Daniel Sunjata facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Daniel Sunjata
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Born |
Daniel Sunjata Condon
December 30, 1971 Evanston, Illinois, U.S.
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Education | University of Louisiana, Lafayette (BA) New York University (MFA) |
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 1998–present |
Daniel Sunjata (born Daniel Sunjata Condon on December 30, 1971) is an American actor. He is famous for playing Franco Rivera in the TV show Rescue Me on the FX channel.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Daniel Sunjata grew up in Evanston, Illinois. This is a suburb located north of Chicago. He was adopted by Bill and Catherine Condon. His adoptive parents were a police dispatcher and a civil rights worker. They had Irish and Italian-German backgrounds.
Daniel's name honors a powerful African king. This king was Sundiata Keita, who founded the Mali Empire. The name "Sunjata" means "hungry lion." He learned that his biological mother was a white teenager. His biological father was African-American.
He went to Mount Carmel High School in Chicago. There, he was a linebacker on two state championship football teams. After high school, he studied at Florida A&M University. He then earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Later, he received a Master of Fine Arts from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts.
Acting Career Highlights
Sunjata began his acting career in 1998. He has appeared in many TV shows and movies.
Early Roles and Movies
One of his first roles was a sailor on Sex and the City. This episode was one of the first to talk about the 9/11 events. In 2004, he played the famous poet Langston Hughes. This was in the film Brother to Brother. He also played James Holt, a fashion designer, in The Devil Wears Prada (2006).
TV Shows and Broadway
Daniel Sunjata is well-known for his role as firefighter Franco Rivera. He played this character on the TV show Rescue Me. In 2007, he also starred as Reggie Jackson in the ESPN miniseries The Bronx is Burning. He also appeared in Christopher Nolan's movie The Dark Knight Rises (2012). In this film, he played a Special Forces Operative.
In 2003, Daniel won a Theatre World Award. This was for his amazing performance in the Broadway play Take Me Out. He played a Major League Baseball player who shared that he was gay. This role also earned him nominations for a Tony Award and a Drama Desk Award.
From 2010 to 2011, he played "Nurse Eli" on the TV series Grey's Anatomy. His character had a relationship with Dr. Miranda Bailey. Starting in 2013, he starred as FBI agent Paul Briggs. This was on the show Graceland, which aired on USA Network. The show ran for three seasons until 2015.
Filmography
Film
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
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1998 | Twelfth Night, or What You Will | Valentine | TV movie |
2001 | The Feast of All Saints | Christophe Mercier | TV movie |
2002 | Bad Company | CIA Agent Carew | |
2004 | Brother to Brother | Langston Hughes | |
Noel | Marco | ||
Melinda and Melinda | Billy Wheeler | ||
2006 | The Devil Wears Prada | James Holt | |
2009 | Ghosts of Girlfriends Past | Brad | |
Loose Change 9/11: An American Coup | The Narrator | ||
2010 | At Risk | Detective Win Garano | TV movie |
The Front | Detective Win Garano | TV movie | |
Weakness | Alejandro | ||
2012 | One for the Money | Ranger | |
Gone | Powers | ||
Generation Um... | Charles | ||
The Dark Knight Rises | Captain Jones | ||
2014 | Lullaby | Officer Ramirez | |
2017 | Small Town Crime | Detective Whitman | |
2021 | Christmas...Again?! | Mike Clybourne | TV movie |
Television
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
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2000 | D.C. | Lewis Freeman | Main Cast |
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Bomb Squad Officer | Episode: "Remorse" | |
2001 | All My Children | Zachary Pell | Regular Cast |
2002 | Sex and the City | Louis Leroy, USN | Episode: "Anchors Away" |
2002–04 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | CSU Technician Burt Trevor | Recurring Cast: Seasons 3-5 |
2003 | Ed | Danny Martin | Episode: "The Case" |
2004–11 | Rescue Me | Franco Rivera | Main Cast |
2005 | Law & Order | Kenny Tremont | Episode: "Mammon" |
2006 | Love Monkey | Diego | Recurring Cast |
2007 | The Bronx is Burning | Reggie Jackson | Main Cast |
2008 | Great Performances | Christian de Neuvillette | Episode: "Cyrano de Bergerac" |
2009 | Lie to Me | Andrew Jenkins | Episode: "Blinded" |
2010 | 30 Rock | Chris | Episode: "College" |
2010–11 | Grey's Anatomy | Nurse Eli | Recurring Cast: Seasons 7-8 |
2012–13 | Smash | Peter Gillman | Recurring Cast: Season 2 |
2013–15 | Graceland | FBI Senior Agent Paul Briggs | Main Cast |
2016 | Notorious | Jake Gregorian | Main Cast |
2017 | Animal Kingdom | Smurf's Criminal Lawyer | Episode: "Betrayal" |
2018–20 | Manifest | Danny | Recurring Cast: Season 1, Guest: Season 2 |
2019 | Happy! | Simon | Recurring Cast: Season 2 |
2020 | Prodigal Son | Quinton Vosler | Episode: "Internal Affairs" |
#FreeRayshawn | SWAT Commander Nick Alvarez | Main Cast | |
The Twilight Zone | Detective Peter Reece | Episode: "The Who of You" | |
The Stand | Cobb | Episode: "The End" | |
2021–24 | Power Book II: Ghost | Dante "Mecca" Spears | Main Cast: Season 2, Guest: Season 4 |
2022 | Echoes | Charles "Charlie" Davenport | Main Cast |
2023 | The Company You Keep | Robert Renway | Episode: "All In" |
2024 | High Potential | Karadec | Main Cast |
Video Games
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
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2002 | TOCA Race Driver | Nick Landers/James Randall | Voice |
Theater
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
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1998 | Twelfth Night | Valentine | |
2003 | Take Me Out | Darren Lemming | Theatre World Award Nominated – Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play Nominated – Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Play |
2007 | Cyrano de Bergerac | Christian De Neuvillette | |
2013 | Macbeth | Macduff | |
2014 | The Country House | Michael Astor | |
2018 | Saint Joan | Dunois, Bastard of Orleans |
Awards and Nominations
Year | Awards | Category | Recipient | Outcome |
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2005 | Satellite Award | Satellite Award for Best Cast – Television Series | "Rescue Me" | Won |
2008 | NAACP Image Awards | NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special | "The Bronx Is Burning" | Nominated |
See also
In Spanish: Daniel Sunjata para niños