Biografía
Daniel was born in Nelson, British Columbia, Canada, and made his professional theatre debut at age 12. He pursued acting and writing throughout his teens, graduating with Honors and the Golden Key from the University of Alberta's BFA Conservatory Acting Program.
He is a multi-award-winning actor and writer for stage and screen. His accolades include three Leo Award nominations for Best Performance, a Leo Award nomination for Best Screenplay, a Canadian Comedy Award nomination for Best Screenplay, four Jessie Theatre Awards, two Sterling Theatre Awards for Outstanding Actor, three Mayor's Awards for Emerging Artist of the Year, a VTXIFF Jury Award for Best Actor, two Sterling Awards for Outstanding Actor and Outstanding Writing, and, alongside collaborator Medina Hahn, the protege portion of the $100,000 Siminovitch Prize, Canada's most prestigious theatre honor, presented by mentor Daniel MacIvor.
Alongside numerous film, television, and theatre roles, Daniel guest-starred and now recurs as Jed Campbell on When Calls the Heart (2014). He co-starred in Be Still (2021), which won Best Feature Film at Toronto's Female Eye Film Festival and earned him a Leo Award nomination. His performance in Dark Nature (2022) was critically praised, with Hollywood News highlighting his impactful portrayal of the abusive Derek. Daniel also starred as Holloman in Lawrence & Holloman (2013), a film he co-wrote with director Matthew Kowalchuk based on Morris Panych's play. For this role, he won Best Actor in a Comedy at the Victoria Texas IFF and received a Leo Award nomination for Best Lead Actor in a Feature Film. Lawrence & Holloman garnered 13 jury awards, including the Canadian Comedy Award for Best Feature Film, prior to its theatrical release.
Off-Broadway, Daniel co-wrote and performed in the critically acclaimed stage production Any Night with Medina Hahn. Before its month-long Off-Broadway run, Any Night was published by Playwrights Canada Press, won Outstanding New Play at Toronto's Summerworks, received five awards in Toronto Now including Outstanding Performances, and was acclaimed by critics as one of the Best Productions of the Year in Toronto and Vancouver. The feature screenplay adaptation of Any Night won the nationwide $50,000 CFF Super Channel Screenplay Award and is in development with 3 Legged Dog Films.
He also co-wrote and performed in the stage play Tuesdays & Sundays, which toured nationally and internationally for over seven years. It was named one of the Best Shows of the Year in New York, Vancouver, Edmonton, and Toronto; published twice; broadcast as a radio play on CBC, featuring Daniel, and on BBC, starring David Tennant; and optioned as a feature film by Slate Films (London, UK) and Clarity Films (Canada).
Daniel won the National Screen Institute's Drama Prize to produce the 35mm short film The Janitors (2006), which he co-wrote and directed with Matthew Kowalchuk and starred William B. Davis and Medina Hahn. The Janitors screened at numerous festivals, including the Hollywood Film Festival, aired on CBC's Canadian Reflections, and achieved worldwide distribution through interfilm Berlin - Short Film Distribution.
