Ben Daniels
Biography
Ben Daniels (born 10 June 1964) is a British actor. A graduate of the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA), he has taken on roles in numerous productions. On television he has appeared in, among other shows, The Lost Language of Cranes (1991), Conspiracy (2001), Cutting It (2002–2005), Ian Fleming: Bondmaker (2005), The Virgin Queen (2005) and The State Within (2006). On the silver screen, Daniels has appeared mostly in supporting roles, including parts in The Bridge (1992), Beautiful Thing (1996), I Want You (1998), Madeline (1998) and Doom (2005). An exception was the 1997 independent film Passion in the Desert, based on a short story by novelist Honoré de Balzac. Daniels was born on 10 June 1964 in Nuneaton, Warwickshire.[6] His father was an engineer at Rolls-Royce and later a grocer, while his mother owned a children's clothes shop. He has recalled: "I was quite a shy child, but quite disruptive as well. "I was very sneaky and underhanded." Daniels was educated at Manor Park School, a state comprehensive school in Nuneaton, near Coventry, in Warwickshire (since closed). According to Daniels, drama lessons at O-levels gave him a voice, and when he attended sixth form studies at Stratford College between 1980 and 1982, doing A-levels in theatre studies and English literature, he attended Royal Shakespeare Company performances. A fellow student recalled that Daniels, whom he knew as Dave, "was very serious about his work, and struck me as incredibly intelligent... you got the sense his mind was working; the cogs were ticking over". Daniels subsequently trained at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) for three years. Daniels has had most success with theatre work. He was nominated for Best Actor at the Evening Standard Awards for 900 Oneonta (1994), for Best Actor in the M.E.N. Theatre Awards for Martin Yesterday (1998), and for Best Supporting Actor in the 15th Laurence Olivier Awards for Never the Sinner (1991). He eventually won the latter award at the 25th Laurence Olivier Awards (2001), as well as the Best Supporting Actor award at the 2001 Whatsonstage.com Theatregoers' Choice Theatre Awards, for his performance in the Arthur Miller play All My Sons. Other theatre credits include Tales From Hollywood (2001), Three Sisters (2003), Iphigenia at Aulis (2004), The God of Hell (2005), The Wild Duck (2005–2006) and Thérèse Raquin (2006). In 2008 Daniels made his Broadway début with American actress Laura Linney in a revival of Les Liaisons Dangereuses (Dangerous Liaisons), for which he was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play.
Known For
The Simpsons
1989
Silent Witness
1996
The Crown
2016
Casualty
1986
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power
2022
0Tony Awards
1956
House of Cards
2013
Foundation
2021
Spooks
2002
Merlin
2008
Agatha Christie's Marple
2004
A Touch of Frost
1992
Filmography
The Simpsons
as Irish Priest (voice) · 1989
Silent Witness
· 1996
The Crown
as Lord Snowdon · 2016
Casualty
as Graham Marda · 1986
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power
as Círdan · 2022
Tony Awards
as Self - Nominee · 1956
House of Cards
as Adam Galloway · 2013
Foundation
as Bel Riose · 2021
Spooks
as Oleg Korsakov · 2002
Merlin
as Tristan · 2008
Agatha Christie's Marple
as Alfred Crackenthorpe · 2004
A Touch of Frost
as Roger Massie · 1992
Law & Order: UK
as James Steel · 2009
Interview with the Vampire
as Santiago · 2022
Soldier Soldier
as Capt Andy Wright · 1991
Lark Rise to Candleford
· 2008
Moving On
as John Murphy · 2009
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
as General Merrick · 2016
Jack the Giant Slayer
as Fumm · 2013
The Modern World: Ten Great Writers
as Hans Castorp · 1988
Argylle
as Bartender · 2024
Drop the Dead Donkey
as Jack · 1990
The Hollow Crown
as Buckingham · 2012
The Exorcist
as Father Marcus Brennan · 2016
Locke
as Gareth (voice) · 2014
Jupiter's Legacy
as Walter Sampson / Brainwave · 2021
The Paradise
as Tom Weston · 2012
Cutting It
as Finn Bevan · 2002
Doom
as Goat · 2005
Captive State
as Daniel · 2019
The Paradise Club
as DC Webster · 1989
The State Within
as Nicholas Brocklehurst · 2006
The Exception
as Col Sigurd von Ilsemann · 2017
Flesh and Bone
as Paul · 2015
The Passion
as Caiaphas · 2008
Outside Edge
as Alex Harrington · 1994
The Virgin Queen
as Francis Walsingham · 2006
Jamaica Inn
as Francis Davey · 2014
Women in Love
as Will Brangwen · 2011
Conspiracy
as Josef Bühler · 2001
The Fourth Protocol
as Boy in Photo (uncredited) · 1987
Casanova
as Francois-Joachim de Bernis · 2015
I Want You
as Bob · 1998
Benediction
as Dr. Rivers · 2021
David
as Jonatan · 1997
Madeline
as Leopold the Tutor · 1998
Beautiful Thing
as Tony · 1996
Britannic
as Townsend · 2000
Andor: A Disney+ Day Special Look
as Antoc Merrick (archive footage) (uncredited) · 2022
The Last Days of Lehman Brothers
as John Thain · 2009
Wish You Were Here
as Maisie Mathews · 1987
National Theatre at Home: Man and Boy
as Gregor Antonescu · 2026
Casanova
as Francois-Joachim de Bernis · 2015
The Exorcist: Making the Demons
as Self · 2016
Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert
as Pontius Pilate · 2018
Real Men
as DI Matthew Fenton · 2003
Passion in the Desert
as Augustin Robert · 1997
The Lost Language of Cranes
as Robin Bradley · 1992
Real Men
· 2002
Fanny & Elvis
as Andrew · 1999
The Wipers Times
as Lieutenant Colonel Howfield · 2013
Fogbound
as Leo · 2002
W.S.H.: The Myth of the Urban Myth
· 1994
Truth or Dare
as Ben · 1996
The Bridge
as Rogers · 1992
Married/Unmarried
as Danny · 2001
Who Killed Mrs De Ropp?
as Saki · 2007
Aristocrats
as Lord Kildare · 1999
Luna
as Grant · 2014
Romeo and Juliet
as Mercutio · 1994
Wall of Tyranny
as Striemer · 1988
Ian Fleming: Bondmaker
as Ian Fleming · 2005
Lunacy: The Making of Luna
· 2015