Danny Huston: Unveiling His Best Roles On Television

Besides having a famous last name in Hollywood, Danny Huston has spent decades making a name for himself. The son of actor and director John Huston and actress Zoe Sallis, movie and television is the only world Danny Huston has ever known. Not one to shy away from it, Huston admits making movies (behind or in front of the camera) is what he has considered his family business.

His talents and connections have seen him star in some of Hollywood’s biggest-budget films and garnered several accolades. Although much of his acting credits have been in film, Huston has also raked up credits on television. Focusing on his work on the small screen, these are Danny Huston’s best performances on television.

You Don’t Know Jack (2010)

You Don’t Know Jack (2010) is Danny Huston’s only television film credit in which he acted. In his other three TV film credits, Mister Corbett’s Ghost (1987), Bigfoot (1987), and The Ice Princess (1996), Huston only worked as a director. In the Barry Levinson-directed made-for-television biopic, Huston starred alongside Al Pacino, John Goodman, and Susan Sarandon. Huston was cast to portray Southfield, Michigan-based attorney Geoffrey Fieger. You Don’t Know Jack tells the story of Dr. Jack Kevorkian (Al Pacino), who developed a method to help terminally ill people end their lives.

The device and drug combinations he created allowed the patients to self-induce the process. Nicknamed “Dr. Death,” Dr. Kevorkian was indicted and tried a record four times. Huston’s character, Geoffrey Fieger, represented Dr. Kevorkian successfully at the trials. However, Dr. Kevorkian chose to represent himself at the court after his indictment for administering the drugs to a crippled amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patient, Thomas Youk, who couldn’t do it himself. He’s ultimately sentenced to prison for 10 to 25 years.

Magic City (2012–2013)

Danny Huston played a Jewish-American mob boss, Benjamin “The Butcher” Diamond, in the Starz drama series Magic City. With the series set after the Cuban Revolution, Miami’s Miramar Playa hotel owner, Isaac “Ike” Evans (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), turns to The Butcher for protection. Cast as one of the main cast, Huston appears in all 16 episodes of the series 2 seasons. Magic City was canceled after its second season. For his performance as the mob boss, Danny Huston received a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film in 2013.

American Horror Story (2013–2014)

Danny Huston joined the cast of FX’s horror anthology series American Horror Story in 2013. His first appearance was in season 3: Coven, episode 6 (“The Axeman Cometh”). Huston made his introduction, playing the character of The Axeman. He appeared in subsequent episodes of that season (besides “Head”), ending his portrayal of the character in the season finale, “The Seven Wonders.” Huston returned in season 4: Freak Show, playing Massimo Dolcefino. He first appeared as Massimo Dolcefino in episode 8 (“Blood Bath”) and then in the penultimate episode (“Show Stoppers”) and finale (“Curtain Call”). Danny Huston was nominated for Best Guest Starring Role on Television at the 2014 Saturn Awards.

Yellowstone (2018–2019)

Since its premiere, Taylor Sheridan and John Linson‘s neo-Western drama series Yellowstone for Paramount Network has enjoyed fantastic audience and viewership ratings. Danny Huston joined the cast as Dan Jenkins, staying as a main character until his exit in season 2. Dan Jenkins was introduced as a California-based billionaire who wanted to take Yellowstone from John Dutton III (Kevin Costner) and his family.

Succession (2019)

Danny Huston joined the cast of the Emmy-winning satirical comedy-drama Succession in 2019. Introduced in season 2, Huston played Waystar RoyCo’s banker and financier, Jamie Laird, in some of their branches. He’s also Logan Roy’s (Brian Cox) financial adviser, who helps during the Stewy and Sandy proxy battle and the attempted acquisition of Pierce Global Media (PGM), Logan’s rival. Danny Huston only appeared in the Succession season 2.