CHARACTER ACTORS PART 9: WILLIAM DANIELS.

Here are some reasons why I love him:

The Graduate (1967) w/ Dustin Hoffman & Anne Bancroft 1776 (1972) w/ Howard DaSilva & Ken Howard Kolchak: The Night Stalker: "The Vampire" (TV Show 1974) w/ Darren McGavin Oh, God! (1977) w/ George Burns Soap (TV show 1978) Wry and dry. That's William Daniels. He's always a joy whenever he pops up on screen. However, it's really for one role and one role alone that I truly love the guy. No, it's not as the voice of K.I.T.T. in Knight Rider. Its for the role of John Adams in 1776. He tried and tried to get the Continental Congress to declare independence and he failed and failed. Why? Because he was obnoxious and disliked. It was only when he finagled someone else to propose that independence was finally voted upon. John Adams was the prime mover for independence in the Continental Congress but was fated to be overlooked in favour of such demi-gods as Washington, Franklin and Jefferson. Ironically, real life had a similar surprise for William Daniels. He was nominated for a Tony Award for best supporting actor during the Broadway run. Now, John Adams is clearly the lead role in the play but, since Daniels wasn't top billed, he wasn't eligible to be nominated for best actor. Daniels declined the nomination. Courteously. No matter. He subsequently starred in the film version of the musical (here he is with Howard DaSilva as Ben Franklin) and no one will ever be a better John Adams than William Daniels. And that's why I love the lug.