Daniel Kyri
Daniel Kyri (born October 10, 1994) is an American actor, best known for portraying firefighter Darren Ritter on Chicago Fire.
Early life and education
[edit]Kyri was born on October 10, 1994[1] and grew up on the South Side of Chicago.[2] He performed in plays as a child,[3] crediting his mother for his love of the arts and enrolling him in the After School Matters program when he was 13.[4] In 2007, he appeared in the controversial CBS reality show Kid Nation, when he was 14-years-old going by the name D.K.[3] and winning a $20,000 "gold star" awarded by his peers.[5]
Kyri attended the University of Illinois at Chicago, graduating with a BA in Theater Performance.[3]
Career
[edit]Kyri starred in the 2014 short film Perfect Day as Desmond, a composite character based on Derrion Albert.[6] He had roles in Chicago theater productions including Moby Dick, Macbeth and Ms. Blakk for President.[2][3][4][7] In 2015, he portrayed Logan in the film Henry Gamble's Birthday Party, and Brock in the TV mini-series Saranormal.[3] In 2017, he was nominated for a Joseph Jefferson Equity Award for Principal Actor in a Play for Objects in the Mirror at the Goodman Theatre.[8]
In 2018, Kyri had the title role in the Gift Theatre production of Hamlet, giving what the Chicago Tribune called "a standout performance."[3] With Bea Cordelia, he co-wrote and starred in a web series called The T about the relationship between a white trans woman and a Black queer man in Chicago.[2] It premiered with a screening at the Chicago Cultural Center.[9]
Kyri auditioned for Chicago Fire in 2018, with the role of Darren Ritter initially intended to last 2-3 episodes. He was a recurring guest appearing in most episodes over the next two years, before being promoted to series regular in August 2020.[2][10] He has a role as a YouTube paranormal investigator in the 2022 Shudder lo-fi horror film Night's End.[11][12]
Awards and honors
[edit]- Chicago Reader Best Actor 2017[13]
- Windy City Times 30 under 30[13]
Personal life
[edit]Kyri identifies as queer.[2][14] He has said, "I can't say I had very many examples, of Black queer people growing up ... I spent a lot of my youth lost at sea, reconciling with my sexuality."[8]
Filmography
[edit]Film
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Perfect Day | Desmond | Short film |
| 2015 | Unexpected | David | Uncredited |
| Henry Gamble's Birthday Party | Logan | ||
| 2019 | Mantoru | Young Warrior | Short film |
| 2020 | The Thing About Harry | Volunteer | Television film |
| Killing Eleanor | Will | ||
| 2022 | Night's End | Dark Corners |
Television
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Kid Nation | Himself | Reality show |
| 2017 | Sarahnormal | Brock | |
| 2018 | Chicago Med | Lane Tucker | Episode: "Devil in Disguise" |
| The T | Carter | 6 episodes | |
| 2018–present | Chicago Fire | Darren Ritter | |
| 2019 | Chicago P.D. | Episode: "Infection, Part III" | |
| 2020 | Acting for a Cause | Mika | Episode: "Hit the Wall" |
References
[edit]- ^ Raiford, Tiffany (March 2022). "10 Things You Didn't Know about Daniel Kyri". TV Over Mind. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
- ^ a b c d e Gao, Max (September 29, 2021). "How 'Chicago Fire' actor Daniel Kyri gave 'justice' to his character's coming out story". NBC News. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f Schoon, Christian (March 14, 2022). "The Transformation Of Daniel Kyri From Childhood To Chicago Fire". Looper. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
- ^ a b Moore, Evan F. (January 4, 2021). "For Daniel Kyri, it's 'an honor' to represent Black, gay people on 'Chicago Fire'". Chicago Sun Times. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
- ^ "Episode 106: Bonanza is Disgusting!". CBS. Archived from the original on October 28, 2007. Retrieved April 28, 2019.
- ^ "Perfect Day". Queens World Film Festival.
- ^ Green, Jesse (June 4, 2019). "Review: In 'Ms. Blakk for President,' a Winning Losing Campaign". The New York Times. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
- ^ a b Zacarias, Michelle (October 11, 2019). "Chicago actors Theo Germaine and Daniel Kyri push boundaries of queer representation". People's World. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
- ^ Melt, H. (July 31, 2018). "Bea Cordelia and Daniel Kyri's webseries The T is a love letter to queer and trans friendship in Chicago". Chicago Reader. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
- ^ Warner, Sam (September 1, 2020). "Chicago Fire star promoted to series regular for season 9". Digital Spy. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
- ^ Sobczynski, Peter (March 31, 2022). "Reviews:Night's End". Rogert Ebert.com. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
- ^ Vejvoda, Jim (March 3, 2022). "Night's End: Exclusive Trailer and Poster for New Exorcism Film". IGN Africa. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
- ^ a b Eugene, Rebecca (September 29, 2021). "Daniel Kyri Talks About Season 10 of 'Chicago Fire'". The Knockturnal. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
- ^ Richardson, Randi (June 9, 2023). "'Vibe attracts tribe': 'Chicago Fire' star Daniel Kyri is thriving in his 'unapologetic era'". NBC News. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
External links
[edit]- Daniel Kyri at IMDb
- 1996 births
- 21st-century American male actors
- African-American LGBTQ people
- American male film actors
- American male stage actors
- American male television actors
- American queer male actors
- LGBTQ people from Illinois
- Living people
- Male actors from Chicago
- Participants in American reality television series
- University of Illinois Chicago alumni