Dan Butler, who goes by the full name of Daniel Eugene Butler, is a well-known American actor and playwright. He is famed for his successful role as Bob “Bulldog” Briscoe in the famous television sitcom Frasier. Among his other significant achievements is Art in Roseanne (1991-1992) and as the voice-over of Mr. Simmons on the TV show Hey Arnold (1997-2002) that was on-aired on Nickelodeon.
Education and Personal Life
Dan Butler was born and raised in Indiana to Andrew Butler and his wife. Dan’s father was a pharmacist, and his mother was a housewife. He studied drama at Indiana University and graduated in 1975. He received the Irene Ryan Acting Scholarship, which was sponsored by the Kennedy Center. Dan further went on to get training at the American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco for two years (1976-1978).
Dan Butler married his partner and love of his, Richard Waterhouse. They live in Vermont. Butler announced his sexual preference to his family during his early 20s. As an ode to his coming out to his family, he penned down a one-man show named “The Only Thing Worse You Could Have Told Me.” This play had ten characters portraying the process of understanding what gay means. It was also nominated in the Outstanding One-Person Show in 1995 for the Drama Desk Award.
Career
Dan Butler is famous for his role in the famous sitcom Frasier. He has a recurring appearance in the show except the ones airing between 1993 and 2004. His character of Bob “Bulldog” Briscoe was an unpredictable and rough sports presenter whose show followed the lead role, Frasier’s broadcast at the radio station.
Dan also played two different roles in the Hannibal Lecter franchise. His first appearance was of Jimmy Price, who was a technician in the movie Manhunter. The second one was of Roden in The Silence of The Lambs in 1991.
You can also watch Butler in the movie Enemy of the State as NSA Director Admiral Shaffer. He produced and starred in the faux-documentary called Karl Rove, I Love You in 2006. Moreover, he had also co-written and co-directed this documentary. His other notable performances include Prayers for Bobby and Longtime Companion.
In addition to this film career, Dan Butler is also a successful stage actor. He played Lenin in the Broadway revival of Tom Stoppard’s Travesties in 2018 and also appeared as Truman Capote in Rob Roth’s Warhol/Capote in 2017, which was produced by American Repertory Theatre.
Featured Film Roles
- Silence of the Lambs (1991)
- Enemy of the State (1998)
- Cal’s boss Crazy, Stupid, Love (2011)
- Mr. Kirkpatrick in Chu & Blossom (2014)
- All my Life (2020) as Dr. Alan Mendelson
- Blonde (2021)
Guest Appearances
- Leg Work (1987) in the episode Blind Trust
- Monsters (1990) in the episode named A New Woman
- Quantum Leap (1991) in the episode Southern Comforts – August 4, 1961
- Columbo (1992), in the episode No Time to Die
- Life Goes On (1993) in the episode Incident on Main.
- The X-Files (1995) in the episode Die Hand Die Verletzt
- House (2006), in the episode Distractions
Conclusion
Dan Butler, best known for his amazing role as Bob “Bulldog” Briscoe in the sitcom Frasier has also played many roles in other films and shows. In addition to working in the films, Dan also wrote a one-man show that played in various cities. Due to this remarkable show, he was nominated for the 1995 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding One-Person Show.