John Francis Daley


John Francis Daley is an American filmmaker and actor. He is best known for playing high school freshman Sam Weir on the NBC comedy-drama Freaks and Geeks and FBI criminal profiler Dr. Lance Sweets on the crime drama series Bones, for which he was nominated for a 2014 PRISM Award. He plays keyboards and sings for the band Dayplayer.
Daley is also known for his collaborative work with fellow writer and director Jonathan Goldstein, working on various films together. Daley and Goldstein's first work together was co-writing the comedy Horrible Bosses, co-writers for The Incredible Burt Wonderstone, co-story writing for Horrible Bosses 2, and co-writing/co-directing the fifth film in the National Lampoon's Vacation film series, Vacation. The duo were co-writers for Spider-Man: Homecoming with Jon Watts, Christopher Ford, Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers, and they co-directed the 2018 comedy Game Night and the 2023 fantasy Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves.
𝕏 JohnFDaley

Early life

Daley is the son of R.F. Daley, an actor, and Nancy Daley, a piano teacher. His father is of Irish Catholic background, while his mother is Jewish. He grew up in Nyack, New York, where he played Danny in Nyack Middle School's production of Grease.

Career

Daley began acting when he was cast as young Tommy in the U.S. and international tours of the Broadway hit The Who's Tommy. He played Sam Weir, protagonist of the "Geeks", in the television series Freaks and Geeks, and since then he has worked continuously in television, including series such as The Geena Davis Show, Boston Public, Regular Joe, Kitchen Confidential, Judging Amy, and Spin City. He was #94 on VH1's 100 Greatest Teen Stars.
In 2001, Daley co-directed a short film titled What Babies Do. He also wrote and starred in the comedy short Friday Night. In 2005, he appeared in the film Waiting... and in the Fox sitcom Kitchen Confidential. In 2007, Daley joined the cast of the Fox drama series Bones, portraying psychologist Lance Sweets. He co-wrote the season six episode "The Truth in the Myth" with his writing partner Jonathan Goldstein. Sweets was ultimately killed in the season 10 premiere; Bones executive producer Stephen Nathan said Sweets was killed because Daley wanted time off to direct a movie, and he was concerned that Daley's absence would be too long, especially if the directing job led to other jobs.
Daley was also featured in the music video for "Mercy Kiss" by Abandoned Pools.
In 2011, Daley and his writing partner Jonathan M. Goldstein wrote the black comedy Horrible Bosses. In 2013, Daley co-wrote The Incredible Burt Wonderstone with Goldstein; Daley also has a cameo in the film as a paramedic. In 2013, the two were hired to write Call of the Wild for DreamWorks Studios. John plays Ben House in Rapture-Palooza. Daley went on to write the story for the sequel to Horrible Bosses.
Daley and Goldstein co-wrote and co-directed the 2015 film Vacation, the latest installment of the National Lampoon's Vacation film series, starring Ed Helms and Christina Applegate.
Daley and Goldstein wrote the screenplay for the 2017 film Spider-Man: Homecoming with four other screenwriters, and were both considered to direct before Jon Watts was hired.
Daley and Goldstein directed the 2018 black comedy Game Night, based on a screenplay by Mark Perez. The film, starring Jason Bateman and Rachel McAdams, "earned a raft of glowing reviews for its whip-smart script, energetic performances, and deliberate avoidance of modern comedy's ubiquitous tropes," and grossed $117 million at the worldwide box office, versus a $37 million budget. While Daley and Goldstein did not receive screenwriter credit, they later said they rewrote "almost all of the original script's dialogue, totally overhauled the characters — most notably a creepy cop portrayed by Jesse Plemons — and comprehensively reworked the original script's third act."
In 2018, it was announced that the duo were set to direct a film adaptation of DC Comics' The Flash for their DC Extended Universe, but it was announced in July that they have left the project. Despite this, both Daley and Goldstein received story by credit alongside Joby Harold.
In July 2019, it was announced that Goldstein and Daley were entering early negotiations to direct the reboot of Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves. In January 2020, it was announced that, in addition to directing the film, Goldstein and Daley were also writing a new draft of the screenplay.

Filmography

Feature films

Acting credits
YearTitleRoleNotes
2000Allerd Fishbein's in LoveAllerd FishbeinShort film
2003View from the TopRodney
2005Waiting...Mitch
2008Burying the ExZakOriginal short film
2011Horrible BossesCarter
2013The Incredible Burt WonderstoneParamedic
2013Rapture-PaloozaBen
2015Dude Bro Party Massacre IIIErnestCameo role
2015VacationRide Operator
2018Game NightCarter
20225-25-77Pat

Television

Acting credits
YearTitleRoleNotes
1999–2000Freaks and GeeksSam Weir18 episodes
2000–2001Boston PublicAnthony Ward5 episodes
2000–2001The Geena Davis ShowCarter Ryan22 episodes
2001The Ellen ShowErikEpisode: "Walden Pond"
2001The KennedysAnthonyTV movie
2002Spin CitySpencerEpisode: "Eyes Wide Open"
2003Regular JoeGrant Binder5 episodes
2004Judging AmyJace CrosbyEpisode: "Roadhouse Blues"
2005–2006Kitchen ConfidentialJim13 episodes
2006StackedKevinEpisode: "The Third Date"
2007The CallTomTV movie
2007–2014BonesDr. Lance Sweets138 episodes
2010Yo Gabba Gabba!HimselfEpisode: "Flying"
2012The FinderDr. Lance SweetsEpisode: "Bullets"
2015Bottom's ButteScott and Cabana BoyVoice
2016Fresh Off the BoatJordanEpisode: "Rent Day"
2019Drunk HistoryJames J. AndrewsEpisode: "Behind Enemy Lines"