# Daniel Sunjata
**Daniel Sunjata** (full name Daniel Sunjata Condon) is an American actor who performs in film, television, and theater, best known for playing firefighter Franco Rivera on the FX drama *Rescue Me* and FBI agent Paul Briggs on the [USA Network](https://www.edgepedia.org/usa-network) series *Graceland*.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0839326/) Since 2024 he has played Detective Adam Karadec on the ABC series *High Potential*, opposite [Kaitlin Olson](https://www.edgepedia.org/kaitlin-olson) as Morgan, a single mother with an exceptional mind whose unconventional crime-solving method pairs with his by-the-book detective.[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/daniel-sunjata/) • [3](https://eta.creativecirclecdn.com/sumter/files/20260105-181620-922-Binder1.pdf)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name and birth | Daniel Sunjata Condon, born 1971 in Evanston, Illinois; raised on the south side of Chicago[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/daniel-sunjata/) |
| Adoption and ancestry | Adopted son of Bill and Catherine Condon, a police dispatcher and a civil rights worker; of African American, Irish, and German ancestry[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0839326/) |
| Education | Mount Carmel High School; Florida A&M University; BFA from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette (1995); MFA from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts[4](https://louisiana.edu/news/alum-sunjata-lands-another-big-hollywood-role) |
| Signature stage role | Darren Lemming in Richard Greenberg's *Take Me Out* (Broadway 2003–04); Tony nomination for Best Featured Actor in a Play, plus a Theatre World Award and a Lucille Lortel Award[5](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/daniel-sunjata-69850) • [6](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Daniel-Sunjata/) |
| Signature TV roles | Franco Rivera on *Rescue Me*, 93 episodes over 2004–11; Paul Briggs on *Graceland*, 38 episodes over 2013–15[7](https://graceland.fandom.com/wiki/Daniel_Sunjata) |
| Notable film roles | James Holt in *The Devil Wears Prada* (2006); Captain Jones in *The Dark Knight Rises* (2012)[7](https://graceland.fandom.com/wiki/Daniel_Sunjata) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0839326/) |
| Current series role | Detective Adam Karadec on *High Potential* (2024– )[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/daniel-sunjata/) |
## Early life and education
Sunjata was born in [Evanston, Illinois](https://www.edgepedia.org/evanston-illinois), to a biracial family and was adopted by a white couple, who gave him the middle name Sunjata after the African king who created the empire of Mali; his given name honors the Mandinka king [Sundiata Keita](https://www.edgepedia.org/sundiata-keita), whose name is said to mean "lion of Mali."[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/daniel-sunjata/) IMDb records his adoptive parents, Bill and Catherine Condon, as a police dispatcher and a civil rights worker, and describes his ancestry as mixed African American, Irish, and German.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0839326/) He attended Mount Carmel High School in Chicago and played on two state championship teams before graduation.[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/daniel-sunjata/)
His college path ran through [Florida A&M University](https://www.edgepedia.org/florida-a-and-m-university) in Tallahassee, where he started in business administration before switching to theater, then the University of Southwestern Louisiana (now the [University of Louisiana at Lafayette](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-of-louisiana-at-lafayette)), where he earned a BFA in 1995.[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/daniel-sunjata/) • [4](https://louisiana.edu/news/alum-sunjata-lands-another-big-hollywood-role) While at Lafayette he appeared in productions of *A Soldier's Story* and *The Crucible*, credited under his full name Daniel Sunjata Condon.[4](https://louisiana.edu/news/alum-sunjata-lands-another-big-hollywood-role) He then completed an MFA at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts.[4](https://louisiana.edu/news/alum-sunjata-lands-another-big-hollywood-role)
