Jeff Danielsreceived his third Tony nomination for Lead Actor for playingAlabama lawyer Atticus FinchinBroadway’sTo Kill a Mockingbird, but he’s really more of a Michigan guy.
Born and raised in the Great Lakes State, the actor brought his family there in 1986 “to create as much a sense of normalcy as possible,” he tells PEOPLE in this week’s issue. “It was a very dramatic move in 1986 to move to Michigan, but that was to keep the family number one. And that worked.”
Daniels, 64, married his high school sweetheart Kathleen in 1979, and they have three children together: Ben, 34, Lucas, 31, and Nellie, 28.
“Kathleen’s permanent. The family’s permanent,” the two-timeEmmy winnersays of why he put his focus on his wife and kids. “Careers are job to job, you’re hot, you’re not.”
Martin Schoeller
Jeff Daniels with his wife Kathleen and their children (from left) Nellie, Benjamin and Lucas.Ron Galella/WireImage
“Jeff is a great actor,” Sorkin, 57, tells PEOPLE. “He’s a methodical actor who takes as much rehearsal and preview time as you’ll give him to build a performance. He’s a strong leader backstage and he’s tough as dirt.”
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Still, Daniels never wanted to fully immerse himself in Hollywood.
For more on Jeff Daniels, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, on stands Friday
“I never bought it,” he says of fame. “I knew how fleeting it was and I didn’t trust it for a second, so I moved to Michigan.”
To Kill a Mockingbirdis now playing on Broadway.
source: people.com
