Danny Jacobs (actor)

**Daniel Charles  Jacobs, Jr.** (born July 7, 1968) is an American actor, singer, voice artist, and comedian, best known as the voice of King Julien in the _Madagascar_ franchise, substituting for Sacha Baron Cohen since 2008. In _Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted_ (2012), he provided Julien's singing voice in the soundtrack.

## Early life

Jacobs was born **Daniel Charles Jacobs, Jr.** in Detroit, Michigan on July 7, 1968 to Danny Jacobs, Sr. (?–2011). He is the sixth of seven children.

### College and Bishop Gallagher High School

Jacobs attended St. Matthew Elementary School and Bishop Gallagher High School (which later merged with St. Florian High School to become Trinity Catholic High School). For 2 years, he pursued business school at Wayne State University. In 1988, he transferred to the University of Arizona and switched his major to musical theatre.

## Career

After graduating from the University of Arizona, Jacobs had acted in regional theaters across the country. He had established himself as a national voice-over talent with clients, including Bissel, Blockbuster, Bud Light, Ford Dealers, GMAC, and KFC, among others.

In 1999, Jacobs appeared in his first live-action role in _Get the Hell Out of Hamtown_.

In 2003, he began to tour the nation with "Triple Espresso: A Highly Caffeinated Comedy."

In _Epic Movie_ (2007), Jacobs portrayed Borat Sagdiyev and made a cameo appearance as a Pirate with an Eye Patch. When portraying the role of Borat, he impersonated Sacha Baron Cohen, which was praised by the public.

### Voice acting

In 1999, Jacobs landed a voice role as Curt in _Full Blast_, though he was not credited.

From 2008 to 2015, Jacobs was a substitute for Sacha Baron Cohen as the voice of King Julien in _The Penguins of Madagascar_, again as an impression of Baron Cohen; Jacobs also provided additional voices in the series. In 2011, he won a Daytime Emmy Award for the role. Jacobs reprised his role in _Merry Madagascar_ (2009) and _Madly Madagascar_ (2013). From 2014 to 2017, he returned to the role in _All Hail King Julien_. In _Penguins of Madagascar_ (2014), Jacobs once again reprised his role as King Julien. He had also provided voice-overs in various commercials.

In addition to the performances that led to _All Hail King Julien_, Jacobs had been doing voice work for animated television series, including _Phineas and Ferb_ (in which he provided additional voices) and _Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles_ (in which he voiced Snake / Snakeweed), as well as several video games. He had said that animation, much like the theater, gives actors a chance to play a wide range of roles. He said:  He had personally stated that King Julien is his favorite voice role and would gladly reprise his role if ever asked. Jacobs' performance had received more recognition than the character's predecessor Baron Cohen. In _Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted_ (2012), he provided Julien's singing voice for the soundtrack.

He provided the voice of Raam and Yeppau in the _Lego Star Wars_ franchise. On September 20, 2017, Jacobs and his co-star John DiMaggio (who voiced Baash) also appeared as guests on _The Star Wars Show_. He had a voice role in _Teen Titans Go!_ as George Washington and Kiril in _The Lion Guard_.

### Theatre

In 1993, Jacobs originated the role of Chico Fernández in Jeff Daniels' comedy _The Vast Difference_ at the Purple Rose Theatre.

In 1996–97, he won acting awards in Michigan, Florida, and Wisconsin for his portrayal of Aram in Richard Kalinoski's "Beast on the Moon."

## Personal life

On July 16, 2018, Jacobs paid tribute to his late cousin Michael Anthony Risk via a Facebook video.

### Philanthropy

On July 13, 2015, Jacobs donated to Kids Kicking Cancer and had entertained some children with his King Julien voice.

## Awards

Jacobs was nominated for the 2010 Annie Award for Voice Acting in a Television Production for his voice role of King Julien in _Merry Madagascar_ (2009), but lost the award to Tom Kenny.

He won a 2011 Daytime Emmy Award and 2015 Daytime Emmy Award for his voice role of King Julien in _The Penguins of Madagascar_ (2008–2015) and _All Hail King Julien_ (2014–2017).

- 2010: Annie Award for Voice Acting in a Television Production – **Nominated**
- 2011: Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program – **Won**
- 2015: Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program – **Won**

## Infobox (person)

- **name**: Danny Jacobs
- **birth name**: Daniel Charles Jacobs, Jr.
- **birth place**: Detroit, Michigan, United States, U.S.
- **nationality**: Americans, American
- **othername**: Daniel Jacobs
- **occupation**: Actor, singer, voice artist, comedian
- **years active**: 2007–present
- **parents**: Danny Jacobs, Sr.
- **relatives**: Michael Anthony Risk (cousin, deceased)