Frank Daniels

Who was Frank Daniels?

Frank Albert Daniels was a comedian, an actor on stage, early black-and-white silent films, and a singer.

Daniels was born on August 15, 1856 in Dayton, Ohio to Balinda and Henry Daniels, and was raised in Boston. He attended business school and the New England Conservatory of Music. His first stage appearance was a in production of Trial by Jury at the old Gaiety Theatre. He appeared in The Chimes of Normandy in 1879, and then worked with the McCaull Comic Opera Company and other light opera companies.

In New York, Daniels played Old Sport in A Rag Baby; Packingham Giltedge in Little Puck; Shrimps in Princess Bonnie; and the title role in Victor Herbert's The Wizard of the Nile. Herbert was impressed, and created two roles for Daniels in his plays The Idol's Eye and The Ameer. Later roles included The Tattooed Man by Herbert, The Belle of Brittany, and The Pink Lady. He retired in 1912.

He was a major star for Vitagraph Studios, for whom he developed popular characters such as Captain Jiggs, Kernel Nutt, and Mr. Jack. He appeared in three films with Harold Lloyd in 1919: Count the Votes, Pay Your Dues, and His Only Father. His last film was Among Those Present, in 1921.