James_McDaniel

James McDaniel

James McDaniel

American actor (born 1958)

James McDaniel Jr. (born March 25, 1958) is an American stage, film and television actor. He is best known for playing Lt. Arthur Fancy on the television show NYPD Blue. He played the role of Paul in the hit Lincoln Center play Six Degrees of Separation. He played a police officer in the ill-fated 1990 series Cop Rock, and a close advisor to the director Spike Lee regarding the activist Malcolm X in the 1992 film Malcolm X. He also played Sgt. Jesse Longford in the ABC television series Detroit 1-8-7.

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Early life

James McDaniel Jr. was born in Washington, D.C.,[1] on March 25, 1958,[2] the son of physician James McDaniel Sr.[3] The junior McDaniel attended the University of Pennsylvania, where he studied veterinary medicine.[4] After taking his final exams, he decided to move to New York and become an actor, despite having no prior acting experience.[4] McDaniel enrolled in dance and voice lessons, and earned his first role in a Pepsi commercial.[5]

Career

McDaniel began acting on the stage.[1] He appeared in the original production of Six Degrees of Separation as Paul Poitier,[5] and received the Clarence Derwent Award for his performance.[6] McDaniel originated the role of Adam in Someone Who'll Watch Over Me, being the only American in the cast.[7] He received an Obie Award after performing in Before It Hits Home.[8]

Early roles on television include guest appearances on sitcom Kate & Allie and crime drama Gabriel's Fire.[9] He portrayed police officer Franklin Rose on the short-lived and poorly received series Cop Rock.[10][9] McDaniel had a minor role in the Woody Allen film Alice (1990), was a banker in Strictly Business (1991)[11] and portrayed Brother Earl in Spike Lee's Malcolm X (1992).[9]

McDaniel guest starred as a cop on Hill Street Blues, created by Steven Bochco.[5] Thereafter, he appeared often in productions with Bochco's involvement, including L.A. Law and Civil Wars.[5] He played Lt. Arthur Fancy on NYPD Blue for eight seasons, between 1993 and 2001.[1] The series attracted some criticism regarding McDaniel being underutilized during his time on the show.[12][13] McDaniel himself alluded to this, claiming to be "the highest paid extra on television."[14] He was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series in 1996 for his work on the series.[15] He also received three consecutive NAACP Image Award nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series.

He portrayed the role of Sgt. Jesse Longford in crime drama Detroit 1-8-7.[16] McDaniel appeared as an investigator in The Following[17] and was Ezra Mills, Abbie's father, in Sleepy Hollow.[18] McDaniel made a guest appearance as a jazz trumpeter in NCIS: New Orleans.[19] McDaniel appeared in Tamara Tunie's See You in September (2010)[20] and in the Jordana Spiro film Night Comes On (2018).[21]

McDaniel has also appeared extensively in television films, namely Silencing Mary (1996), Unforgivable (1996),[22] and Out of Time (2000), the latter in a rare role as the main character.[23] He portrayed Nat King Cole in Livin' for Love: The Natalie Cole Story (2000).[24] Natalie Cole personally handpicked McDaniel to play her father.[4]

Personal life

With his wife Hannelore, McDaniel has two children.[1]

Filmography

Film

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Television

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Accolades

McDaniel won a 1995 Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series for NYPD Blue, and won the 2006 Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Performer in a Children/Youth/Family Special, "Edge of America".[26] He has also been nominated for two Primetime Emmys for his work on NYPD Blue.