## Theater career
**Broadway debut.** Sunjata's Broadway debut came in the 1998 [Lincoln Center](https://www.edgepedia.org/lincoln-center) revival of Shakespeare's *Twelfth Night*, in which he played [Valentine](https://www.edgepedia.org/valentine), attendant to Orsino ([Paul Rudd](https://www.edgepedia.org/paul-rudd)), and understudied the Orsino role opposite Helen Hunt and Kyra Sedgwick.[5](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/daniel-sunjata-69850) • [8](https://playbill.com/article/stage-to-screens-tony-nominee-sunjata-does-tv-series-vet-gugino-debuts-on-broadway-com-120689) Earlier stage work included Lord Sand in *Henry VIII* at the Public Theater's Delacorte in 1997 and *Twelfth Night* at the Guthrie Theater.[9](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/sunjata-daniel) • [7](https://graceland.fandom.com/wiki/Daniel_Sunjata)
**Take Me Out.** His breakthrough was Darren Lemming in Richard Greenberg's *Take Me Out*, a play about a major league baseball star who announces he is gay. It premiered at the Public Theater, moved to Broadway's Walter Kerr Theatre, and ran from February 2003 to January 2004; the production won the Tony Award for Best Play.[10](https://playbill.com/article/daniel-sunjata-tony-nominated-as-baseball-star-says-take-me-out-script-is-a-home-run-com-113369) • [7](https://graceland.fandom.com/wiki/Daniel_Sunjata) Sunjata's performance earned a Tony nomination for Best Featured Actor in a Play, plus the Theatre World Award, a Lucille Lortel Award for outstanding lead actor, and a Drama Desk nomination.[5](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/daniel-sunjata-69850) • [9](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/sunjata-daniel) In a 2004 Playbill interview he called the part significant in another way: "It was the first time that I read a part for a person of mixed race, and I happened to fit the bill."[8](https://playbill.com/article/stage-to-screens-tony-nominee-sunjata-does-tv-series-vet-gugino-debuts-on-broadway-com-120689)
He returned to Broadway as Christian opposite [Kevin Kline](https://www.edgepedia.org/kevin-kline)'s Cyrano in the 2007–08 revival of *Cyrano de Bergerac*, as Macduff in Lincoln Center's 2013 *Macbeth* with [Ethan Hawke](https://www.edgepedia.org/ethan-hawke), as Michael Astor in *The Country House* with [Blythe Danner](https://www.edgepedia.org/blythe-danner) (2014), and as Dunois in *Saint Joan* (2018).[7](https://graceland.fandom.com/wiki/Daniel_Sunjata) • [5](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/daniel-sunjata-69850)
## Television
After a television debut on the WB political drama *D.C.* as Lewis Freeman, Sunjata's major break came with *Rescue Me*, the FX drama starring [Denis Leary](https://www.edgepedia.org/denis-leary), in which he played firefighter Franco Rivera for seven seasons from 2004 to 2011, totaling 93 episodes.[7](https://graceland.fandom.com/wiki/Daniel_Sunjata) • [11](https://www.tribute.ca/people/biography/daniel-sunjata/39002/) In the same period he played poet [Langston Hughes](https://www.edgepedia.org/langston-hughes) in the 2004 film *Brother to Brother* and baseball great [Reggie Jackson](https://www.edgepedia.org/reggie-jackson) on the 2007 ESPN miniseries *The Bronx Is Burning*, with Jackson's self-confidence putting him at odds with his 1977 Yankees teammates.[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/daniel-sunjata/)
After *Rescue Me* ended, Sunjata told TheWrap he had not wanted another series regular job, saying the experience had begun to feel monotonous.[12](https://www.thewrap.com/gracelands-daniel-sunjata-i-didnt-really-want-do-tv-after-rescue-me-98716/) *Graceland* changed his mind. The USA drama, about undercover FBI, DEA, and Customs agents sharing a beachfront house once owned by an Elvis Presley fan, cast him as Paul Briggs, the seasoned FBI agent who reluctantly mentors rookie Mike Warren (Aaron Tveit); he played the role for 38 episodes across 2013–15.[4](https://louisiana.edu/news/alum-sunjata-lands-another-big-hollywood-role) • [7](https://graceland.fandom.com/wiki/Daniel_Sunjata) Discussing the role with Backstage, Sunjata noted that undercover officers "have to have the skills of actors," because a performance that fails costs more than a bad review.[13](https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/buddhist-concept-shaped-daniel-sunjatas-acting-12832/)
