Actor, Jeff Daniels, was most recently in the news for starring as Atticus Finch in Aaron Sorkin's new stage version of the classic story To Kill a Mockingbird. But Daniels has been acting since 1976 and has not only quite a few credits but quite a few hits to his name, particularly on the large and small screen.
At age 65, the actor, musician, and playwright is still working regularly and taking on large, interesting, and well-received roles across mediums. Here are the top ten movies and television shows that have starred Jeff Daniels, according to IMDb.
Steve Jobs - 7.2
Steve Jobs, the 2015 biographical drama about the life of Apple founder, Steve Jobs, starred Michael Fassbender as Jobs and Daniels as John Sculley, who eventually rose to be CEO of Apple.
The film was based on a biography, written in 2011 by Walter Isaacson, and interviews made by screenwriter, Aaron Sorkin. The film covers fourteen years in the life of Apple and Jobs, beginning in 1984 and ending in 1998.
Terms of Endearment - 7.4
The 1983 dramedy starred Shirley Maclaine and Debrah Winger, alongside Daniels. It followed the trials and tribulations in a mother/daughter relationship.
The movie was the highest-grossing film of the year and was nominated for eleven Academy Awards. It won five of those categories, including Best Supporting Actor, Best Actress, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Picture.
Looper - 7.4
Looper, a science fiction movie, was released in 2012 and starred Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Bruce Willis. Daniels starred as Abe, the handler to Joseph Gordon Levitt's assassin character. The film was a hit and grossed over $175 million dollars.
It premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and ranked number two at the box office the week of its release. The film was directed by future Star Wars director, Rian Johnson, who also wrote the script.
The Hours - 7.5
In 2002, Jeff Daniels starred alongside Meryl Streep, Julianne Moore, Nicole Kidman, and Ed Harris in The Hours. The psychological drama was based on the Pulitzer Price winning novel by Michael Cunningham of the same name.
The film received nine Academy Award Nominations and one win, for Nicole Kidman as Best Actress. The movie follows three women in three different decades on a single day. Jeff Daniels took on the role of Louis Waters.
Pleasantville - 7.5
Pleasantville was the 1998 dramedy that found stars Tobey Macguire and Reese Witherspoon as high school siblings who are whisked off to the black and white world of the television program, Pleasantville.
Daniels took on the role of Bill Johnson, a soda fountain owner who eventually becomes a painter, and moves the town toward a vision in color. The film was nominated in three categories at the year's Academy Awards and got four out of four stars from reviewer Roger Ebert.
Gettysburg - 7.6
Gettysburg was released in 1993 and covered the Battle of Gettysburg during the Civil War. It was adapted from Michael Shaara's historical novel, The Killer Angels. Daniels starred alongside Martin Sheen and Sam Elliott.
Daniels took on the role of the real-life figure, Joshua Chamberlain, a professor who joined the Union Army eventually receiving the Medal of Honor for his gallantry at the Battle of Gettysburg.
The Looming Tower - 8
Jeff Daniels' more recent foray into television has given him some of the best-reviewed performances of his career. In the 2018 mini-series The Looming Tower, Daniels portrayed John O'Neill, Assistant Deputy Director of Investigation in the FBI.
The series explored the rivalry between the FBI and the CIA and how it helped to set the stage for the events of 9/11 and eventually the war in Afghanistan. The series included ten episodes and was nominated for four Emmy awards.
The Martian - 8
The Martian was a 2015 science fiction film directed by Ridley Scott and based off of the novel by Andy Weir. Jeff Daniels took on the role of Theodore "Teddy" Sanders, the Director of NASA.
The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and grossed over $630 million at the global box office. The film received two Golden Globe awards, one for best picture, musical or comedy, and one for best actor, for Matt Damon.
Godless - 8.3
Godless was a Netflix mini-series released in 2017. Like The Looming Tower before it, it offered Daniels one of the best roles of his career. The series followed Daniels' character of an outlaw, Frank Griffin, and his gang's mission to get revenge on a former member, Roy Goode.
Goode has taken refuge in a small town in New Mexico, inhabited mostly by women, and must do all her can to avoid the vengeance Frank is determined to rain down upon him.
The Newsroom - 8.6
It is another television performance that sits at the top of the list for Jeff Daniels according to ratings on IMDb. The Newsroom, which aired on HBO, was an American drama that followed anchor Will McAvoy (Jeff Daniels) and the behind the scenes goings-on at the fictional Atlantis Cable News (ACN).
The show was created by Aaron Sorkin (who also wrote Steve Jobs, in which Daniels also starred). The show ran for three seasons and Daniels was nominated for an Emmy for every single season that he was on the air as Will McAvoy.