Childhood & Early Life
Danny Huston was born as Daniel Sallis Huston on May 14, 1962 in Rome, Italy to famous filmmaker John Huston and author Zoe Sallis. However, his parents never got married and were in a brief relationship when Danny was born. He was later adopted by his father.
His father had married five times in total and hence, Danny had many half-siblings, many of whom working in the entertainment industry. His grandfather Walter Huston was an Academy Award-winning actor.
Danny spent a lot of his childhood in Ireland, Mexico and Rome with his father. He also spent some time in Los Angeles. He visited his father on many of his film sets and became accustomed to the environment in the glittering world of show business.
Following his high school graduation, he enrolled in the ‘London Film School’ and started studying filmmaking. He originally intended to become a film director just like his father. He went on to direct a few small projects here and there, but nothing concrete.
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Career
Danny Huston started his career in the mid-1980s and directed a few small films, such as ‘Santa Claus: The Making of the Movie’. He also made a TV film titled ‘Mister Corbett’s Ghost’.
His debut feature film was ‘Mr. North’ and his father came on-board as the producer, in addition to helping with the screenplay. It almost became a family project as many Huston family members, including Anjelica Huston and Allegra Huston played key roles in the film. It released in 1988 with an average critical success and a box office failure.
In 1991, Danny returned as a director for the biographical drama film ‘Becoming Colette’. It was a failure as well. His third film ‘The Maddening’ was only an average success.
In the mid-1990s, he was advised to look for an alternative career in Hollywood. Although he had played some small roles in his father’s films as a kid, he made his full-fledged acting debut in 1995 with a small part in the film ‘Leaving Las Vegas’.
Danny was cast in a supporting role in the period drama film titled ‘Anna Karenina’ (1997). It was an average box office and critical success. He followed it up with the French comedy drama film ‘Spanish Fly’.
Although he possessed good looks and talent to make it big in the mainstream Hollywood, his sensibilities prevented him from treading on the tried and tested paths. He was more inclined towards unique and independent films.
The breakthrough role of his career came in 2000 when he was cast as a Hollywood agent in the independent drama film ‘Ivans Xtc’. Premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, the movie was a box office failure, but the critics rated it highly and praised Danny’s performance. For his role, he received the ‘Best Male Lead Award’ nomination at the ‘Independent Spirit Awards’.
He went on to star in some experimental films, such as ‘Eden’ and ‘Hotel’, both released in 2001. In 2003, he appeared in a supporting role in the drama film ‘21 Grams’. Not only was it a huge critical and commercial success, but also established Danny as a bankable mainstream Hollywood star.
In 2004, he was part of the ensemble cast of the satirical comedy drama film ‘Silver City’. In the same year, he appeared in the film ‘Birth’, which was an average grosser at the box office and among critics.
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Danny was offered a key role in the Martin Scorsese-directed film ‘The Aviator’. The biographical drama film had Leonardo DiCaprio playing the lead role, while Danny appeared as Jack Frye in it. It was a huge critical and commercial success and was nominated for 11 Academy Awards, winning five of them.
In 2005, he played the important role of Sandy Woodrow in the political thriller film ‘The Constant Gardener’. It was nominated for four Academy Awards and many others across the globe. The movie is known as one of Danny’s most critically acclaimed films.
Danny became part of yet another multiple Academy award nominated film in 2006 when he starred in ‘Children of Men’. The dystopian thriller film had him playing Nigel, a high-ranking government office, in a futuristic land. The movie featured in top 10 films lists of ‘The Washington post’ and the ‘San Francisco Chronicle’.
In the 2000s, he played supporting and main roles in many critically and commercially acclaimed films, such as ’30 Days of Night’, ‘The Kingdom’ and ‘Robin Hood’.
More recently, he was seen playing the main villain, Erich Ludendorff, in ‘Wonder Woman’ (2017), one of the most successful DC cinematic universe films. He has also made noted appearances in films, such as ‘Game Night’ (2017) and ‘Frankenstein’ (2015).
As far as his television career is concerned, he has played supporting roles in series, such as ‘Magic City’, ‘Masters of Sex’ and ‘Yellowstone’.
Family & Personal Life
Danny Huston married actress Virginia Madsen on September 2, 1989. The couple divorced in 1992.
He got married to Katie Jane Evans in 2001 and had a daughter with her, named Stella. Their marriage did not last very long, and they separated in 2006. Katie committed suicide in 2008, right before their divorce was finalized.
In 2012, he dated actress Olga Kurylenko.
Facts About Danny Huston
Danny Huston is a multitalented individual who not only acts but also directs and writes for film and television.
Despite coming from a family with a strong acting background (his father is John Huston and his half-sister is Anjelica Huston), Danny has carved out his own successful career in the entertainment industry.
He is known for his distinctive deep voice, which adds a unique and commanding presence to his on-screen performances.
Outside of his acting work, Danny is also a skilled photographer and has exhibited his work in galleries around the world.
Danny Huston is a dedicated environmentalist and has been involved in various conservation efforts to protect wildlife and natural habitats.