Subsequent television work includes recurring and guest parts on *Grey's Anatomy* (Eli Lloyd, 8 episodes), *Smash*, *30 Rock*, *Notorious* (Jake Gregorian, 10 episodes), *Manifest*, *The Stand* (Cobb), and *Power Book II: Ghost* (Mecca).[7](https://graceland.fandom.com/wiki/Daniel_Sunjata) He also starred as Win Garano in the Patricia Cornwell adaptations *At Risk* and *The Front* (2010), both opposite Andie MacDowell.[7](https://graceland.fandom.com/wiki/Daniel_Sunjata) In *High Potential*, running since 2024, he returned to a leading series role as the procedural-minded Adam Karadec working alongside Morgan's intuition-driven methods.[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/daniel-sunjata/)
## Film
Sunjata's screen career spans both blockbusters and independent features. He played the rising fashion designer James Holt in *The Devil Wears Prada* (2006), a role created for the film that does not appear in the original novel, and appeared in *Bad Company*, Woody Allen's *Melinda and Melinda* (2004), *Noel* (2004), *Ghosts of Girlfriends Past* (2009), *One for the Money* (2012) with Katherine Heigl, the thriller *Gone* (2012) with Amanda Seyfried, and *Small Town Crime* (2017).[7](https://graceland.fandom.com/wiki/Daniel_Sunjata) • [2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/daniel-sunjata/) In *The Dark Knight Rises* (2012) he played Captain Jones; that film earned $1.08 billion at the box office, the largest of his filmography, which totals $1.53 billion across 21 rated films with a mean rating of 5.8 on the AuteurGraph compilation.[14](https://auteurgraph.com/person/daniel-sunjata/ratings) His best-rated film on that scale is also *The Dark Knight Rises*, with an average score of 83.2.[14](https://auteurgraph.com/person/daniel-sunjata/ratings)
## Public life
In his public life, Sunjata has openly supported the 9/11 Truth Movement, which questioned official accounts of the events of September 11, 2001, and he was seen at publicity events wearing shirts bearing 9/11-related slogans.[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/daniel-sunjata/) He also narrated the 2009 documentary *Loose Change 9/11: An American Coup*, listed in his filmography.[15](https://www.cinemagia.ro/actori/daniel-sunjata-43921/)
## References
1. [Daniel Sunjata, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0839326/)
2. [Daniel Sunjata, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/daniel-sunjata/)
3. [Sumter newspaper PDF featuring High Potential description](https://eta.creativecirclecdn.com/sumter/files/20260105-181620-922-Binder1.pdf)
4. [Alum Sunjata lands another big Hollywood role, University of Louisiana at Lafayette](https://louisiana.edu/news/alum-sunjata-lands-another-big-hollywood-role)
5. [Daniel Sunjata, IBDB](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/daniel-sunjata-69850)
6. [Daniel Sunjata, BroadwayWorld](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Daniel-Sunjata/)
7. [Daniel Sunjata, Graceland Wiki (Fandom)](https://graceland.fandom.com/wiki/Daniel_Sunjata)
8. [STAGE TO SCREENS: Tony Nominee Sunjata Does TV, Playbill (2004)](https://playbill.com/article/stage-to-screens-tony-nominee-sunjata-does-tv-series-vet-gugino-debuts-on-broadway-com-120689)
9. [Sunjata, Daniel, Encyclopedia.com](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/sunjata-daniel)
10. [Daniel Sunjata, Tony-Nominated as Baseball Star, Playbill (2003)](https://playbill.com/article/daniel-sunjata-tony-nominated-as-baseball-star-says-take-me-out-script-is-a-home-run-com-113369)
11. [Daniel Sunjata Biography, Tribute.ca](https://www.tribute.ca/people/biography/daniel-sunjata/39002/)
12. ['Graceland' Star Daniel Sunjata: 'I Didn't Really Want to Do TV' After 'Rescue Me', TheWrap](https://www.thewrap.com/gracelands-daniel-sunjata-i-didnt-really-want-do-tv-after-rescue-me-98716/)
13. [The Buddhist Concept that Shaped Daniel Sunjata's Acting, Backstage (2014)](https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/buddhist-concept-shaped-daniel-sunjatas-acting-12832/)
14. [Daniel Sunjata Ratings, AuteurGraph](https://auteurgraph.com/person/daniel-sunjata/ratings)
15. [Daniel Sunjata, CineMagia.ro](https://www.cinemagia.ro/actori/daniel-sunjata-43921/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › American actors: 2000s onward › Surnames Sp to S*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license