# James McDaniel

James McDaniel Jr. (born March 25, 1958) is an American stage, film and television actor. He is best known for playing Lt. Arthur Fancy on the television show NYPD Blue. He played the role of Paul in the hit Lincoln Center play Six Degrees of Separation. He played a police officer in the ill-fated 1990 series Cop Rock, and a close advisor to the director Spike Lee regarding the activist Malcolm X in the 1992 film Malcolm X. He also played Sgt. Jesse Longford in the ABC television series Detroit 1-8-7.

## Early life

James McDaniel Jr. was born in Washington, D.C., on March 25, 1958, the son of physician James McDaniel Sr. The junior McDaniel attended the University of Pennsylvania, where he studied veterinary medicine. After taking his final exams, he decided to move to New York and become an actor, despite having no prior acting experience. McDaniel enrolled in dance and voice lessons, and earned his first role in a Pepsi commercial.

## Career

McDaniel began acting on the stage. He appeared in the original production of Six Degrees of Separation as Paul Poitier, and received the Clarence Derwent Award for his performance. McDaniel originated the role of Adam in Someone Who'll Watch Over Me, being the only American in the cast. He received an Obie Award after performing in Before It Hits Home.
Early roles on television include guest appearances on sitcom Kate & Allie and crime drama Gabriel's Fire. He portrayed police officer Franklin Rose on the short-lived and poorly received series Cop Rock. McDaniel had a minor role in the Woody Allen film Alice (1990), was a banker in Strictly Business (1991) and portrayed Brother Earl in Spike Lee's Malcolm X (1992).
McDaniel guest starred as a cop on Hill Street Blues, created by Steven Bochco. Thereafter, he appeared often in productions with Bochco's involvement, including L.A. Law and Civil Wars. He played Lt. Arthur Fancy on NYPD Blue for eight seasons, between 1993 and 2001. The series attracted some criticism regarding McDaniel being underutilized during his time on the show. McDaniel himself alluded to this, claiming to be "the highest paid extra on television." He was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series in 1996 for his work on the series. He also received three consecutive NAACP Image Award nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series.
He portrayed the role of Sgt. Jesse Longford in crime drama Detroit 1-8-7. McDaniel appeared as an investigator in The Following and was Ezra Mills, Abbie's father, in Sleepy Hollow. McDaniel made a guest appearance as a jazz trumpeter in NCIS: New Orleans. McDaniel appeared in Tamara Tunie's See You in September (2010) and in the Jordana Spiro film Night Comes On (2018).
McDaniel has also appeared extensively in television films, namely Silencing Mary (1996), Unforgivable (1996), and Out of Time (2000), the latter in a rare role as the main character. He portrayed Nat King Cole in Livin' for Love: The Natalie Cole Story (2000). Natalie Cole personally handpicked McDaniel to play her father.