  • Obie Award for Before It Hits Home, 1991–1992 season
  • Drama Desk nomination for Before It Hits Home, 1991–1992 season
  • Clarence Derwent Award
  • Peabody Award for "Edge of America" (2005; NYPD Blue episode)

References

  1. [1]
    Duffy, Mike (February 13, 2001). "James McDaniel bids farewell to serious-minded Lt. Fancy". The Houston Chronicle. Retrieved October 28, 2022.
  2. [2]
    "On This Date". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. March 25, 2004. p. A-2.
  3. [3]
    Pollio, Mark (July 16, 1994). "CELEBRITY HELPS OPEN NEW HEALTH-CARE UNIT". The Buffalo News. Retrieved October 28, 2022.
  4. [4]
    Gordon, Ed (November 25, 2005). "'A Soldier's Story:' Actor James McDaniel". National Public Radio. Retrieved October 28, 2022.
  5. [5]
    Moore, Scott (January 26, 1997). "James McDaniel fancies himself in bigger role on 'NYPD Blue'". The Daily Gazette. p. 4.
  6. [6]
    "Derwent Award Winners". The New York Times. May 16, 1991. Retrieved October 28, 2022.
  7. [7]
    Kuchwara, Michael (February 20, 1993). "Audiences are cheering for cast of 'Someone'". Reading Eagle. p. A10.
  8. [8]
    Smith, Stacy Jenel (March 11, 1994). "McDaniel of 'NYPD Blue' left veterinary science for acting". Bangor Daily News. p. 3.
  9. [9]
    Vellela, Tony (January 22, 1993). "James McDaniel Emerges As a Versatile Talent". The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved October 28, 2022.
  10. [10]
    Rodman, Ronald Wayne (2010). Tuning in: American Narrative Television Music. Oxford University Press. p. 265. ISBN 978-0-19-534024-2.
  11. [11]
    Donalson, Melvin (2010). Black Directors in Hollywood. University of Texas Press. p. 281. ISBN 978-0-292-78224-2.
  12. [12]
    O'Hare, Kate (May 19, 2000). "Inside TV". Boca Raton News. p. 12A. "NYPD Blue" has been criticized for not having enough African-American regular characters, or not making enough of the ones they do have (Lt. Fancy, played by James McDaniel, in the case of "NYPD Blue").
  13. [13]
    Miller, Ron (April 22, 1998). "ABC series in need of tuneup". Bartow Press. p. 5. Then there's Lt. Arthur Fancy (James McDaniel), a character with tremendous dramatic potential who seldom gets his own story arc.
  14. [14]
    Vest, Jason P. (2011). The Wire, Deadwood, Homicide, and NYPD Blue: Violence is Power. Praeger. p. 192. ISBN 978-0-313-37819-5.
  15. [15]
    "And the nominees are . . ". Lakeland Ledger. July 18, 1996. p. D4.
  16. [16]
    Terrace, Vincent (January 10, 2014). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 Through 2010 (2nd ed.). McFarland & Company. p. 255. ISBN 978-0-7864-8641-0.
  17. [17]
    Lowry, Brian (January 15, 2014). "TV Review: 'The Following'". Variety. Retrieved October 28, 2022.
  18. [18]
    Connolly, Kelly (August 8, 2016). "Sleepy Hollow season 4: Everything we know". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved October 28, 2022.
  19. [19]
    Boedeker, Hal (September 22, 2014). "'NCIS: New Orleans': familiar gumbo". The Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved October 28, 2022.
  20. [20]
    Bruno, Mike (August 6, 2007). "Tamara Tunie to direct first feature". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved October 28, 2022.
  21. [21]
    Rooney, David (January 23, 2018). "'Night Comes On': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 28, 2022.
  22. [22]
    O'Connor, John J. (April 30, 1996). "TELEVISION REVIEW;Two's a Crowd for Ritter As a Violent Husband". The New York Times. Retrieved October 28, 2022.
  23. [23]
    Bobbin, Jay (June 18, 2000). "'NYPD Blue's' McDaniel is "Out of Time"". Boca Raton News.
  24. [24]
    "Natalie Cole, Diahann Carroll, James McDaniel And Theresa Randle Star in NBC Movie 'Livin' For Love: The Natalie Cole Story'". Jet. Johnson Publishing Company. December 11, 2000. p. 39.
  25. [25]
    "In the Box". IMDb. February 20, 2015.
  26. [26]
    "Awards for James McDanial". imdb.com. Retrieved March 27, 2010.
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