Daniel Joseph Levy (born August 9, 1983)[1][2] is a Canadian actor and filmmaker. He began his career as a television host onMTV Canada. He received international prominence for starring asDavid Rose in theCBC sitcomSchitt's Creek (2015–2020), which he co-created and co-starred in with his father,Eugene Levy.
Levy wonPrimetime Emmy Awards for producing, writing, directing, and acting in the final season ofSchitt's Creek, and the series became the first to win a Primetime Emmy Award in all four major comedy acting categories in a single year.[3] His work on the show also earned him fourCanadian Screen Awards, among other accolades.[4] Levy has since played a supporting role in the romantic comedy filmHappiest Season (2020), and starred in, written and directed the dramaGood Grief (2023).
Levy began his career as one of the original seven co-hosts on the now-defunctMTV Canada flagship seriesMTV Live. He gained prominence as co-host (withJessi Cruickshank) of MTV Canada'sThe After Show and its various incarnations, such asThe Hills: The After Show andThe City: Live After Show.[11] The shows were occasionally broadcast in the United States as well.
FollowingThe After Show's cancellation and Cruickshank's departure, Levy wrote, produced, and starred in his ownChristmas special for MTV,Daniel Levy's Holi-Do's & Don'ts. He also co-hosted theMTV Movie Awards Red Carpet, theX-Factor pre-show, and national coverage of the Vancouver2010 Winter Olympics forCTV.[12] He also ran a leg of the Olympic torch relay.[13] He left MTV Canada in 2011 after five years with the network.[14]
In 2015, Levy formed Not a Real Company Productions (with his fatherEugene Levy and principals Andrew Barnsley and Fred Levy).[16] Their first project was a television pilot withCBC, which resulted inSchitt's Creek.[17] Levy starred in the series alongside his father, sisterSarah Levy,Catherine O'Hara,Annie Murphy, andChris Elliott.[18][19]Schitt's Creek is Not a Real Company Productions' first television series.[20] Levy has spoken publicly about his character's portrayal ofpansexuality, saying, "I think in certain parts of America, David's sexual ambiguity was a big question mark. (But) it was issues like that that I find quite exciting."[21]
For his work onSchitt's Creek, Levy has been nominated for numerous awards, including severalCanadian Screen Awards for writing and acting, winning the awards for Best Comedy Series, Best Writing in a Comedy Program or Series in 2016, and Best Comedy Series in 2019.[22][23] In 2019, the series was nominated for thePrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series.[24] In March 2019, Levy announced that the series was renewed for a sixth and final season, and said the decision to end the series after season six on their own creative terms was a "rare privilege".[25]
In July 2017, it was announced that Levy would hostThe Great Canadian Baking Show withJulia Chan, which had its premiere on November 1 on CBC.[26] On October 30,John Doyle ofThe Globe and Mail criticized the show's first episode in a review, including a critique of Levy's "feyness" while performing as host.[27] While acknowledging the importance of criticism in media, Levy called the use of the wordfeyness "offensive, irresponsible, andhomophobic".[28][29]The Globe'spublic editor Sylvia Stead published a statement on November 9 explaining that "Mr. Doyle was not aware that Mr. Levy was gay and he used the term to mean preciousness". She also acknowledged that, despite the dictionary not defining "fey" as a slur, "we need to understand not just the context of words, but how they evolve and are viewed by communities that may be justly sensitive to a range of meanings."[30] Levy and Chan returned as hosts for the series' second season, which premiered in September 2018.[31] In March 2019, Levy announced via Twitter that he and Chan would not be returning as hosts for the series' third season, citing scheduling conflicts.[32]
In May 2019, he was the keynote speaker atThe Infatuation's annual food festival, EEEEEATSCON.[33]
In January 2020, he and his fatherEugene Levy were guest hosts ofThe Ellen DeGeneres Show, filling in for DeGeneres while she took a day off. They did many of the ordinary host activities including interviewing fellowSchitt's Creek cast membersCatherine O'Hara andAnnie Murphy.[36][37]
In August 2020, Levy enrolled in and began to promote the 12-week self-pacedMassive Open Online Course (MOOC), "Indigenous Canada", hosted by Dr. Tracy Bear (Montreal Lake First Nation) and Dr. Paul Gareau (Métis andFrench Canadian) of theUniversity of Alberta. Levy also hosted twelve livestream interviews with the course instructors and weekly guest speakers to discuss topics related to each of the 12 course modules.[42][non-primary source needed][43] Levy said in a tweet on November 15, 2020, that the weekly discussions were "nothing short of transformational".[44] Levy also encouraged followers of and participants in the course to donate to the University of Alberta's Faculty of Native Studies, the only faculty of its kind in North America, promising to match donations up to $25,000.[45]
In September 2019, Levy signed a three-year deal withABC Signature.[49][50] In September 2021, it was announced that Levy had signed an overall deal withNetflix to write and produce scripted content across film and TV.[50]Good Grief, Levy's directorial debut, was released in limited theaters on December 29, 2023, and released onNetflix on January 5, 2024.[51] The film stars Levy,Ruth Negga,Luke Evans,Himesh Patel,Celia Imrie,David Bradley, andArnaud Valois.[52] Levy described the film as "a love story about friendship".[53]
Levy divides his time between Toronto and Los Angeles, though he has said that London is his "favourite city" after having lived there in 2005.[55]
He initially avoided labelling hissexual orientation publicly,[19] though in a 2015 interview withFlare he was called "a member of the LGBT community".[56] In a 2020 interview withAndy Cohen, Levy said that he is "obviously gay" and has beenout since he was 18.[57]
^abVerner, Amy (December 1, 2007)."The Dan of the hour".The Globe and Mail.Archived from the original on June 8, 2020. RetrievedMay 24, 2019....his high-school days at North Toronto Collegiate Institute.... First at York University and then at Ryerson, he took film production, which did not pan out.
^Brown, Emma (March 15, 2016)."Dan Levy's Family Tree".Interview.Archived from the original on May 22, 2018. RetrievedOctober 15, 2018.At the time, Levy was studying film production at Ryerson University.
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