Daniel Sea

Daniel Sea (born July 26, 1973) is an American filmmaker, actor and musician. They rose to prominence through their role as Max Sweeney on The L Word (2006–2009), the first recurring transmasculine role on television. In 2022, they reprised the role for the sequel series The L Word: Generation Q. They have also acted in films such as Shortbus, Itty Bitty Titty Committee (2007) and The Casserole Club (2011).

As a musician, they were a member of The Gr'ups, Cypher in the Snow, and The Thorns of Life, and have worked on projects with Bitch and Will Schwartz.

Early life Sea was born on July 26, 1973, in Malibu, California. Their parents Melantha Kathleen Tatum-Bobrick and Stuart Wayne Miller were artists and their maternal grandfather Donn Tatum was the CEO of The Walt Disney Company. Sea described their parents as hippies who "left a lot of doors open for me to experiment with my gender expression and life choices".

Sea traveled across Europe and Asia. They hitchhiked through Turkey, did some street theatre and performed as a fire juggler with a traveling circus in Poland. As a punk rocker, Sea and their band often performed in drag. At one point in their world travels, they lived in India for eight months as a man.

Career After Sea returned from Europe, they moved to New York City and decided to re-enter the acting world, giving an audition tape to a friend who worked on The L Word'''s writing staff. Sea then got a call at their restaurant job in New York and was asked to fly to Los Angeles for an audition. about their experience performing the role of Max Sweeney, and about their return to the show.

In their music career, with their girlfriend of the time, Bitch, formerly of Bitch and Animal, Sea helped to form a band called Bitch and the Exciting Conclusion. They were part of the band The Thorns of Life with their longtime friends Blake Schwarzenbach (formerly of Jawbreaker and Jets to Brazil) and Aaron Cometbus (of Pinhead Gunpowder and formerly Crimpshrine). The band toured the West Coast and played in New York City and Philadelphia from fall 2008 through winter 2009. Besides The L Word, Sea's filmography also includes the films Shortbus'' (2006)

In their most recent work as a conceptual artist, Sea works through language, music and memoir in a practice that is expansive, crossing several mediums. In 2018, Sea co-created a decolonial theater piece with Marissa Lôbo and Jota Mombaça collaborating with Brazilian artists Ani Gonzala, Juliana Dos Santos and Indigenous leader Sônia Guajajara.

Personal life Since 2017, Sea has been living between Vienna and California. and a longtime vegan.

Sexuality and gender In 2006, Sea revealed that since they were 19, they only had significant relationships with women, leading them to identify politically as "a lesbian, or a dyke, or on the queer spectrum" but that "every few years it changes, how we want to define it."

Filmography Film Year Title RoleNotes 2006 Shortbus Little Prince 2007 Itty Bitty Titty Committee Calvin 2009 Don't Look Up Tami 2011 The Casserole Club Jerome Holleran L.A.dy Dior Hair StylistShort film Black Moon 2012 The Pyrex Glitch Clarice Starling The Dead and the Living Silver 2025 If You Are Afraid You Put Your Heart into Your Mouth and Smile Mara's father

Television Year Title RoleNotes 2006–2009 The L Word Max Sweeney 44 episodes; main role 2008 Free Radio Themself Episode: ""Lance Gets a Billboard" 2009 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Blake Episode: "Transitions" 2022 The L Word: Generation Q Max Sweeney Episode: "Last to Know"