Daniel Breaker (born June 2, 1980) is an American actor and comedian. He is best known for playing Donkey in ''

Shrek The Musical ''Shrek The Musical'' is a musical with music by Jeanine Tesori and book and lyrics by David Lindsay-Abaire. It is based on the 2001 DreamWorks Animation film ''Shrek'', along with elements of its sequels: '' Shrek 2'', '' Shrek Forever Afte ...

''.

Career

Beginning his career in 2002, immediately after graduating from Juilliard, Breaker has performed in Off-Broadway,

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, and

U.S. The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territor ...

regional theatre productions. He performed in five plays at the Shakespeare Theatre in Washington D.C. His first major role was the Youth, protagonist of the Off-Broadway premiere of ''

Passing Strange ''Passing Strange'' is a comedy-drama rock musical about a young African American's artistic journey of self-discovery, with strong elements of philosophical existentialism, metafiction (especially self-referential humor), and the artistic jo ...

'', for which he won an Obie Award in 2008. He was then nominated for a

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

for the show's Broadway transfer, in which he again played the Youth; he also played this role in

Spike Lee Shelton Jackson "Spike" Lee (born March 20, 1957) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. His production company, 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks, has produced more than 35 films since 1983. He made his directorial debut ...

's filmed version of the musical. Breaker has also been a guest star on TV. One of his most recognizable roles was Donkey in the original Broadway production of ''

'', which ran from November 2008 through January 2010. He starred alongside long-time Broadway stars Brian d'Arcy James,

Sutton Foster Sutton Lenore Foster (born March 18, 1975) is an American actress, singer and dancer. She is known for her work on the Broadway stage, for which she has won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical twice, in 2002 for her role as Millie Di ...

John Tartaglia John Nicholas Tartaglia (; born February 16, 1978) is an American actor, singer, and puppeteer. Early life Tartaglia was born in Maple Shade Township, New Jersey, and graduated from Upper Dublin High School in Fort Washington, Pennsylvania, in ...

, and

Christopher Sieber Christopher Luverne Sieber (born February 18, 1969) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles Kevin Burke in '' Two of a Kind (American TV series)'' and Agatha Trunchbull in ''Matilda the Musical''. He was nominated for the Tony Aw ...

. For his portrayal, Breaker earned a

Drama Desk Award The Drama Desk Award is an annual prize recognizing excellence in New York theatre. First bestowed in 1955 as the Vernon Rice Award, the prize initially honored Off-Broadway productions, as well as Off-off-Broadway, and those in the vicinity. Fo ...

nomination for Outstanding Actor in a Musical. His voice can be heard on the original cast recording of the show. He has also appeared in the plays ''

Well A well is an excavation or structure created in the ground by digging, driving, or drilling to access liquid resources, usually water. The oldest and most common kind of well is a water well, to access groundwater in underground aquifers. T ...

'' and ''

Cymbeline ''Cymbeline'' , also known as ''The Tragedie of Cymbeline'' or ''Cymbeline, King of Britain'', is a play by William Shakespeare set in Ancient Britain () and based on legends that formed part of the Matter of Britain concerning the early Celti ...

''. In 2009, he co-hosted the Obie Awards. Breaker previously played Mafala Hatimbi in ''The Book of Mormon'' on Broadway. He also appeared as the King of Navarre in

The Public Theater The Public Theater is a New York City arts organization founded as the Shakespeare Workshop in 1954 by Joseph Papp, with the intention of showcasing the works of up-and-coming playwrights and performers.Epstein, Helen. ''Joe Papp: An American L ...

's Shakespeare in the Park production of the ''

Love's Labour's Lost ''Love's Labour's Lost'' is one of William Shakespeare's early comedies, believed to have been written in the mid-1590s for a performance at the Inns of Court before Queen Elizabeth I. It follows the King of Navarre and his three companions as ...

'' musical. He played Aaron Burr in '' Hamilton'' in Chicago and joined the musical's Broadway cast. Since 2021, he has been part of the supporting cast of the

Peacock Peafowl is a common name for three bird species in the genera ''Pavo (genus), Pavo'' and ''Afropavo'' within the tribe Pavonini of the family Phasianidae, the pheasants and their allies. Male peafowl are referred to as peacocks, and female pea ...

show ''

Girls5Eva ''Girls5eva'' is an American musical comedy television series created by Meredith Scardino that premiered on May 6, 2021, on Peacock. The series centers on four women who were part of a girl group named Girls5eva, which was briefly popular arou ...

''.

Personal life

Breaker has been married to theatre director

Kate Whoriskey Kate Whoriskey (born 1970)
by Misha Berson, Seattle Times, September 4, 2010 is a freelance thea ...

since 2008. They have two children.

Stage credits

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Breaker, Daniel 1980 births 21st-century American comedians 21st-century American male actors African-American male actors American male comedians American male film actors American male musical theatre actors American male stage actors American male television actors Living people Male actors from Kansas People from Manhattan, Kansas Theatre World Award winners 20th-century African-American male singers 21st-century African-American people