Daniel Sunjata

Daniel Sunjata studied at New York University Tisch School of the Arts, University of Louisiana at Lafayette and Florida A&M University. The recorded working language is English. Distinctions recorded are Theatre World Award and Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Lead Actor.

• Birth Name — Daniel Sunjata Condon • Born — 30 December 1971 • Birthplace — Evanston, Illinois, U.S. • Education — University of Louisiana, Lafayette (BA) New York University (MFA) • Occupation — Actor • Years Active — 1998–present

Sunjata was born and raised in Evanston, Illinois, a suburb north of Chicago. He is the adopted son of Bill and Catherine Condon, a police dispatcher and a civil rights worker. His adoptive parents are of Irish and Italian-German descent. He is named in honor of the Mandinka king Sundiata Keita, founder of the Mali Empire; the name means "hungry lion." He was told his biological mother was a white teenager who had run away from home and his father was African-American. He graduated from Mount Carmel High School in Chicago, where he played linebacker for two state championship football teams. After attending Florida A&M University, he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and a Master of Fine Arts from the Graduate Acting Program at New York University Tisch School of the Arts.

Sunjata played the role of a sailor on shore leave on the first post-9/11 themed episode of Sex and the City. He portrayed poet Langston Hughes in the film Brother to Brother (2004) and James Holt, a fashion designer, in The Devil Wears Prada (2006). He starred as firefighter Franco Rivera on the television program Rescue Me. During the summer of 2007, he also starred in the ESPN miniseries The Bronx is Burning as Reggie Jackson. He appeared as a Special Forces Operative in Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Rises (2012). In 2003, he won a Theatre World Award for his breakout Broadway performance as a gay Major League Baseball player who comes out to the public in Take Me Out, the Tony award-winning play, which also earned him nominations for a Tony Award and Drama Desk Award. From 2010–2011, Sunjata played "Nurse Eli" on the TV series Grey's Anatomy and had a relationship with Dr. Miranda Bailey. Beginning in 2013, he played FBI agent Paul Briggs on Graceland, which aired on USA Network. The show was canceled in 2015 after 3 seasons. He also starred as Dante "Mecca" Spears, the past lover of Monet, in Power Book II: Ghost on Starz for season 2. Since 2024, Sunjata has starred as Detective Adam Karadec in the ABC/Hulu series High Potential.

• Year — Title — Role — Notes • 2000 — D.C. — Lewis Freeman — Main Cast • Law & Order: Special Victims Unit — Bomb Squad Officer — Episode: "Remorse" • 2001 — All My Children — Zachary Pell — Regular Cast • 2002 — Sex and the City — Louis Leroy, USN — Episode: "Anchors Away" • 2002–04 — Law & Order: Special Victims Unit — CSU Technician Burt Trevor — Recurring Cast: Seasons 3-5 • 2003 — Ed — Danny Martin — Episode: "The Case" • 2004–11 — Rescue Me — Franco Rivera — Main Cast • 2005 — Law & Order — Kenny Tremont — Episode: "Mammon" • 2006 — Love Monkey — Diego — Recurring Cast • 2007 — The Bronx is Burning — Reggie Jackson — Main Cast • 2008 — Great Performances — Christian de Neuvillette — Episode: "Cyrano de Bergerac" • 2009 — Lie to Me — Andrew Jenkins — Episode: "Blinded" • 2010 — 30 Rock — Chris — Episode: "College" • 2010–11 — Grey's Anatomy — Nurse Eli — Recurring Cast: Seasons 7-8 • 2012–13 — Smash — Peter Gillman — Recurring Cast: Season 2 • 2013–15 — Graceland — FBI Senior Agent Paul Briggs — Main Cast • 2016 — Notorious — Jake Gregorian — Main Cast • 2017 — Animal Kingdom — Smurf's Criminal Lawyer — Episode: "Betrayal" • 2018–20 — Manifest — Danny — Recurring Cast: Season 1, Guest: Season 2 • 2019 — Happy! — Simon — Recurring Cast: Season 2 • 2020 — Prodigal Son — Quinton Vosler — Episode: "Internal Affairs" • #FreeRayshawn — SWAT Commander Nick Alvarez — Main Cast • The Twilight Zone — Detective Peter Reece — Episode: "The Who of You" • The Stand — Cobb — Episode: "The End" • 2021–24 — Power Book II: Ghost — Dante "Mecca" Spears — Main Cast: Season 2, Guest: Season 4 • 2022 — Echoes — Charles "Charlie" Davenport — Main Cast • 2023 — The Company You Keep — Robert Renway — Episode: "All In" • 2024–present — High Potential — Det. Adam Karadec — Main Cast

• Year — Title — Role — Notes • 2002 — TOCA Race Driver — Nick Landers/James Randall — Voice

• Year — Title — Role — Notes • 1998 — Twelfth Night — Valentine • 2003 — Take Me Out — Darren Lemming — Theatre World Award Nominated – Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play Nominated – Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Play • 2007 — Cyrano de Bergerac — Christian De Neuvillette • 2013 — Macbeth — Macduff • 2014 — The Country House — Michael Astor • 2018 — Saint Joan — Dunois, Bastard of Orleans