Who Is Daniel Sunjata, Does He Have A Wife or Is He Gay?

Quick Facts

Popular for his roles in Rescue Me and Graceland, Daniel Sunjata is an American actor who works consistently in television, film, and theatre. In Graceland, he played one of the undercover agents from various law enforcement agencies. He then moved on to play Franco Rivera, a firefighter of Puerto Rican/Mexican descent in Rescue Me. He delivered a layered and acclaimed performance during his run on the aforementioned series, gaining him public recognition. Since kick-starting his career in 1998, Sunjata has over thirty acting credits under his belt.

Early Life and Acting Career

Daniel Sunjata Condon was born on the 30th of December, 1971 in Chicago. He is biracial and of mixed ethnicities as his birth father was black and his birth mother was a white teenager who ran away from home. Daniel was adopted by a civil rights worker and a police envoy – Bill and Catherine Condon – who are of Italian, German and Irish ethnical backgrounds. They named him ‘Sunjata’ after the African King and founder of the Mali Empire – Sundiata Keita. His name means ‘hungry lion’.

He attended Mount Carmel High School, an all-boys Catholic high school in Chicago. He played football while he was in high school and was a linebacker for two state championship football teams.

After Mount Carmel High School, he attended Florida A&M University and the University of Louisiana at Lafayette for his undergraduate studies. He later attended New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts for his master’s degree in fine arts from the Graduate Acting Program.

Daniel Sunjata began his acting career in 1998 when he made his first appearance on the small screen in the TV film – Twelfth Night, or What You Will. For television, he went on to appear in D.C. as Lewis Freeman, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit as Burt Trevor, Rescue Me as Franco Rivera, The Bronx is Burning as Reggie Jackson, Graceland as Paul Briggs, Notorious as Jake Gregorian, among others.

His movie career began with the 2002 film Bad Company where he played the role of Officer Carew. His career on the big screen continued with appearances on Noel (2004) The Devil Wears Prada (2006), Ghosts of Girlfriends Past (2009), Gone, The Dark Knight Rises (all in 2012), and so on. 

On the theatre front, he starred in the play Take Me Out, Macbeth, The Country House, and Saint Joan. For his role in Take Me Out, he won a Theatre World Award for his breakout performance. He was also nominated for a Drama Desk Award and a Tony Award.

It is all these years of steady roles, diverse characters, and overall wise choices that have brought his total net worth to this present $2 million.

Daniel Sunjata Relationships: Does He Have a Wife?

Daniel Sunjata ought to be awarded for being too secretive with his personal details as one can only find trifle information about his love life on the media. That said, we have been able to gather that the actor reportedly dated Rosalba Sierra in the past. The pair attended several functions together during the possible dating period which obviously sparked the rumor about their affair.

In June 2006, Sunjata and Rosalba were seen together at the Season Four Premiere Screening of Rescue Me, held in New York. In the following year, they also attended Denis Leary Hosts the 7th Annual Bash For the Bravest Cipriani Wall Street. Also in the same year, in the month of November precisely, the duo were spotted at the official opening of the play, Crayno de Bergerac at the Richard Rodgers Theatre.

They were continuously spotted together even in 2008, but the pair has been reported to have gone their separate ways after five years of dating. At the moment, the famed actor is single and has not been linked to any romantic partner – and is yet to make it to the altar with a beautiful bride.

Is Daniel Sunjata Gay?

Following his portrayal of a gay character, Darren Lemming in the stage production, Take Me Out, Daniel Sunjata was speculated to be gay. Another factor that aggravated the rumor was the lack of information about his romantic affairs which he has successfully kept low key. Sunjata, however, has cleared the air about the speculation regarding his sexuality and has stated that he is not gay. He also revealed that he doesn’t find the idea of dating or marrying someone of his profession welcoming.

Also Read: Top 10 Richest People in the world with full biography and details.