Who is Daniel Curtis Lee?
Daniel Curtis Lee was born on 17 May 1991, in Jackson, Mississippi, USA. He is a rapper, actor, and comedian, probably best known for being in the Nickelodeon television show “Ned’s Declassified School Survival Guide”, portraying the character Simon “Cookie” Nelson-Cook. He also worked on the show “Zeke & Luther”.
The Net Worth of Daniel Curtis Lee
As of early-2020, Daniel Curtis Lee’s net worth is estimated to be over $2 million, earned through a successful career in acting, in the profession since 2001, though there was a point in his life in which he declined most acting projects, before recently returning to work.
Early Life and Nickelodeon
Daniel Curtis grew up in Jackson, though his family later moved to nearby Clinton where he spent most of his childhood. At a young age, he aspired to a career in the field of acting, and found his chance when he learned how some children or teen actors tried to get contracts with popular networks such as Nickelodeon.
Nickelodeon has been running since the late 1970s, and is focused on programming for children. Throughout the years, the network has achieved popularity, leading it to create various programming blocks and sister channels. Some of their current programs focus on age groups such as teens, pre-teens, children, and pre-school students. These include Nick Jr., Nicktoons, and TeenNick.
The show is known for its dedicated cartoon line-up, and partnership with DreamWorks Animation to create themed shows such as “The Penguins of Madagascar”. They also often make original movies based on their franchises, as well as some original stories of their own.
Acting Beginnings – Ned’s Declassified School Survival Guide
In 2002, Lee scored his first professional acting project, appearing in a minor role in an episode of “First Monday”. The show aired on CBS as a mid-season replacement in 2002 focusing on the US Supreme Court and their involvement during the presidential election of 2000. It had a similar premise to that of another show “The Court”, both neither were successful.
Following this appearance, he became a guest of the show “The Shield” which starred Michael Chiklis., and tells the story of an experimental division of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) which focuses on reducing crime in a crime-ridden area of the city. The show took inspiration from the Rampart Division police scandal during the 1990s.
In 2004, he secured one of his most notable roles as he became a part of Nickelodeon for the show “Ned’s Declassified School Survival Guide”. As the show denotes, it tells the story of a group of friends as they make it through the various challenges of school.
Some aspects of the show the friends tackle are aspects of their life such as popularity, sports, love, and grades. The show was created by Scott Fellows, who is known for his work as the head writer of “The Fairly OddParents”.
Ned’s Declassified Success and Zeke & Luther
Daniel Curtis stayed with the show for its entire three-season run, with most of the episodes filmed in La Mesa Junior High, and throughout its run it enjoyed good ratings. DVDs of the show have been released. After its end, a spin-off was said to be in development, but it was never followed on as Scott Fellows had a new project while Daniel had committed to the show “Zeke and Luther”. His co-star Lindsey Shaw also moved to another show.
“Zeke and Luther” this time was a show that was a part of Disney, on their sister channel Disney XD. He worked on the show alongside Ryan Newman, Hutch Dano, and Adam Hicks.m The show tells the story of the titular duo who are skating enthusiasts. The show features their misadventures and their progress in life with some of their friends, family members, and acquaintances. During his time there, he portrayed a close friend to the duo Kornelius “Koko” Jonesworth. His character is considered one of the best skaters in town and was initially a rival of the two before they all became friends.
Recent Endeavors
“Zeke & Luther” ran for three seasons before the story ended. During this time, Daniel took on other projects including a two-episode role in “Good Luck Charlie”, another Disney Channel show that focuses on a family as they progress with a new family member, the titular Charlie. Lee also lent his voice to the Disney television special “Pixie Hollow Games”, which also featured the voices of Lucy Liu Raven-Symone, and Mae Whitman. The show tells the story of Never Land fairies, including Tinker Bell, and was intended to be a series of films, but the producers settled for a television special.
His last television project was in an episode of the series “Glee” which aired on Fox, appearing just shortly after “Zeke and Luther” ended. The show follows the titular glee club in a fictional high school, along with their various challenges and life together as a club. The show was very popular early on, elevating many of the cast members in the show, and won numerous awards during its run, even with drastic changes to its cast members. The show eventually slowed down and an end was announced in 2015 after a resurgence in their last few seasons.
For seven years Lee was inactive, presumably completing his education away from the industry. He returned later, appearing in a small role in the independent film “Evening Installation”.
Personal Life
Daniel Curtis is single, and doesn’t talk a lot about his romantic endeavors. He professes his love for music, particularly the rap genre, releasing numerous songs during his time as a teen star. In recent years, he admitted that he was inactive because he wanted to find a breakthrough in the music industry, focusing more on his efforts there. He remains close friends with fellow cast members of “Ned’s Declassified School Survival Guide” with the main trio often hanging out together.