
Daniel Eugene Butler (born December 2, 1954) is an American playwright and actor known for his role as Bob "Bulldog" Briscoe on the TV series Frasier.
Butler was born in Huntington, Indiana and raised in Fort Wayne; the son of Shirley, a homemaker, and Andrew Butler, a pharmacist. Openly gay, he starred in Terrence McNally's 1989 play The Lisbon Traviata and wrote an Off Broadway play about his life, The Only Thing Worse You Could Have Told Me..., which derives its title from a comment Butler's father allegedly made when Dan came out to him.
Though Butler never hid his homosexuality, he disclosed it publicly on Entertainment Tonight in 1994 during his run as a swaggering heterosexual on Frasier.
His partner is acting teacher and director, Richard Waterhouse.

Enemy of the State
1998 · as Shaffer

Crazy, Stupid, Love.
2011 · as Cal's Boss

The Silence of the Lambs
1991 · as Roden

Blonde
2022 · as I.E. Shinn

The Fan
1996 · as Garrity

Dave
1993 · as Reporter

Prayers for Bobby
2009 · as Reverend Whitsell

All My Life
2020 · as Dr. Alan Mendelson

Rising Sun
1993 · as Ken Shubik

I Love Trouble
1994 · as Wilson Chess

Sniper 2
2002 · as Eckles

The Long Walk Home
1990 · as Charlie

Hey Arnold! The Jungle Movie
2018 · as Mr. Simmons (voice)

Captain Ron
1992 · as Zachery

Longtime Companion
1989 · as Walter

The Manhattan Project
1986 · as SWAT

The First $20 Million Is Always the Hardest
2002 · as Lloyd Acheson

Chronic Town
2008 · as Blow Job