## Personal life

With his wife Hannelore, McDaniel has two children.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1983 | Banzaï | Bronx Guy | Uncredited |
| 1988 | Rocket Gibraltar | Policeman | |
| 1990 | Alice | Party Guest | |
| 1991 | Strictly Business | Roland Halloran | |
| 1992 | Malcolm X | Brother Earl | |
| 1994 | Heading Home | | |
| 1997 | Truth or Consequences, N.M. | Frank Thompson | |
| 2002 | Sunshine State | Reggie Perry | |
| 2006 | El Cortez | Arnie | |
| 2006 | Steel City | Randall Karn | |
| 2007 | War Eagle, Arkansas | Jack | |
| 2008 | Butterfly Dreaming | Dr. Timothy Baldrica | |
| 2008 | Bunker Hill | Peter Salem | |
| 2010 | See You in September | Lewis | |
| 2012 | You're Nobody 'til Somebody Kills You | Detective Johnson | |
| 2013 | Cass | Franklin Morris, Sr. | |
| 2013 | King's Faith | Mike | |
| 2013 | Home | Dr. Parker | |
| 2018 | Night Comes On | Parole Officer | |
| 2020 | Lapsis | Felix | |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1984 | All My Children | Mickey | Unknown episodes |
| 1985 | Kate & Allie | Reverend | Episode: "Thanksgiving" |
| 1986 | American Playhouse | Jack | Episode: "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Part 1" |
| 1986 | Hill Street Blues | Officer Mason | Episode: "More Skinned Against Than Skinning" |
| 1988 | Crime Story | Byron | 2 episodes |
| 1988 | Internal Affairs | Fred | Television movie |
| 1988 | Tattingers | | Episode: "Death and Taxis" |
| 1989 | A Man Called Hawk | Ringer | Episode: "The Divided Child" |
| 1990 | Cop Rock | Officer Franklin Rose | 11 episodes |
| 1990 | H.E.L.P. | Palmer | Episode: "Fire Down Below" |
| 1990 | Murder in Black and White | Fred | Television movie |
| 1990 | The Old Man and the Sea | | Television movie |
| 1990 | Murder Times Seven | Fred | Television movie |
| 1991 | L.A. Law | Major Charles Rainero | Episode: "Rest in Pieces" |
| 1991 | Law & Order | Michael Ingrams | Episode: "Mushrooms" |
| 1991 | Gabriel's Fire | Jackson | Episode: "One Flew Over the Bird's Nest" |
| 1991 | Civil Wars | Malik Watson | Episode: "Daveja-Vu All Over Again" |
| 1993 | Scam | Daniel Poole | Television movie |
| 1993 | Alex Haley's Queen | | 2 episodes |
| 1993–2001 | NYPD Blue | Lt. Arthur Fancy | 167 episodes Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series Nominated—Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series (1998–2000) Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series (1996–2000) Nominated—Viewers for Quality Television Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Quality Drama Series |
| 1996 | Unforgivable | Spider | Television movie |
| 1996 | The Road to Galveston | Marcus Roosevelt Sr. | Television movie |
| 1997 | A Deadly Vision | Dr. Tony Natale | Television movie |
| 1998 | Silencing Mary | Professor Thiel | Television movie |
| 1998 | Fantasy Island | Louis / Mr. Burton | 2 episodes |
| 1998 | The Defenders: Choice of Evils | Jack Casey | Television movie |
| 2000 | Deliberate Intent | Lawrence Horn | Television movie |
| 2000 | Livin' for Love: The Natalie Cole Story | Nat King Cole | Television movie |
| 2001 | Any Day Now | Riley Adams | Episode: "The Contest" |
| 2002 | The Division | Brian Lawrence | 3 episodes |
| 2002 | Taken | General Beers | 4 episodes |
| 2003 | John Doe | Colonel Dunagan | Episode: "Illegal Alien" |
| 2003 | Alligator Point | | Television movie |
| 2003 | Edge of America | Kenny Williams | Television movie |
| 2003–2005 | Las Vegas | Gavin Brunson | 3 episodes |
| 2004 | Stargate SG-1 | General Frances Maynard | 2 episodes |
| 2004 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Javier Vega | Episode: "Criminal" |
| 2004–2005 | Life As We Know It | William Miller | 6 episodes |
| 2006 | Love Monkey | Derrick Cooper | 4 episodes |
| 2006 | Conviction | Tony Murno | Episode: "Hostage" |
| 2006 | Twenty Questions | | Television movie |
| 2007 | Numb3rs | Phillip Wright | Episode: "Under Pressure" |
| 2008 | Living Hell | Col. Erik Maitland | Television movie |
| 2008 | Bunker Hill | Marcus Troy | Television movie |
| 2009 | Killer Hair | Mac | Television movie |
| 2009 | Hostile Makeover | Mac | Television movie |
| 2010 | Beauty & the Briefcase | Mr. Belmont | Television movie |
| 2010–2011 | Detroit 1-8-7 | Sergeant Jesse Longford | 18 episodes |
| 2010–2014 | The Good Wife | Detective Lou Johnson | 3 episodes |
| 2013 | Orange Is the New Black | Jean Baptiste | 3 episodes |
| 2013 | Murder in a Small Town | Wade Thompson | Television movie |
| 2014 | The Following | Agent Phillips | 2 episodes |
| 2014 | NCIS: New Orleans | Papa Parks | Episode: "Musician Heal Thyself" |
| 2014 | Forever | Al Rainey | Episode: "6 A.M." |
| 2014 | Hysteria | Doctor Carl Sapsi | Episode: "Pilot" |
| 2015 | Blue Bloods | Chief Daniels | Episode: "In The Box" |
| 2015 | Madam Secretary | Air Force General Roger Baylis | Episode: "The Show Must Go On" |
| 2015 | Limitless | EAD Kenneth Paulson | 2 episodes |
| 2015 | Chicago P.D. | James Whitaker | 2 episodes |
| 2015–2017 | The Night Shift | Dr. Julian Cummings | 6 episodes |
| 2016 | Sleepy Hollow | Ezra Mills | 5 episodes |
| 2017 | The Blacklist: Redemption | Dan Bishop | 2 episodes |
| 2017 | Ryan Hansen Solves Crimes on Television | Captain Jackson | Episode: "Pilot" |
| 2017 | The Deuce | Editor | 2 episodes |
| 2019 | Soundtrack | Moses | 4 episodes |
| 2019 | Whiskey Cavalier | Director of FBI New York Office | Episode: "Pilot" |
| 2020 | For Life | Earl | 3 episodes |
| 2022 | New Amsterdam | Horace Reynolds | 2 episodes |
| 2022 | Alaska Daily | Secretary Raymond Green General Raymond Green | 2 episodes |

## Accolades

McDaniel won a 1995 Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series for NYPD Blue, and won the 2006 Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Performer in a Children/Youth/Family Special, "Edge of America". He has also been nominated for two Primetime Emmys for his work on NYPD Blue.
* Obie Award for Before It Hits Home, 1991–1992 season
* Drama Desk nomination for Before It Hits Home, 1991–1992 season
* Clarence Derwent Award
* Peabody Award for "Edge of America" (2005; NYPD Blue episode)