It all started when Dan took the stage as a Grandpa in a school production at aged 9. Then he moved onto doing Shelley Berman imitations at his Bar Mitzvah. Oh, then let's not forget a temple production of Man of La Mancha, in which he portrayed Don Quixote (the shortest Cervantes on record). During one performance, one of his 2 inch heels fell off, along with half of his beard. Yet he gamely continued singing and limping, all the while swiping his hands across his face in an attempt to re-adhere the darned thing. Now that's perseverance- something he learned from his Dad. So it was of course ironic that when he finally turned pro, after all those years playing mature gentleman, that he would end up playing teenage juvenile delinquents while he was well into his 20's. Now that he genuinely has matured, physically and otherwise, he's much happier playing villains (Hacker), and nasty dictators (Napoleon in Le Jeu Des Soldats and Last Days of Toussaint L'Ouverture). It's great being able to get up in the morning and not have to put white out under the eyes to look 17 in Happy Days. Dan believes that acting is a noble profession, especially in that moment of magical connection between the actor and the audience. And that is why he loves doing it for its own sake, for its own intrinsic value. He also maintains a strong commitment to his family, for when the chips are down, they are the ones you can truly rely on.