Duane Daniels-Acting Coach

A lifetime of professional work and study.

About your coach:
Duane Daniels

Duane has a professional acting career that has been non-stop for over 40 years. The first 20 were almost exclusively stage - including 2 years as an opera singer - and more recently have included film and TV. He is best known for his work in the TV series and movie Veronica Mars. He also appeared in the Hulu Veronica Mars revival.

As an actor onstage, he has won the Drama-Logue Award, ACT Award, Patte Award, Blitz Award, and Zoni Award and as a director been nominated for The L.A Critics Association, LA Weekly and Garland Awards (Variety Magazine)

In 2019, Duane  was awarded "Performance of the Year" from the Phoenix New Times. He has also played the title role in Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street by Stephen Sondheim three times.

His work as a director and producer began in 1991 when he founded The Fritz Theatre in San Diego and served as Artistic Director for 18 years. During his tenure there, The Fritz produced over 200 plays, half of them premieres. The Fritz recognized emerging voices in theatre and produced works by writers such as Maria Irene Fornes and eventual Pulitzer Prize winners Paula Vogel, Donald Margulies and Suzan-Lori Parks. He has also served as Artistic Director of Buzzworks Theatre in Los Angeles and Space 55 in Phoenix.

​

In New York Duane produced several premiers and directed three times at the famed La MaMa Experimental Theatre, He also directed at The Second City in Hollywood and The Old Globe Theatre in San Diego. He has directed highly acclaimed productions of HAIR twice, starring Sara Ramirez (Spamalot, Grey's Anatomy) and Steve Gouveia (Jersey Boys). He has co-starred and toured with Tony winner Alice Ripley (Next to Normal) as Jud Fry in Oklahoma twice, played opposite Cathy Rigby in Peter Pan, appeared onstage with Harold Nicholas of The Nicholas Brothers, been conducted by Lorin Maazel with The Cleveland Orchestra, danced with Carol Lawrence, was a professional opera singer with the San Diego Opera for two years and just generally been hanging around theatres wherever he could get hired. 

For the past twelve summers Duane has taught acting with Berridge Programs in Normandy, France and Santa Barbara, CA.

Other jobs in television include appearances on Tremors, The Invisible Man, Big Shots, Terrirs and a recurring role on Fashion House as Detective Girardi. Feature films include First Strike, 

He is Founder of The Actor's WorkHouse in Phoenix and teaches a unique approach to acting. His book "You're Not Really Hamlet and Everybody Knows It" is available on Amazon and Kindle.