Greg Daniels

Gregory Martin Daniels Bio

Gregory Martin Daniels is an American screenwriter, television producer, and director who has shaped contemporary U.S. television. A Harvard University alumnus, he began his career writing for Not Necessarily the News before joining Saturday Night Live and The Simpsons. Daniels co-created The Office (U.S.) and Parks and Recreation, and helped develop King of the Hill, earning recognition for his character-driven humor and inventive storytelling. Beyond his creator roles, he has produced and written across NBC, Netflix, and Amazon projects, including Space Force and Upload, and collaborated with Mike Judge and Mindy Kaling on multiple series. His work has earned numerous Emmy nominations and wins, reflecting a long, influential career spanning animated classics and acclaimed live-action comedies.

Early Life and Background

Gregory Martin Daniels was born on June 13, 1963, in New York City, the son of Judy, who worked at the New York Public Library, and Aaron Daniels, who was president of ABC Radio Network. Daniels stated that he became interested in comedy by watching Monty Python’s Flying Circus as a child, as well as reading books by humorist S.J. Perelman at age 11. His first joke was a Carnac the Magnificent joke for his father which was later used for The Office episode, “The Dundies”. Daniels attended Phillips Exeter Academy and then Harvard University where he wrote for the Harvard Lampoon with Conan O’Brien. After graduating in 1985, the two accepted jobs at Not Necessarily the News, but they were soon fired due to budget cuts.

Path to Television Writing

Daniels and O’Brien met Lorne Michaels in late 1987 and were given a three-week try-out in the Saturday Night Live writing staff. While on the staff, Daniels won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Program. Daniels left the writing staff in 1990. Daniels joined the writing staff of the Fox show The Simpsons in 1993, where he wrote several classic episodes including “Secrets of a Successful Marriage”, “Lisa’s Wedding” and “Bart Sells His Soul” and supervised “22 Short Films About Springfield”.

Gregory Martin Daniels Career

Early Career (1987-1997)

Daniels began his professional career in 1987 when he joined the writing staff of Saturday Night Live, where he earned an Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Program. He then transitioned to writing for The Simpsons in 1993, where he contributed several acclaimed episodes including “Homer and Apu”, “Lisa’s Wedding”, and “Bart Sells His Soul”. During this period, Daniels developed his distinctive style of character-driven comedy and observational humor that would become hallmarks of his later work.

Breakthrough (1997-2005)

Daniels left The Simpsons to work on King of the Hill in 1997 alongside Mike Judge. Daniels rewrote the pilot script and created several important characters that did not appear in Judge’s first draft. He also took the writers to Texas to do research, a process he would use for The Office and Parks and Recreation. Judge was so pleased with Daniels’ contributions that he chose to credit him as a co-creator, rather than give him the “developer” credit usually reserved for individuals brought on to a pilot written by someone else.

Notable Works and Milestones

In 2005, Daniels adapted the popular BBC mockumentary series The Office for American audiences. The series initially received mixed reviews, so the writers worked to make it more “optimistic” and make the lead character, Michael Scott, more likable. The second season was significantly better received and it was named the second best TV series of 2006 by James Poniewozik, who wrote that “Producer Greg Daniels created not a copy but an interpretation that sends up distinctly American work conventions with a tone that’s more satiric and less mordant.” He gave the acceptance speech at the 58th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards when the American version of The Office won the award for Outstanding Comedy Series.

Breakthrough (2005-2015)

Following the success of The Office, Ben Silverman asked Daniels to create a spin-off for the series. After considering several ideas, Daniels and co-creator Michael Schur eventually decided that the series would not get a spin-off because they “couldn’t find the right fit.” After Amy Poehler agreed to play the lead, they decided their new series would revolve around an optimistic female bureaucrat in small-town government. The series initially received mixed reviews, much like The Office in the first season, but after a re-approach to its format and tone, the later seasons received critical acclaim. For four years, he split his time between The Office and Parks and Recreation, before eventually returning as full-time showrunner for The Office for its ninth and final season.

Recent Projects (2015-Present)

In 2021, Daniels and King of the Hill co-creator Mike Judge reunited to form an animation company called Bandera Entertainment, to “expand the format to include as many subgenres as live-action fare.” Their first produced series was Anna Drezen’s Praise Petey, which premiered on July 21, 2023, on Freeform and Hulu, and received mostly positive reviews. Other series produced by Daniels and Judge include an adaptation of Exploding Kittens for Netflix, a reboot of King of the Hill for Hulu which premiered on August 4, 2025, Zach Woods and Brandon Gardner’s In the Know, and Common Side Effects for Adult Swim.

Gregory Martin Daniels Award Nominations

Daniels has been nominated for twenty-one Emmy Awards throughout his career for his work on various television series including Saturday Night Live, The Simpsons, King of the Hill, The Office, and Parks and Recreation. His nominations span across categories for Outstanding Comedy Series, Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series, and Outstanding Individual Achievement in Music and Lyrics.

Gregory Martin Daniels Awards Won

Daniels has won five Emmy Awards throughout his career, including Outstanding Writing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Program for Saturday Night Live, Outstanding Comedy Series for The Office, and Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series for his work on the same show. His award-winning work has significantly influenced American television comedy.

Gregory Martin Daniels Family

Daniels met Susanne Dari Lieberstein while she was Lorne Michaels’ assistant at Saturday Night Live and they eventually married in 1991. She is the sister of Paul Lieberstein, writer for King of the Hill and the replacement showrunner of The Office for Daniels. Daniels and Susanne have four children, including Owen. He was also the brother-in-law to The Office cast member Angela Kinsey until her divorce from The Office writer Warren Lieberstein in 2010.

Personal Life

Daniels has maintained a relatively private personal life while building his successful career in television comedy. He has been married to Susanne Lieberstein since 1991, and they have four children together. His family connections to television include being the brother-in-law to both Paul Lieberstein and former The Office writer Warren Lieberstein. Daniels continues to work in the industry while balancing his family life, most recently reuniting with Mike Judge to form Bandera Entertainment in 2021.