Jeff Daniels was born in Georgia in 1955, and shortly thereafter moved to Michigan with his family. In his later years, Daniels briefly attended Central Michigan University where he was involved with the theater program. In 1976, he enrolled at the Eastern Michigan University drama school. It was at EMU that Daniels met Marshall W. Mason, who invited him to work at the Circle Repertory Theater in New York, where he made his stage debut in Fifth of July. After this, he starred in several other plays including Lemon Sky and Johnny Got His Gun, before landing a supporting role in his film debut Ragtime. In 1983, he would also earn a supporting role in the lauded family dramedy Terms of Endearment. His big break, however, would come in Woody Allen’s The Purple Rose of Cairo for which he was nominated for a Golden Globe Award.
Daniels earned notoriety in Hollywood in the 90s with a string of back-to-back hit movies, including Arachnaphobia (1990), Timescape (1992), Speed (1994) Dumb and Dumber (1994), Fly Away Home (1996), and Pleasantville (1997). Throughout the past two decades, his career has continued to thrive. More recently he has starred in the Showtime family drama series American Rust, and you can also catch him in the upcoming Netflix limited series A Man in Full, based on the novel of the same name by Tom Wolfe. Here are Jeff Daniels’s eight best performances, ranked.
8 Pleasantville
Pleasantville is a tale of two modern teenagers who are mysteriously sucked into a 1950s black and white TV show. As the teens, played by Reese Witherspoon and Tobey Maguire, interact with the people around them, the townspeople begin to change from black and white to color. The color transformation of the citizens of Pleasantville is representative of the townsfolk aligning with their true selves. As people begin to change, the rest of the repressed population that remains in black and white begins to fear what they don't understand. Daniels stars as soda shop owner Bill Johnson, who befriends the new arrivals.
7 Dumb and Dumber
Daniels stars as dimwitted Harry Dunne in the 90s hit comedy Dumb and Dumber, in what is arguably his most well-known role. Harry travels across the country with his best friend Lloyd Christmas (Jim Carrey) in the pursuit of Lloyd's dream girl Mary Swanson (Lauren Holly) to return a suitcase she left at the airport. Little do the pair know, the suitcase was full of ransom money, and they are being chased by the criminals responsible for the kidnapping of Mary's husband. The movie is full of hilarious high jinx along the way, making Dumb and Dumber not only one of Daniels' best performances, but also one of the best road trip movies of all time.
6 Terms of Endearment
Terms of Endearment is based on Larry McMurty's novel of the same name. It is a touching family comedy-drama that follows a mother and daughter relationship spanning 30 years. Emma (Debra Winger) and her mother Aurora (Shirley Maclaine) have an abrasive relationship, but despite their feuding, rely heavily on each other for emotional support throughout the years. Daniels plays a supporting role as Flap Horton, an inexperienced college professor who marries Emma. Eventually, the pair begin having marital difficulties and both have extra-marital affairs. Terms of Endearment is one of Daniels' best performances as it marks a significant role in his early career.
5 Speed
Daniels takes on a high-paced action role opposite Keanu Reeves in the 1994 thrill ride Speed. Daniels stars as police officer Harry Temple, who despite not being physically present, helps partner Jack Traven (Reeves) try to disarm a bomb on a moving bus without tipping off the terrorist responsible (Dennis Hopper). The movie is fun and action-packed and was one of the movies that made Daniels famous. Despite its 1997 sequel Speed 2: Cruise Control flopping at the box office, Speed 3 was recently confirmed.
4 Arachnophobia
Arachnophobia is director Frank Marshall's directorial debut and follows the residents of a small town, most notably Dr. Ross Jennings (Daniels), after an exotic and lethal species of spider is unwittingly unleashed on the town, and leads to a terrifying infestation. The film is truly creepy and sure to make your skin crawl, regardless of whether you are scared of spiders. It was recently announced that director Christopher Landon will write and direct a remake of the classic film.
3 Something Wild
One of Daniels' best performances is in the off-beat romantic comedy Something Wild, wherein a free-spirited woman (Melanie Griffith) takes uptight businessman Charles Driggs on a spontaneous adventure to get him away from his humdrum life. The pair is having a great time visiting Lulu a.k.a. Audrey's (Griffith) hometown before running into her psychotic ex-boyfriend newly released from prison. Daniels is perfect as the 80s stereotypical yuppie and his onscreen chemistry with costar Griffith makes Something Wild one of his best performances. In a 2020 Variety article, writer Owen Gleiberman discusses how the movie, despite being very good, was overlooked upon its release in 1986.
2 The Squid and The Whale
The Squid and The Whale is a semi-autobiographical tale of two young boys dealing with the divorce of their parents in 1980s New York. The film stars Daniels and Laura Linney as the feuding parents, and reunites Daniels and former co-star Anna Paquin, who also starred together in the 1992 film Fly Away Home. Roger Ebert gave the film a 3.5-star rating.
1 The Newsroom
The Newsroom is a popular political drama that aired on HBO for three seasons. It was directed by Aaron Sorkin and starred Daniels as anchor and editor Will McAvoy. McAvoy is notoriously difficult to work with and sees his world upended with the return of his ex, who has plans to re-imagine his show. Daniels is flanked by an extraordinary ensemble cast, including Jane Fonda, Terry Crews, and David Harbour, to name a few. Daniels earned an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for his portrayal of McAvoy.