Cinematographer. A native of Cleveland, Ohio, he graduated from USC in 1917 and joined Universal as an assistant cameraman. Within a year he was the studio's chief camera operator and was promoted to director of photography in 1921. Daniels acquired his eye for significant detail from director Erich von Stroheim, serving as his co-photographer for "Blind Husbands" (1919), "The Devil's Passkey" (1920), "Foolish Wives" (1922), "Merry-Go-Round" (1923), and "Greed" (1925). The latter brought him to MGM, where he would remain under contract for two decades. In 1926 Daniels shot Greta Garbo's American screen debut, "Torrent", and from then on she insisted on his services. Their association would last through 21 films, up to "Ninotchka" (1939). Daniels claimed his lighting of Garbo was no different from that of any other MGM star, and he gained her trust as much through diplomacy as skill. He calmed the temperamental actress's fears by insisting on a closed set and often operated the camera himself on key scenes. Daniels' reputation as "Garbo's Cameraman" has tended to overshadow his versatility and fine accomplishments in other genres. A vivid pictorialist and creative chameleon, he was able to vary his style from one film to another without losing his personal touch. Illness and a contract dispute with Metro kept him inactive during the mid-1940s, but he resurfaced at Universal and won his only Academy Award for the gritty crime drama "The Naked City" (1948). He was also Oscar-nominated for "Anna Christie" (1930), his color photography of "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" (1958), and his collaboration on the Cinerama epic "How the West Was Won" (1962). His 160 other credits include "Flesh and the Devil" (1927), "Grand Hotel" (1932), "Dinner at Eight" (1933), "Queen Christina" (1933), "Anna Karenina" (1935), "Camille" (1937), "The Shop Around the Corner" (1940), "Brute Force" (1947), "Winchester '73" (1950), "Harvey" (1950), "Some Came Running" (1958), "Ocean's 11" (1960), "Von Ryan's Express" (1965), "In Like Flynt" (1967), "Valley of the Dolls" (1967), and "Marlowe" (1969). Daniels was also co-producer of "Robin and the 7 Hoods" (1964), "Marriage on the Rocks" (1965), "None But the Brave" (1965), and "Assault on a Queen" (1966). He was President of the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) from 1961 to 1963.