Gillis Daniel is a talented actor whom viewers recognized and loved through the series The Vampire Diaries and The Ancients. In these "vampire" television projects, he brilliantly embodied the image of Elijah Michaelson, the owner of impeccable manners. By the age of 41, Daniel managed to star in about thirty films and TV shows. What is his story?
Gillis Daniel: The Beginning of the Way
The performer of the role of Elijah Michaelson was born in Canada, it happened in March 1976. Gillis Daniel was born in a family far from the art world. The professional activities of his parents are related to medicine. Daniel was still a child when his family moved to the sunlit New Zealand. It was there that his childhood passed.
Gillis made the decision to become an actor as a teenager. His desire upset his parents, who wanted the heir to follow in their footsteps. Mother and father tried to convince their son, but the obstinate young man insisted on his own.
First roles
At first, Daniel Gillis made an attempt to establish himself in New Zealand. The young man made his debut in the series "Street Legal". The episodic role did not bring him fame, but the beginning was laid. Then Daniel for some time moved to Australia, and then to Canada. He earned money as a waiter, dishwasher, saving money. In the end, Gillis managed to collect the amount necessary to move to Los Angeles.
Daniel's first roles were episodic. At the beginning of his career, he appeared in film and television projects, a list of which is proposed below.
- "Soldier's love."
- "Mentors."
- "The youth of Hercules."
- "Cleopatra 2525."
- "Defender".
- "No one will hear you."
- "Jeremiah".
- "Different angles."
- "The Snow Queen".
- "Naval Police: Special Department."
From obscurity to fame
In 2004, he finally managed to attract the attention of Daniel Gillies. The filmography of the actor acquired the tape "Spider-Man 2". In this blockbuster, the young man got even a small but memorable role of astronaut John Jameson. His character harbors hatred for the main character, does everything possible to expose him. Critics praised Gillis' talent.
To consolidate the success of Daniel helped the horror film "The Devil Returns", presented to the audience in the same year. The actor brilliantly coped with the role of student Mark, who is attracted to chilling stories. In search of adventure, his hero goes to an abandoned plantation, where a maniac begins to hunt him. One cannot but note the participation of Gillis in the musical comedy “The Bride and Prejudice”, which is a free interpretation of the novel “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen.
Original vampire
“The Vampire Diaries” is a television project that made Daniel Gillies taste the real glory. Films and series with the actor began to appear even more often after he played the role of Elijah Michaelson. Gillis's hero appears in the second season of The Vampire Diaries.
Elijah is a mysterious vampire who confronts the main characters of the series. The true goals of the mysterious antagonist are revealed only at the end of the second season. Daniel managed to convincingly play a creature endowed with incredible power, living in the world for about a thousand years. His character was liked by many fans of the television project, so it was decided to leave him.
The actor embodied the image of Elijah Michaelson in the TV series “The Ancients”. The original vampire family is forced to fight for survival in New Orleans, at the same time understanding their complex relationships.
What else to see
In what other films and TV shows “Elijah Michaelson” managed to light up to 41 years? A list of other film and television projects with the participation of a talented actor is given below:
- "In the West".
- "Masters of horror."
- "The abduction."
- "The feeling of vision."
- "Do not collide with the stars."
- "Real blood".
- The Broken Kingdom.
- "In the hope of salvation."
- "Special Forces".
- "The Missing Wife of Robert Durst."
