Daniel Sunjata

Daniel Sunjata Condon (born December 30, 1971) is an American actor. He is known for his role as Franco Rivera in the FX television series Rescue Me. Sunjata has received acclaim for his more recent role as Adam Karadec in the ABC television series High Potential.

Early life and education Sunjata was born and raised in Evanston, Illinois, a suburb north of Chicago. He is the adopted son of Bill and Catherine Condon, a police dispatcher and a civil rights worker. His adoptive parents are of Irish and Italian-German descent. He is named in honor of the Mandinka king Sundiata Keita, founder of the Mali Empire; the name means "hungry lion." He was told his biological mother was a white teenager who had run away from home and his father was African-American. He graduated from Mount Carmel High School in Chicago, where he played linebacker for two state championship football teams. After attending Florida A&M University, he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and a Master of Fine Arts from the Graduate Acting Program at New York University Tisch School of the Arts.

Career Sunjata played the role of a sailor on shore leave on the first post-9/11 themed episode of Sex and the City. He portrayed poet Langston Hughes in the film Brother to Brother (2004) and James Holt, a fashion designer, in The Devil Wears Prada (2006).

He starred as firefighter Franco Rivera on the television program Rescue Me. During the summer of 2007, he also starred in the ESPN miniseries The Bronx is Burning as Reggie Jackson. He appeared as a Special Forces Operative in Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Rises (2012).

In 2003, he won a Theatre World Award for his breakout Broadway performance as a gay Major League Baseball player who comes out to the public in Take Me Out, the Tony award-winning play, which also earned him nominations for a Tony Award and Drama Desk Award.

From 2010–2011, Sunjata played "Nurse Eli" on the TV series Grey's Anatomy and had a relationship with Dr. Miranda Bailey.

Beginning in 2013, he played FBI agent Paul Briggs on Graceland, which aired on USA Network. The show was canceled in 2015 after 3 seasons. He also starred as Dante "Mecca" Spears, the past lover of Monet, in Power Book II: Ghost on Starz for season 2.

Since 2024, Sunjata has starred as Detective Adam Karadec in the ABC/Hulu series High Potential.

Filmography

Film Year Title Role Notes 1998 Twelfth Night, or What You Will Valentine TV movie 2001 The Feast of All Saints Christophe Mercier TV movie 2002 Bad Company CIA Agent Carew 2004 Brother to Brother Langston Hughes Noel Marco Melinda and Melinda Billy Wheeler 2006 The Devil Wears Prada James Holt 2009 Ghosts of Girlfriends Past Brad Loose Change 9/11: An American Coup The Narrator 2010 At Risk Detective Win Garano TV movie The Front Detective Win Garano TV movie Weakness Alejandro 2012 One for the Money Ranger Gone Powers Generation Um... Charles The Dark Knight Rises Captain Jones 2014 Lullaby Officer Ramirez 2017 Small Town Crime Detective Whitman 2021 Christmas...Again?! Mike Clybourne TV movie

Television Year Title Role Notes 2000 D.C. Lewis Freeman Main Cast Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Bomb Squad Officer Episode: "Remorse" 2001 All My Children Zachary Pell Regular Cast 2002 Sex and the City Louis Leroy, USN Episode: "Anchors Away" 2002–04 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit CSU Technician Burt Trevor Recurring Cast: Seasons 3-5 2003 Ed Danny Martin Episode: "The Case" 2004–11 Rescue Me Franco Rivera Main Cast 2005 Law & Order Kenny Tremont Episode: "Mammon" 2006 Love Monkey Diego Recurring Cast 2007 The Bronx is Burning Reggie Jackson Main Cast 2008 Great Performances Christian de Neuvillette Episode: "Cyrano de Bergerac" 2009 Lie to Me Andrew Jenkins Episode: "Blinded" 2010 30 Rock Chris Episode: "College" 2010–11 Grey's Anatomy Nurse Eli Recurring Cast: Seasons 7-8 2012–13 Smash Peter Gillman Recurring Cast: Season 2 2013–15 Graceland FBI Senior Agent Paul Briggs Main Cast 2016 Notorious Jake Gregorian Main Cast 2017 Animal Kingdom Smurf's Criminal Lawyer Episode: "Betrayal" 2018–20 Manifest Danny Recurring Cast: Season 1, Guest: Season 2 2019 Happy! Simon Recurring Cast: Season 2 2020 Prodigal Son Quinton Vosler Episode: "Internal Affairs" #FreeRayshawn SWAT Commander Nick Alvarez Main Cast The Twilight Zone Detective Peter Reece Episode: "The Who of You" The Stand Cobb Episode: "The End" 2021–24 Power Book II: Ghost Dante "Mecca" Spears Main Cast: Season 2, Guest: Season 4 2022 Echoes Charles "Charlie" Davenport Main Cast 2023 The Company You Keep Robert Renway Episode: "All In" 2024–present High Potential Det. Adam Karadec Main Cast

Video games Year Title Role Notes 2002 TOCA Race Driver Nick Landers/James Randall Voice

Theater Year Title Role Notes 1998 Twelfth Night Valentine 2003 Take Me Out Darren Lemming Theatre World AwardNominated – Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a PlayNominated – Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Play 2007 Cyrano de Bergerac Christian De Neuvillette 2013 Macbeth Macduff 2014 The Country House Michael Astor 2018 Saint Joan Dunois, Bastard of Orleans

Awards and nominations Year Awards Category Recipient Outcome 2005 Satellite Award Satellite Award for Best Cast – Television Series "Rescue Me" 2008 NAACP Image Awards NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special "The Bronx Is Burning" 2025 5th Astra TV Awards#Supporting NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special "High Potential"