William Daniels facts for kids

Quick facts for kids William Daniels
Daniels in 1976
Born	William David Daniels (1927-03-31) March 31, 1927 (age 98) New York City, U.S.
Alma mater	Northwestern University
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1943–present
Spouse(s)	Bonnie Bartlett ​ (m. 1951)​
Children	3
President of the Screen Actors Guild
In office March 5, 1999 – October 15, 2001
Preceded by	Richard Masur
Succeeded by	Melissa Gilbert
Military career
Service/branch	United States Army

William David Daniels (born March 31, 1927) is an American actor. He is famous for his many roles on TV and in movies. You might know him as the voice of KITT from Knight Rider. He also played the wise teacher George Feeny in Boy Meets World.

Daniels also won awards for playing Dr. Mark Craig in the show St. Elsewhere. He even played John Adams, an important founding father, in the musical film 1776. Later, he was the president of the Screen Actors Guild, a group for actors.

Early life

William David Daniels was born in Brooklyn, New York City, on March 31, 1927. His father worked as a bricklayer, and his mother was a telephone operator. He grew up with his two sisters, Jacqueline and Carol. Their family lived in a part of Brooklyn called East New York, Brooklyn.

In 1945, William joined the United States Army. He was sent to Italy, where he worked as a disc jockey at an Army radio station. After his time in the Army, he used the GI Bill to go to college. This program helped soldiers pay for their education. He chose Northwestern University because it had a great drama program. William graduated from Northwestern in 1949.

Career

Daniels and other cast members of 1776 with Richard Nixon following a performance of the Tony Award-winning musical in the East Room of the White House (1971)

William Daniels started acting very young with his family, who were known as the "singing Daniels family." He first appeared on TV in 1943. Later that year, he made his first appearance on Broadway, which is New York's famous theater district. He acted in many Broadway shows over the years. Some of his well-known stage roles were in 1776 and A Thousand Clowns.

His first movie role was in 1963, in a film called Ladybug Ladybug. He also appeared in the movie A Thousand Clowns in 1965. In 1967, he played Mr. Braddock in the famous movie The Graduate. He is especially known for playing John Adams in the 1969 Broadway musical 1776 and its movie version in 1972. He even played John Adams again in a 1979 film called The Rebels.

Daniels also played John Adams's son, John Quincy Adams, in a TV drama in 1952. He played the older John Quincy Adams again in the 1976 TV series The Adams Chronicles. In the 1980s, he became very famous for two TV roles. From 1982 to 1988, he played the smart but tough Dr. Mark Craig in St. Elsewhere. He won two Emmy awards for this role. At the same time, he was the voice of KITT, the talking car, in Knight Rider. He recorded KITT's lines very quickly and never even met the other actors!

He voiced KITT again in the TV movie Knight Rider 2000 and in the movie The Benchwarmers. He also voiced KITT in commercials and even in two episodes of The Simpsons. In 2015, he returned as KITT's voice for the video game Lego Dimensions.

From 1993 to 2000, Daniels played the beloved teacher George Feeny in Boy Meets World. Mr. Feeny was strict but always cared about his students. Daniels also appeared in other TV shows like Captain Nice, Freebie and the Bean, and The Nancy Walker Show. He was a guest star on many popular shows, including Soap, The Rockford Files, and Grey's Anatomy.

In 2014, William Daniels returned as Mr. Feeny in the new show Girl Meets World. This show was a spin-off of Boy Meets World. He made several guest appearances, giving advice to the main characters.

Personal life

Daniels with wife Bonnie Bartlett at the 1987 Emmy Awards

William Daniels has been married to actress Bonnie Bartlett since June 30, 1951. Their marriage has lasted for over 70 years, making it one of the longest in Hollywood! In 1961, they had a son who sadly passed away shortly after birth. Later, they adopted two sons: Michael and Robert. Michael became an assistant director, and Robert became an artist.

Both William and Bonnie have served on the board of directors for the Screen Actors Guild.

Awards and honors

William Daniels was nominated for a Tony Award in 1969 for his role in 1776. However, he refused the nomination. He felt that his role as John Adams was a main part, not a supporting one. Because his name wasn't listed above the show's title, he couldn't be nominated for Best Actor.

From 1983 to 1987, Daniels was nominated five times for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for his work in St. Elsewhere. He won the award two times, in 1985 and 1986. In 1986, both William Daniels and his wife, Bonnie Bartlett, won Emmy Awards on the same night. Bonnie won for her role as his fictional wife on St. Elsewhere. They were the first married couple to win Emmys on the same night since 1965.

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

Theatre

Broadway

Books

• Daniels, William (2017). There I Go Again: How I Came to Be Mr. Feeny, John Adams, Dr. Craig, KITT, and Many Others. Potomac Books, Inc.

See also

In Spanish: William Daniels para niños