Career
Daniels has made appearances in many films and television series. He made his film debut in 1976, at the age of 17, as a waiter in Bugsy Malone, That same year he had significant roles in three television series: The Molly Wopsies, Four Idle Hands, and The Flockton Flyer; however, he had enjoyed an incidental appearance (with fellow drama students) the previous year (1975) in Thames Television's You Must Be Joking! Over the following four years he appeared in Quadrophenia, Breaking Glass, and Scum. He also appeared in the 1970s TV drama serial Raven.
In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Daniels was a member of new wave band The Cross, along with fellow actor Peter Hugo Daly, the band releasing a single, "Kill Another Night" on RCA Records in 1979. His musical inclinations were revealed when he starred in a 1985 British snooker musical Billy the Kid and the Green Baize Vampire. He narrated tracks on the Parklife and Think Tank albums for Blur.
He contributed the voice of a rat to the animated film Chicken Run. In recent years he has turned his attention to comedy, appearing in the series Sunnyside Farm and alongside Al Murray in the cult sitcom Time Gentlemen Please. Daniels also starred as Freddy Windrush in an episode of Gimme Gimme Gimme (Series 2, Episode 3 - "Prison Visitor").
Daniels has performed on stage with the Royal Shakespeare Company in plays such as The Merchant of Venice, The Jew of Malta and A Clockwork Orange. In 2004 he appeared in the BBC comedy-drama Outlaws as a criminal solicitor. In 2006 he joined the cast of the popular BBC soap opera EastEnders playing Kevin Wicks. The actor temporarily left the show in early 2007, however, he returned in March 2007. On 18 August 2007, it was revealed in the Sun that Daniels was to leave the show. His character died in a car crash on 31 December 2007.
Daniels, along with his co-stars, attended a Quadrophenia Reunion at London Film and Comic Con at Earls Court on 1 and 2 September 2007.
In May 2008 Daniels ran the Flora London Marathon on behalf of the "Sparks" Charity, and in December 2008 starred in Sheffield Theatre and Evolution Pantomimes co-production of Aladdin as "Abanazar" at Lyceum Theatre, Sheffield.
In late 2008 Daniels voiced a major character in the English language re-release of the cult 2006 Norwegian animated film Free Jimmy, alongside Woody Harrelson and with dialogue written by Simon Pegg. Also in 2008 Daniels starred alongside Gary Stretch and Geoff Bell in the UK film Freebird, directed by Jon Ivay, which followed three bikers across a drug-fuelled ride in the Welsh countryside.
Daniels appeared as the Magic Mirror in the pantomime of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs at the Marlowe Theatre in December 2008, which also includes a role by former EastEnders colleague Emma Barton.
He appeared on Celebrity Mastermind: 2008/2009, finishing on 24 points in second place. Also on 26 June 2009 he appeared on stage with Blur at the M.E.N. Arena, then on 28 June 2009 at Glastonbury 2009 on their song "Parklife", as well as on 2/3 July 2009 in their Hyde Park Concerts. Daniels portrayed Del Boy's grandfather in a prequel to the comedy series Only Fools and Horses called Rock & Chips, which was screened in January 2010 and, on 13 September 2010 on BBC Radio Five Live, James Buckley confirmed that Rock & Chips would be returning for two specials, one at Christmas 2010, and the other at Easter 2011. Daniels has subsequently reprised his role his role as Ted Trotter in both of the Rock & Chips specials. 2012 will see the release of the film Vinyl in which Phil Daniels not only stars but also wrote and performs most of the film's music soundtrack. Directed by Sara Sugarman, Vinyl is the story of an aging Rock Group forced to con the music industry to gain radio play of future record releases. The film is based on true events faced by Rock Group the Alarm that took place in the U.K. in 2004.
Daniels now co-hosts a weekly podcast with Ceri Levy dedicated to Chelsea Football Club, "The Chels - The Chelsea Podcast".
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Famous quotes containing the word career:
“He was at a starting point which makes many a man’s career a fine subject for betting, if there were any gentlemen given to that amusement who could appreciate the complicated probabilities of an arduous purpose, with all the possible thwartings and furtherings of circumstance, all the niceties of inward balance, by which a man swings and makes his point or else is carried headlong.”
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