Biography

John Daniels was born and raised in Gary, Indiana. He attended Butler University in Indianapolis, Indiana. John began his show business career as a songwriter at Capitol Records. Daniels then launched his own magazine called "Elegant." Moreover, John was the executive director of the Black Economic Union in the mid 60s, the manager of the R&B group the Love Machine, and the founder of the popular Los Angeles nightclub Maverick's Flat, which he still owns today. Daniels first became involved with acting after appearing twice on the game show "The Dating Game." John had starring parts in two enjoyably trashy mid-70s blaxploitation pictures: he's super stud hairdresser Mr. Jonathan in Greydon Clark's outrageous "Black Shampoo" and was excellent as cunning, ruthless mack daddy pimp the Baron in Matt Cimber's splendidly sleazy "The Candy Tangerine Man." Other memorable movie roles include a boxer in "Tender Loving Care," rugged bounty hunter Black in the gritty "Bare Knuckles," and vicious top con Yakima Jones in "Mean Dog Blues." Daniels not only had another lead as aspiring music mogul Mike Barnett in "Getting Over," but also wrote the story and served as co-producer.
- IMDb mini biography by: woodyanders

[on acting in blaxploitation movies] To me, it was amusement and I looked at it like this: I basically played myself. I never did anything that I had to go outside myself to do. Playing yourself isn't the easiest thing in the world, because you have to be very relaxed and be conscious of what you do in order to do what they want and do both well at the same time. I think real actors, when you talk about James Earl Jones and people like that, they can play other people. Their craft is to be somebody else perfectly. I played myself and I sincerely believe that Fred Williamson plays himself. That's the way I saw it.

Could I ever be a good actor? I think I could be very good if I decided to concentrate on it. When you become really aware of the tremendous amount of work that you have to put in to reach the level of performance that Jack Nicholson or James Earl Jones or any of the real greats, you have to say to yourself, "I'm not willing to do that." I'm not willing to do that. I'm thankful and grateful for having participated as much as I did, just being me. And I never regretted being away from it. I never had any recriminations or laments, none at all. I'm flattered when somebody even begins to remember something like that. It's amazing that it can mean more 25 years later than it did while it was happening.