Daniel K. Daniel

Daniel Kanayo Daniel (born 22 May 1986) is a Nigerian television and film actor, model, voice-over artiste and events compere. He is best known for his portrayal of Bossman in the movie A Soldier's Story, for which he won the 2016 Africa Magic Viewers' Choice Awards (AMVCA) and the Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA) awards for Best Actor, as well as his roles in the period piece 76, which also starred Ramsey Nouah, Chidi Mokeme and Rita Dominic and the light-hearted Mummy Dearest alongside veteran Nigerian actress Liz Benson.He was one of two Nollywood actors inducted into the Academy of Motion Pictures and Science class of 2022. Daniel Kanayo Daniel was born at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, Maiduguri, Borno State, in Northeastern Nigeria on May 22,1986. While Daniel was a toddler, his family relocated to Lagos State in Southwest Nigeria and then to Enugu State in the southeast region of Nigeria, where he began his formal education. Daniel is of Igbo descent and is a native of Nenwe in Ani-Nri Local Government Area of Enugu State. He was brought up in a Christian home. His father, Chris Daniel was an engineer and his mother Kande Daniel is a Broadcast Journalist and former National President of Nigeria Association of Women Journalists, and currently serves as the Special Adviser to the Nigerian Minister of Power on Media Matters. He is the first of four children, one of whom is Chris Daniel Jnr (Kris'D) a musician and performing artist. Daniel led the drama and debating club of his primary school, Command Children School. Almost always at the top of his class, he graduated into secondary school in 1996. He enrolled in Command Day Secondary School Enugu and later transferred to Federal Government College Enugu in 1999 to complete his senior secondary education. Daniel had desired to train as a pilot, having had three role model fighter pilots in his family: his foster grandfather, former Chief of Air Staff, (Late) Air Marshal Ibrahim Alfa and his three uncles – Squadron Leader John Chukwu, Air Vice-Marshal Chris Chukwu, and Shu'aibu Alfa (a civil pilot). Daniel's hopes were dashed when he was diagnosed with myopia (short sightedness) and was told it would be difficult to achieve his dream with poor eyesight. At this time his father moved to Port Harcourt, Rivers State in South-south Nigeria, while his mother moved to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja, on separate national assignments. He then got admission into the Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka, Anambra State in 2004 to study Applied Biochemistry. In November 2004, Daniel's life changed for good as he lost his father in a ghastly auto crash and being the first child, he had to grow up quickly. In 2005 his family relocated to Abuja after his father’s death in Port Harcourt while his studies continued in Nnamdi Azikiwe University where he also started his modelling career. He graduated from the university in 2009 and managed his uncle’s business Twinkles Catering Service, the pioneer eatery in Gusau, Zamfara State for four months.