William Daniels

**William David Daniels** (born March 31, 1927) is an American actor and former president of the *Screen Actors Guild* (1999-2001). He is known for his performance as Dustin Hoffman's father in *The Graduate* (1967), as Howard in *Two for the Road*, as John Adams in *1776*, as Carter Nash in *Captain Nice*, as Mr. George Feeny in ABC's *Boy Meets World*, as the voice of KITT in *Knight Rider*, and as Dr. Mark Craig in *St. Elsewhere*, for which he won two Emmy Awards.

## Contents

[hide]#Early life

1. Career
2. Trivia
3. Gallery

## Early lifeEdit

William Daniels was born in Brooklyn, New York to Irene and David Daniels, although he has spoken with a Boston accent in many of his roles. His father was a builder. He graduated from Northwestern University in 1949, where he was a member of Sigma Nu fraternity. He has been married to actress and fellow Emmy Award-winner Bonnie Bartlett since June 30, 1951. The couple has two children.

## CareerEdit

William Daniels began his career as a member of the singing Daniels family in Brooklyn, New York. He made his television debut as part of a variety act (along with other members of his family) in 1943, on NBC, then a single station in New York.

He made his Broadway debut in 1945 in *Life With Father*, and remained a busy Broadway actor for decades afterwards. His Broadway credits include roles in *1776*, *A Thousand Clowns*, *On a Clear Day You Can See Forever*, and *A Little Night Music*. He earned an Obie Award for *The Zoo Story* (1960).

Daniels' motion picture debut was as a school principal in the 1963 anti-war drama *Ladybug Ladybug*. In 1965, he reprised his Broadway role as a child welfare worker in the screen version of *A Thousand Clowns*. In 1967 he starred in *The Graduate* with Dustin Hoffman and Anne Bancroft. In 1969, Daniels starred as John Adams in the Broadway musical *1776*; he also appeared in the film version in 1972. Two years later, he co-starred with Larry Hagman, Linda Blair, and Mark Hamill in Richard Donner's telefilm *Sarah T. - Portrait of a Teenage Alcoholic*.

Daniels' first network television appearance came in 1952 when he portrayed the young John Quincy Adams, eldest son of John and Abigail Adams in the Hallmark Hall of Fame drama *A Woman for the Ages*. His first regular TV role was that of the title character in *Captain Nice* in 1967. In 1976, he reprised the role as the middle-aged and elder John Quincy Adams in the acclaimed PBS miniseries *The Adams Chronicles* (George Grizzard played John Adams).

He appeared as acid-tongued (but well-meaning) Dr. Mark Craig in *St. Elsewhere* from 1982 to 1988, for which he won two Emmy awards. Almost simultaneously, he provided the voice of KITT in *Knight Rider* from 1982 to 1986. Daniels said in 1982, "My duties on *Knight Rider* are very simple. I do it in about an hour and a half. I've never met the cast. I haven't even met the producer." Daniels requested that he not receive on screen credit for the role.

He reprised the voice-only role of KITT on multiple occasions: first, in 1991 for the television movie *Knight Rider* 2000, in two episodes of *The Simpsons* (1998, 2004), and in the 2006 film *The Benchwarmers* as well as in AT&T and GE commercials about talking machines, and at the Comedy Central Roast of his co-star David Hasselhoff. He again reprised the role in 2008 when Mio Technologies released a limited edition *Knight Rider* GPS system with Daniels' voice giving directional information.

Daniels then portrayed teacher (later principal) George Feeny at John Adams High School in *Boy Meets World* from 1993 to 2000. Daniels was a regular on the 1970s TV series *Freebie and the Bean* and *The Nancy Walker Show*. A familiar character actor, he has appeared as a guest star on numerous TV comedies and dramas, including *Soap*, *The Rockford Files*, *Quincy*, *M.E.*, and many others.

In 2012, Daniels appeared in the 9th season of *Grey's Anatomy* as Dr. Craig Thomas, an unlikely mentor to the character of Dr. Cristina Yang played by actress Sandra Oh. His character, Dr. Thomas, died in the operating room while performing a procedure to repair a heart defect midway through the season, which forced Yang to move back to Seattle.

It was announced that he had agreed to reprise his role as George Feeny in *Girl Meets World*, the then-upcoming sequel to *Boy Meets World*. He has a recurring role in GMW, as he has been seen in a handful of episodes.

## TriviaEdit

* As a child, took part in his family's traveling song and dance troupe called "The Daniels Family"
* Graduated from Northwestern University in 1949.
* Married to Bonnie Bartlett, another actor on *Boy Meets World*, on June 30, 1951.
	+ They have three children.
* Played Dustin Hoffman's father in *The Graduate* in 1967.
* Daniels' first regular television role was that of the title character in *Captain Nice*, a short-lived superhero sitcom which aired on NBC in 1967; Daniels once mentioned that Captain Nice was his least favorite role.
	+ *Captain Nice* was an unsuccessful attempt by NBC to capitalize on ABC's smash hit series *Batman*, which aired on ABC from 1966 to 1968.
* Played John Adams in *1776* in both the theater version (1969) and the film version (1972).
	+ Was nominated for a Tony for his portrayal of Adams in the theater version.
* Provided the voice of KITT in *Knight Rider* from 1982 to 1986.
* Appeared as Dr. Mark Craig in *St. Elsewhere* from 1982 to 1988. He won an Emmy for the role.
* Was the president of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) from 1999 to 2001.
* Currently resides in Studio City, California.