EMMYS COVERAGE 2013: BWW Salutes Stage & Screen Star Jeff Daniels

In anticipation of the live 65th Annual Emmy Award broadcast on CBS this Sunday, BWW will be spotlighting the Emmy nominated TV performances of some of Broadway's biggest stars. Today, we take a look back at the career of Jeff Daniels; from his early career in films like TERMS OF ENDEARMENT, THE PURPLE ROSE OF CAIRO, and even DUMB AND DUMBER to his Tony-nominated role in GOD OF CARNAGE to his Emmy-nominated turn as newsman Will McAvoy in HBO's THE NEWSROOM.

Jeff Daniels has earned his first Emmy nomination on Aaron Sorkin's cable news drama, and though he has made a half-dozen TV movies and a handful of guest appearances on shows, THE NEWSROOM is Jeff's first regular role on a series. In 2004, he made a TV version of the Neil Simon comedy THE GOODBYE GIRL alongside Patricia Heaton.

While Jeff is perhaps best known for his screen work, he does have a rather extensive, if not slightly unusual career with the stage; especially for a major movie star. Jeff started his Broadway career in 1977 as an Assistant Stage Manager and understudy on GEMINI. He then appeared in three more Broadway shows through 1993, starring alongside such stars as Swoosie Kurtz, Christopher Reeve, Stockard Channing, and Debra Monk. As his movie career continued to boom, it was another 16 years before Daniels returned to the Great White Way in his Tony-nominated role for 2009's GOD OF CARNAGE. In addition to his Tony nom, he also has three Drama Desk nominations over the years.

In 1991, Daniels founded the Purple Rose Theatre Company (which was named for the Woody Allen film that was one of his first major successes). The non-profit, Equity theatre is in Chelsea, Michigan, and Jeff still serves as the Executive Director. Additionally, he has written 15 plays that have been performed there over the years.

Jeff sky-rocketed to the forefront of the movie industry with back-to-back Golden Globe nominations for Best Actor in a Motion Picture Comedy or Musical with THE PURPLE ROSE OF CAIRO and SOMETHING WILD in 1985 and '86. In addition he has starred in the hits RAGTIME, TERMS OF ENDEARMENT, DUMB AND DUMBER, THE SQUID AND THE WHALE, and GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK,

The 65th Primetime Emmy Awards telecast will air live coast-to-coast on Sunday, September 22nd (8 PM ET/5 PM PT) on CBS from the NOKIA Theater L.A. LIVE in Los Angeles. And be sure to visit BWW TVWorld for live coverage of the 2013 Primetime EMMY AWARDS.

I must warn you that some of the videos below contain profanity, so be forewarned. The first scene is of the epic opening scene from the premiere episode of Aaron Sorkin's THE NEWSROOM. The next video is the very funny "Sea Bass" scene from DUMB AND DUMBER. That is followed by Daniels' introduction video to his Purple Rose Theatre Company, and finally you can watch Jeff and the star-studded cast of GOD OF CARNAGE discuss the show.

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