Daniel Kyri (born October 10, 1994) is an American actor, best known for portraying firefighter Darren Ritter on Chicago Fire.

Early life and education

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Kyri was born on October 10, 1994[1] and grew up on the South Side of Chicago.[2] He performed in plays as a child,[3] crediting his mother for his love of the arts and enrolling him in the After School Matters program when he was 13.[4] In 2007, he appeared in the controversial CBS reality show Kid Nation, when he was 14-years-old going by the name D.K.[3] and winning a $20,000 "gold star" awarded by his peers.[5]

Kyri attended the University of Illinois at Chicago, graduating with a BA in Theater Performance.[3]

Career

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Kyri starred in the 2014 short film Perfect Day as Desmond, a composite character based on Derrion Albert.[6] He had roles in Chicago theater productions including Moby Dick, Macbeth and Ms. Blakk for President.[2][3][4][7] In 2015, he portrayed Logan in the film Henry Gamble's Birthday Party, and Brock in the TV mini-series Saranormal.[3] In 2017, he was nominated for a Joseph Jefferson Equity Award for Principal Actor in a Play for Objects in the Mirror at the Goodman Theatre.[8]

In 2018, Kyri had the title role in the Gift Theatre production of Hamlet, giving what the Chicago Tribune called "a standout performance."[3] With Bea Cordelia, he co-wrote and starred in a web series called The T about the relationship between a white trans woman and a Black queer man in Chicago.[2] It premiered with a screening at the Chicago Cultural Center.[9]

Kyri auditioned for Chicago Fire in 2018, with the role of Darren Ritter initially intended to last 2-3 episodes. He was a recurring guest appearing in most episodes over the next two years, before being promoted to series regular in August 2020.[2][10] He has a role as a YouTube paranormal investigator in the 2022 Shudder lo-fi horror film Night's End.[11][12]

Awards and honors

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Personal life

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Kyri identifies as queer.[2][14] He has said, "I can't say I had very many examples, of Black queer people growing up ... I spent a lot of my youth lost at sea, reconciling with my sexuality."[8]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
2014 Perfect Day Desmond Short film
2015 Unexpected David Uncredited
Henry Gamble's Birthday Party Logan
2019 Mantoru Young Warrior Short film
2020 The Thing About Harry Volunteer Television film
Killing Eleanor Will
2022 Night's End Dark Corners

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
2007 Kid Nation Himself Reality show
2017 Sarahnormal Brock
2018 Chicago Med Lane Tucker Episode: "Devil in Disguise"
The T Carter 6 episodes
2018–present Chicago Fire Darren Ritter
2019 Chicago P.D. Episode: "Infection, Part III"
2020 Acting for a Cause Mika Episode: "Hit the Wall"

References

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  1. ^ Raiford, Tiffany (March 2022). "10 Things You Didn't Know about Daniel Kyri". TV Over Mind. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d e Gao, Max (September 29, 2021). "How 'Chicago Fire' actor Daniel Kyri gave 'justice' to his character's coming out story". NBC News. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Schoon, Christian (March 14, 2022). "The Transformation Of Daniel Kyri From Childhood To Chicago Fire". Looper. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
  4. ^ a b Moore, Evan F. (January 4, 2021). "For Daniel Kyri, it's 'an honor' to represent Black, gay people on 'Chicago Fire'". Chicago Sun Times. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
  5. ^ "Episode 106: Bonanza is Disgusting!". CBS. Archived from the original on October 28, 2007. Retrieved April 28, 2019.
  6. ^ "Perfect Day". Queens World Film Festival.
  7. ^ Green, Jesse (June 4, 2019). "Review: In 'Ms. Blakk for President,' a Winning Losing Campaign". The New York Times. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
  8. ^ a b Zacarias, Michelle (October 11, 2019). "Chicago actors Theo Germaine and Daniel Kyri push boundaries of queer representation". People's World. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
  9. ^ Melt, H. (July 31, 2018). "Bea Cordelia and Daniel Kyri's webseries The T is a love letter to queer and trans friendship in Chicago". Chicago Reader. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
  10. ^ Warner, Sam (September 1, 2020). "Chicago Fire star promoted to series regular for season 9". Digital Spy. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
  11. ^ Sobczynski, Peter (March 31, 2022). "Reviews:Night's End". Rogert Ebert.com. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
  12. ^ Vejvoda, Jim (March 3, 2022). "Night's End: Exclusive Trailer and Poster for New Exorcism Film". IGN Africa. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
  13. ^ a b Eugene, Rebecca (September 29, 2021). "Daniel Kyri Talks About Season 10 of 'Chicago Fire'". The Knockturnal. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
  14. ^ Richardson, Randi (June 9, 2023). "'Vibe attracts tribe': 'Chicago Fire' star Daniel Kyri is thriving in his 'unapologetic era'". NBC News. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
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