Daniel Davis (born November 26, 1945 in Gurdon, Arkansas) is an American actor, perhaps best known for his role of Niles the butler, in The Nanny. Davis' natural accent is Southern American, however his English accent as Niles was so accurate that many viewers have become convinced that Davis is actually English. The character Niles is mostly the comic relief, frequently using deadpan one-liners. Davis first became popular in daytime television, playing Beverlee McKinsey's love interest, Eliot Carrington, for two years on the soap opera Texas in the early 1980s.
In Star Trek: The Next Generation, Davis guest starred as Professor Moriarty in the episodes "Elementary, Dear Data" and "Ship in a Bottle".
He appeared in the movie The Hunt for Red October as Charlie Davenport, the captain of the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CVN-65).
He appeared in the musical La Cage Aux Folles with Gary Beach from November 2004 to March 2005. He reportedly clashed frequently with Beach and others, and was fired to be replaced by Robert Goulet.
