Daniel Hayes’s biography, net worth, fact, career, awards and life story

Daniel Hayes (born February 6, 1989) is a Trinidadian actor, boxer and mixed martial artist. He is a top ranked boxing prospect and the boxing ambassador of Trinidad & Tobago. He is known for his acting role in Going Down in LA-LA Land, Lucky 13 etc.

Early life

Daniel Hayes was born on 6 February 1989 in San Fernando, Trinidad and Tobago. Hayes has a unique look which he got from his Caribbean and South American ancestry. From an early age, he was immersed in soccer, basketball, football, amateur boxing, baseball, and swimming. He attended high school at Cawthra Park Secondary School in Mississauga, Ontario.

Hayes attended Thompson Rivers University where he was offered athletic scholarships. He started there as a Kinesiology major but after one single acting course, he discovered his love and passion for acting and switched his major to Theatre.

Hayes later studied at The Second City and Groundlings in order to develop his acting skills and also got training from The Ivana Chubbuck Studio that has trained Hollywood’s top actors including Halle Berry, Brad Pitt, Terence Howard etc.

Sports career

He was involved in a variety of sports from his childhood. Hayes started playing basketball at the age of 10 and continued playing throughout his college life. At the age of 16, he became a certified lifeguard and was one of the highly recruited athlete in multiple sports. In his senior year of high school he was recruited to play basketball for several NCAA Division 1 and 2 schools. Currently on his Olympic quest, he fights out of the Wild Card Boxing Club, home to superstar world champions Manny Pacquiao and Miguel Cotto.

Acting career

Hayes began his career at the age of seventeen as a print model in magazine spreads and billboard ads for Gap, Guess, Nike, Sony, Hugo Boss, Lacoste, Armani Exchange and Andrew Christian. At the age of 21, he landed his first two commercials with And1 and Nike and began studying at The Second City Toronto.

He played a marine in the short film Boot Camp (2007) and a criminal suspect in another short entitled The Police Story (2008).

Hayes competed in the 2008 Toronto 48-Hour Film Project, where participants must write, produce, and shoot a short film in just 48 hours. The team, Level Runner, was led by Steve Nash. Hayes completed the challenge as a writer and producer of the futuristic love story, Essence, and played the lead, Henry, for which he was nominated for the Best Actor award.

In 2009 Hayes wrote, produced, and acted as the lead in the movie, Modern Day Gladiator, a detailed look at the life of a professional Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter, which was later entered into the LA Film Festival. His acting intensity and athletic physique were what made him a good fit for the role. In fact, in real life, Hayes is a MMA fighter and certified trainer. In an interview with photographer, Sibel Aisha, Hayes said, “My favorite character I played was Dru in the film Modern Day Gladiator. I enjoyed playing him because all the feelings, which I normally have to contain in everyday life, I was able to release. I was able to be as angry, aggressive and hostile as I wanted to be. It definitely helped me relieve some stress.” Daniel also completed his studies at The Second City Toronto in 2009.

Hayes began 2010 with his supporting role in the feature film Going Down in LA-LA Land, released in 2011. In the film, he plays a young man on a journey with his best friend who is desperately trying to make it in Hollywood. In the second half of 2010 Hayes takes the lead role in each of two new movies: The Silver Chain, a vampire love story, and Finding Larry. Hayes has auditioned for the annual ABC Actors Showcase, where actors audition for roles in upcoming pilots.

In September 2011, Hayes became sponsored by Manimal Athletics and participated in the Oakville Half Marathon, where he endorsed their line of athletic wear. He completed the 13.1 mile race in under 2 hours.

Filmography