Out Brit Actor Ben Daniels to Co-Star with Laura Linney in Dangerous Liaisons

Ben Daniels probably isn't a name that rings familiar to most American audiences, but the Olivier Award winning actor is a pretty big deal in his native U.K. He's also a big deal (or should be) to us 'mos as he's been a successful out actor for ages. Playbill just announced that us Yanks will soon have the chance to see Daniel's in person when he takes on the role of Valmont opposite Laura Linney in The Roundabout Theater's revival of Les Liaisons Dangereuses. Glenn Close and John Malkovich fans might be most familiar with the play thanks to the fantastic Stephen Frear's 1988 film adaptation.

I first remember seeing Daniel's in one of my favorite gay movies Beautiful Thing where he played Tony, the love interest to gay boy Jamie's mom. It's silly of me, but Daniel's was so convincing in the role of a totally cool and accepting slacker that when I first heard he was gay, I kept having a hard time believing it.

American audiences most recently had the chance to see Daniel's in BBC America's thriller The State Within where he played gay. The production opens May 1st and I'm definitely looking forward to catching Mr. Daniels! (Oh, and catching Laura Linney will be fantastic, too.)