role in All Hail King Julien. In Penguins of Madagascar, Jacobs once again reprised his role as King Julien. He had also done voice-overs in various commercials.
In addition to the jobs that led to All Hail King Julien, Jacobs had been doing voice-over work for animated television series, including Phineas and Ferb and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, as well as several video games. He had said that animation, much like the theatre, gives actors a chance to play a wide range of roles. He said, "I can play any character of any ethnicity, any age, even any gender. And that's a freedom the camera doesn't give you. It's an incredibly freeing thing." He also stated that King Julien is his favorite voice role and would gladly reprise his role if ever asked. Jacobs had received more recognition as King Julien than the character's predecessor Baron Cohen. In , Jacobs provided the singing voice of King Julien for the soundtrack.
He had a voice role in Teen Titans Go! as George Washington.

Personal life

On July 13, 2015, Jacobs donated to Kids Kicking Cancer and had entertained some children with his King Julien voice.

Awards and nominations

Jacobs was nominated for the 2010 Annie Award for Voice Acting in a Television Production for his voice role of King Julien in Merry Madagascar, but lost the award to Tom Kenny.
He won a 2011 Daytime Emmy Award and 2015 Daytime Emmy Award for his voice role of King Julien in The Penguins of Madagascar and All Hail King Julien.

Film