Daniels made his Broadway debut in Lincoln Center Theater's production of Twelfth Night.
Other theatre work includes Up Against the Wind, RFK: The Journey to Justice, Much Ado About Nothing, Tape, Sus, Compromise and Calligraphy.
He has appeared on screen in "Page 36," "And Then Came Love," "The Island," "Kate & Leopold," "Modern Family," "Franklin & Bash," "House," "Chuck," "Their Eyes Were Watching God," "Brothers & Sisters," "Frasier" and "Law & Order."
Learn more about Magic/Bird at the Playbill Vault.
| Full given name: | Kevin Dwight Daniels Jr. |
| Where you were born/where you were raised: | Born in San Diego, raised in Texas, grew up in New York. |
| Zodiac Sign: | Sagittarius |
| What your parents did/do for a living: | My mother works for a hair care company called Dr. Miracles. My father works in an industrial printing shop. |
| Siblings: | An older sister who lives in Texas. |
| Current audition song/monologue: | "Look Ma, I Made It" from Nunsense 2 |
| Special skills: | Making up song lyrics to fit my mood. |
| Something you're REALLY bad at: | Singing. I mean, I'm okay. I just have a problem with pitch, tune, melody and lyrics. |
| First Broadway show you ever saw: | Miss Saigon |
| If you could go back in time and catch any Broadway show, what would it be? | The current Death of a Salesman with Philip Seymour Hoffman. I missed a chance to see it when we were in rehearsals. and now we're on the same schedule. I regret that daily. I'd also like to see the original Streetcar. |
| Current shows you have been recommending to friends: | Peter and the Starcatcher and Clybourne Park |
| Favorite showtunes of all time: | "Lily's Eyes" from The Secret Garden "Your Daddy's Son" from Ragtime "Move On" from Sunday in the Park With George (really any song from that show) |
| All-time favorite modern musicals: | In the Heights Wicked Avenue Q Caroline, or Change |
| All-time favorite plays: | Boesman and Lena Angels in America Native Speech |
| Some favorite modern playwrights: | Bill Cain, Katori Hall, Neil LaBute, Eric Overmyer |
| Broadway or screen stars of the past you would most have loved to perform with: | Ossie Davis |
| Your personal acting idols: | Hamish Linklater |
| The one performance – attended - that you will never forget: | Watching Janet McTeer in A Doll's House |
| Music that makes you cry, any genre: | "Were you There?" by Mahalia Jackson |
| MAC or PC? | MAC |
| Most played song on your iPod: | "Getting Grown" by Cee Lo Green |
| Most-visited websites: | twitter.com deadline.com playbill.com |
| Favorite Tweeters: | @dannyzucker @charstarlene @jleefilm |
| Last book you read: | "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" |
| Must-see TV show(s): | "The Good Wife" "Game of Thrones" "Homeland" "Modern Family" |
| Last good movie you saw: | "Warrior" |
| Some films you consider classics: | "The Color Purple" "Back to the Future "The Last Dragon" |
| Performers you would drop everything to go see: | Denis O'Hare |
| Pop culture guilty pleasure: | Reading all the "Twilight" books, reading all of the "Hunger Games" books and watching "The Vampire Diaries." |
| Favorite cities: | NYC, Los Angeles, Rome |
| Name your all-time NBA starting five: | Magic, Bird, Jordan, Kobe, LeBron |
| Current NBA player you would most like to see them write a musical about: | Jeremy Lin |
| First CD/Tape/LP you owned: | Garth Brooks' "Roping the Wind" on cassette tape |
| First stage kiss | King Lear at the Shakespeare Festival of Dallas. |
| Favorite or most memorable onstage role as a child/teenager: | Mr. Barnaby in Babes in Toyland |
| Moment you knew you wanted to perform for a living: | I got to play John the Baptist in a church play when I was 7. I never looked back. |
| How you got your Equity card: | I got my Equity card at the time my AFTRA card and my SAG card because I worked on Twelfth Night at Lincoln Center, in the ensemble. Helen Hunt put the cast of the play on "Mad About You." |
| Favorite pre-/post- show meal: | Chicken sandwich at Carve |
| Favorite liquid refreshment: | Jameson |
| Pre-show rituals or warm-ups: | I like to sing in the shower right before half hour as a part of my warm up. I don't sing well so I do it mostly to bug Tug Coker, whose dressing room is next door. |
| Most challenging role you have ever played: | I think we have a winner here. |
| Single toughest course you took at Juilliard: | Liz Smith's poetry class |
| Worst flubbed line/missed cue/onstage mishap: | I once threw up, in a top hat, in front of a cast of terrified children. I was doing community theatre in Texas. I was about 14. I was playing Mr. Barnaby in Babes in Toyland. I was standing downstage center with all of the children of the play surrounding me. |
| Worst costume ever: | Again back to Irving Community Theatre. I was playing a space alien covered in gold and purple glitter and what I believe was once a hefty trash bag. |
| Worst job you ever had: | I worked in an ad agency once. I heard people say someone was "too jungle" for an ad campaign. Quit shortly afterwards. |
| Favorite screen or commercial gigs: | Longinus on "Modern Family" has been pretty fun. Also loved working with Timothy Dalton on "Chuck." |
| Who have you played on "Law & Order?" What editions? | I was on the original show twice: once as a reporter with two lines, and later as a basketball player who was accused of killing his girlfriend to avoid paying child support. Based on Rae Carruth. I still get stopped on the street for that one. |
| Any particular idols/celebs you've had a chance to meet doing this show: | Peter Scolari and Didi O'Connell master class every night. |
| Leading man role you've been dying to play: | What you got? |
| Something about you that surprises people: | I kinda always wanted to be a country western superstar. |
| Something you are incredibly proud of: | Knowing not to answer that question. That and my good cheekbones. |
| Something you're embarrassed to admit: | Deep down, I just wanna be loved. |
| Career you would want if not a performer: | Something that studied the human condition. Maybe a therapist? |
| Three things you can't live without: | God, Family, Music |
| "I'll never understand why…" | ... we allowed for people to charge over $500 for a single ticket to a Broadway show. |
| Words of advice for aspiring performers: | Live your life to the fullest so you'll have something to express when given the chance. And there is no spoon. |
