Ben Daniels made his screen debut in the 1987 British comedy-drama film ‘Wish You Were Here,’ directed by David Leland. The film was lauded by critics and received an 85% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. That same year, he also appeared in the John Mackenzie-directed British Cold War spy film ‘The Fourth Protocol.’ The film opened to a positive reception and holds a 74% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. He next starred in films like ‘The Lost Language of Cranes’ (1991), ‘The Bridge’ (1992), ‘Beautiful Thing’ (1995), ‘Passion in the Desert’ (1997), ‘I Want You’ (1998), ‘Madeline’ (1998), ‘Fanny and Elvis’ (1999), ‘Britannic’ (2000), and ‘Conspiracy’ (2001). In 2002, he joined the cast of the BBC television drama series ‘Cutting It’ as ‘Finn Bevan.’ He starred in 3 seasons and took his exit from the show in 2004. He continued to appear in television series like ‘Real Men’ (2003), ‘Agatha Christie's Marple’ (2004), ‘Spooks’ (2005), and ‘The Virgin Queen’ (2005). In 2005, he portrayed ‘Eric "Goat" Fantom’ in the science fiction film ‘Doom,’ directed by Andrzej Bartkowiak. The film was panned by critics and was a commercial failure. He was next seen in television series and films such as ‘The State Within’ (2006), ‘Who Killed Mrs De Ropp?’ (2007), ‘Lark Rise to Candleford’ (2008), and ‘The Passion’ (2008).
In 2009, he became a part of the British police procedural and legal television program ‘Law & Order: UK,’ created by Dick Wolf. He played the role of ‘James Steel’ and remained a part of the show until 2011. Daniels continued to star in television films and series like ‘The Last Days of Lehman Brothers’ (2009), ‘Women in Love’ (2011), ‘Merlin’ (2011), ‘House of Cards’ (2013-2014), ‘The Paradise’ (2013), ‘Jamaica Inn’ (2014), and ‘Flesh and Bone’ (2015). In 2016, he starred as ‘General Antoc Merrick’ in the Gareth Edwards-directed American epic space opera film ‘Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.’ The film received positive reviews from critics and was a massive box office success, grossing over $1.058 billion on a budget of $200–265 million. That same year, he also became a part of the American supernatural horror television series ‘The Exorcist’ where he grabbed the role of ‘Father Marcus Keane.’ The series ran for 2 seasons and aired its final episode in 2017. He next appeared in films and television series like ‘The Simpsons’ (2017), ‘The Crown’ (2019), and ‘Captive State’ (2019). He was last seen in the 2021 biographical drama film ‘Benediction,’ directed by Terence Davies. The film holds a 94% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
