Versatile, rather sharp-featured character actor of Hollywood films who was at his most memorable and convincing as debonair villains or calculating functionaries. A veteran stage actor before embarking on films at the dawn of the sound era, Daniell appeared both on the West End in his native London and on Broadway. On the big screen he frequently worked with such top directors as George Cukor (for whom he made seven films), Michael Curtiz, Jules Dassin, Max Ophuls, Vincent Minnelli and Billy Wilder.

Daniell made his feature debut in the comedy "The Awful Truth" (1929) opposite Ina Claire, then