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William Daniels' Early Years
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William Daniels was born in Brooklyn, New York, on March 31, 1927. His father Charles was a bricklayer and his mother Irene was a telephone operator. He had two sisters, Jacqueline and Carol.
From a young age, Irene pushed Daniels and his sisters to dance, sing and perform, which led him to the notable career he is known for today. The longtime actor has appeared on television, in theater and movies, includingSt. Elsewhere,Knight Rider, The GraduateandBoy Meets World.
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William Daniels' Career Beginnings
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03of 19William Daniels in The GraduateEmbassy Pictures/Getty ImagesBuck Henry wrote the screenplay forThe Graduate, starring Dustin Hoffman and Anne Bancroft. Daniels was barely 10 years older than Hoffman, who was an unknown in Hollywood at the time, when he played his father, Mr. Braddock. The film went on to earn six nominations at the 1968 Oscars and one win for Best Director.
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William Daniels in The Graduate
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Buck Henry wrote the screenplay forThe Graduate, starring Dustin Hoffman and Anne Bancroft. Daniels was barely 10 years older than Hoffman, who was an unknown in Hollywood at the time, when he played his father, Mr. Braddock. The film went on to earn six nominations at the 1968 Oscars and one win for Best Director.
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William Daniels in 1776
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William Daniels in Kolchak: The Night Stalker
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06of 19William Daniels on The Nancy Walker ShowAmerican Broadcasting Companies via Getty ImagesOnThe Nancy Walker Show, Daniels appeared as Lt. Cmdr. Kenneth Kitteridge in 1976 before the show was canceled after 12 episodes.
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William Daniels on The Nancy Walker Show
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OnThe Nancy Walker Show, Daniels appeared as Lt. Cmdr. Kenneth Kitteridge in 1976 before the show was canceled after 12 episodes.
07of 19William Daniels in Blind AmbitionCBS via GettyBlind Ambition(1979), a four-part series dramatizing the Watergate scandal based on the memoir of former White House counsel John Dean, starred Martin Sheen as Dean, Rip Torn as President Richard Nixon and Daniels as G. Gordon Liddy, former FBI agent and one of the Watergate Seven.
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William Daniels in Blind Ambition
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Blind Ambition(1979), a four-part series dramatizing the Watergate scandal based on the memoir of former White House counsel John Dean, starred Martin Sheen as Dean, Rip Torn as President Richard Nixon and Daniels as G. Gordon Liddy, former FBI agent and one of the Watergate Seven.
08of 19William Daniels on B.A.D. CatsAmerican Broadcasting Companies via GettyIn 1980, Daniels also appeared on the ABC seriesB.A.D. Catson the ‘Life and Death of a Beauty Queen’ episode.
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William Daniels on B.A.D. Cats
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In 1980, Daniels also appeared on the ABC seriesB.A.D. Catson the ‘Life and Death of a Beauty Queen’ episode.
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William Daniels on St. Elsewhere
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The star joinedSt. Elsewherein 1982 and played Dr. Mark Craig for six years. He earned two Emmys for outstanding lead actor in a drama series on the show, which originally only offered him occasional appearances of Dr. Craig.
“He was right,” he added.
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William Daniels and Bonnie Bartlett
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“Bonnie remembers me sitting out at the pool memorizing my lines,“Daniels recalled. “I had to have them down pat, because so much of it was medical jargon and I had to make the speech seem like second nature while, at the same time, performing heart surgery.”
11of 19William Daniels’s EmmysRon Galella Collection via GettyBartlett also won two Emmys for outstanding supporting actress in a drama during her time on the medical dramedy. Here, the couple are seen posing proudly with their awards at the 1986 Emmys.
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William Daniels’s Emmys
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Bartlett also won two Emmys for outstanding supporting actress in a drama during her time on the medical dramedy. Here, the couple are seen posing proudly with their awards at the 1986 Emmys.
12of 19William Daniels' Family LifeDaniels and Bartlett met while they were both studying at Northwestern University and wed in 1951. They share two sons, Michael and Robert.
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William Daniels' Family Life
Daniels and Bartlett met while they were both studying at Northwestern University and wed in 1951. They share two sons, Michael and Robert.
13of 19William Daniels in Knight RiderGary Null/NBC/NBCU Photo BankWhile filmingSt. Elsewhere, Daniels dedicated his voice to K.I.T.T. in 1982’sKnight Rider. Ahead of recording, he was asked to make his voice sound robotic for the role but instead, he decided to ignore the suggestions and used his own voice.“I was amazed when NBC bought the series and they asked me to be the car,“he saidof his time on the show. “But it was a nice extra paycheck that would take little time from my main job atSt. Elsewhere.I took no billing and figured no one would know. I was wrong.“He continued: “Thirty years later people are still recognizing my voice as that of the Trans Am on Knight Rider.”
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William Daniels in Knight Rider
Gary Null/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank
While filmingSt. Elsewhere, Daniels dedicated his voice to K.I.T.T. in 1982’sKnight Rider. Ahead of recording, he was asked to make his voice sound robotic for the role but instead, he decided to ignore the suggestions and used his own voice.
“I was amazed when NBC bought the series and they asked me to be the car,“he saidof his time on the show. “But it was a nice extra paycheck that would take little time from my main job atSt. Elsewhere.I took no billing and figured no one would know. I was wrong.”
