When William Daniels initially read the pilot script for "Boy Meets World," his interest was immediately piqued by the quality of the writing, and by Mr. Feeny's relationship with young Cory.
"Feeny reminded me of the character John Houseman played in 'The Paper Chase,'" he said.
And like Cory on the successful series, Daniels at the age of 15 had his own mentor: Dramatist and actor Howard Lindsay. Daniels recalls that when he performed on stage in "Life With Father," Lindsay "taught me all about theater -- how to behave on stage, how to play a laugh. He also taught me respect and discipline."
Daniels was born in Brooklyn, New York, where he grew up and attended school. He was a student at the High School of Music and Art, and obtained his bachelor of arts degree in theater from Northwestern University.
An eminently successful stage, television and film actor, he is perhaps best known for his portrayal of Dr. Craig on the critically acclaimed series, "St. Elsewhere," for which he received six nominations and two Emmy Awards as Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series.
Daniels enjoys playing the classical guitar and busying himself with chess, tennis, reading and cooking. He and his wife, actress Bonnie Bartlett (who was also his TV wife on "St. Elsewhere"), are the parents of two grown sons: Robert and Michael.
PERSONAL INFORMATION
HOMETOWN: Brooklyn, NY
BIRTHDATE: March 31 1927
HEIGHT: 5'8"
HAIR: Gray-brown
EYES: Blue
William Daniels elected SAG President
LOS ANGELES - Veteran actor William Daniels has been elected president of the Screen Actors Guild. The 72-year-old actor co-stars in the television series Boy Meets World, and was the voice of David Hasselhoff's car in the series Knight Rider.
On Friday night, Daniels beat two-term SAG President Richard Masur. In a contentious race, Daniels maintained that Masur failed to negotiate strong contracts with the industry on such issues as residuals. They are the fees actors receive when their television series is repeated or syndicated.
A third candidate, Angeltompkins, finished a distant third. She changed her name from Angel Tompkins so her name would appear first on the ballot.
Screen Actors Guild was founded in the 1930s. Daniels becomes its 22nd president.
As president, Daniels exercises power over negotiations and contracts that mean billions of dollars to movie, television and commercial producers, studios and ad agencies. Daniels has promised to take a tougher line than past heads, including Ronald Reagan and Charlton Heston.
Canadian industry insiders will be watching to see where Daniels stands on the hot issue of U.S. runaway productions -projects that leave the States for Canada to take advantage of tax breaks and the low dollar. Recently, American industry workers have staged passionate protests against what they call "Hollywood North."
Some 99,000 people are members of SAG, but only about one in five members mailed in their ballots.
Actor William Daniels has been elected the new President of the Screen Actors Guild, replacing two-term President Richard Masur, Reuters reported this weekend. The race, which in part revolved around residuals contract negotiations, was labeled "contentious" by the news service. Reuters indicated that Daniels was critical of Masur's handling of the negotiations, while Masur labeled Daniels as underqualified for the position.
Daniels and his wife, actress Bonnie Bartlett, made Emmy history in 1986 by becoming the first real-life married couple to win acting awards on the same night. They won for their portrayals of Mark and Ellen Craig on the cult drama series "St. Elsewhere."
William's Photo Album
William's Boy Meets World Photo Album
William's Credits