He continued: “Thirty years later people are still recognizing my voice as that of the Trans Am on Knight Rider.”
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William Daniels on Boy Meets World
The cast ofBoy Meets World.getty
“At a meeting with the show’s author and executive producer, Michael Jacobs, already an established playwright and sitcom creator, as well as movie producer, I told him I didn’t want to play a high school teacher who’s made to look foolish for the sake of some cheap laughs,” Daniels writes in the book. “I had too much respect for the underpaid, under-appreciated teachers of this country to portray one of them a fool.”
After the cast’s first table read, Daniels was unhappy with his storyline and went to Jacob’s office to quit the show. It was only until Jacobs reworked the script when Daniels decided to get back on board.
15of 19William Daniels on Boy Meets WorldTouchstone Television/Everett CollectionFans first met Mr. Feeny as a sixth grade teacher, who eventually taught high school, became principal and then a professor in college to his beloved students Corey Mathews (Ben Savage), Topanga Lawrence (Danielle Fishel) and Shawn Hunter (Rider Strong).
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Touchstone Television/Everett Collection
Fans first met Mr. Feeny as a sixth grade teacher, who eventually taught high school, became principal and then a professor in college to his beloved students Corey Mathews (Ben Savage), Topanga Lawrence (Danielle Fishel) and Shawn Hunter (Rider Strong).
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To this day, Daniels reveals in his memoir, he still gets fan mail “from (now-grown) fans who tell me how important the show and the role I played were to them in their formative years.”
17of 19William Daniels on Girl Meets WorldSource: Uriah Justus/InstagramDaniels went on to star in the seven-season sitcom from 1993-2000 and recently appeared in five episodes of the series' spin-off,Girl Meets World.
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William Daniels on Girl Meets World
Source: Uriah Justus/Instagram
Daniels went on to star in the seven-season sitcom from 1993-2000 and recently appeared in five episodes of the series' spin-off,Girl Meets World.
18of 19William Daniels' MemoirCindy Ord/GettyIn 2017, Daniels released his memoirThere I Go Again: How I Came to Be Mr. Feeny, John Adams, Dr. Craig, KITT & Many Others.In the book, he talks about suffering abuse as a child actor, and not realizing the extent to his trauma until he had started seeing a psychologist while writing the book.Years later, Daniels was able to sit down with both his parents to talk to them about the pain of the past before they passed away. And although he was forced to perform as a child and was robbed of what he considers a healthy childhood, there is nothing else that Daniels would rather have done with his life than be on a stage or in front of the camera.“My mother was really the ultimate stage mother, and my father did nothing to stop her … In retrospect my parents were right. At least when it came to me,” he writes, and later adds, “Clearly acting is what I wanted to do and what I’ve always wanted to do in spite of the countless times I said no and tried to push it all away.”
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William Daniels' Memoir
Cindy Ord/Getty
In 2017, Daniels released his memoirThere I Go Again: How I Came to Be Mr. Feeny, John Adams, Dr. Craig, KITT & Many Others.In the book, he talks about suffering abuse as a child actor, and not realizing the extent to his trauma until he had started seeing a psychologist while writing the book.
Years later, Daniels was able to sit down with both his parents to talk to them about the pain of the past before they passed away. And although he was forced to perform as a child and was robbed of what he considers a healthy childhood, there is nothing else that Daniels would rather have done with his life than be on a stage or in front of the camera.
“My mother was really the ultimate stage mother, and my father did nothing to stop her … In retrospect my parents were right. At least when it came to me,” he writes, and later adds, “Clearly acting is what I wanted to do and what I’ve always wanted to do in spite of the countless times I said no and tried to push it all away.”
19of 19William Daniels' Long-Lasting MarriageBonnie Bartlett and William Daniels.David Livingston/Getty ImagesOn June 30, 2021, Daniels and Barlett celebrated their 70-year anniversary. The two revealed their favorite thing about each other in a December 2021 interview withForbes.“I think our relationship is based on mutual respect and I think she is smarter than me, better actor than me, and so I just hang on, you know, and try to get along,” said Daniels, who posted a clip from the interview onInstagram.With a laugh, Bartlett chimed in, “He doesn’t mean that at all!“Added Daniels with a smile, “I’m an actor! I’m making it up as I go along.“Barlett noted that her husband brings laughter into their home every day.“His humor, his sense of humor and his ability during every day to find something funny is really good for me, because I’m very intense,” she said.Bartlett also praised his parenting skills, sharing, “So I honestly would say that and being a great father – he’s a great father.”
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William Daniels' Long-Lasting Marriage
Bonnie Bartlett and William Daniels.David Livingston/Getty Images
On June 30, 2021, Daniels and Barlett celebrated their 70-year anniversary. The two revealed their favorite thing about each other in a December 2021 interview withForbes.
“I think our relationship is based on mutual respect and I think she is smarter than me, better actor than me, and so I just hang on, you know, and try to get along,” said Daniels, who posted a clip from the interview onInstagram.
With a laugh, Bartlett chimed in, “He doesn’t mean that at all!”
Added Daniels with a smile, “I’m an actor! I’m making it up as I go along.”
Barlett noted that her husband brings laughter into their home every day.
“His humor, his sense of humor and his ability during every day to find something funny is really good for me, because I’m very intense,” she said.
Bartlett also praised his parenting skills, sharing, “So I honestly would say that and being a great father – he’s a great father.”
source: people.com
