You might know him as werewolf Isaac Lahey on Teen Wolf. Or maybe you’ve seen him as Kol Mikaelson on the second season of The Originals. Maybe you don’t have a clue who he is at all. No matter which of the above is true, Daniel Sharman is a person you should definitely look out for.
A quick summary: Sharman was born in 1986 in London, England. As a child, he joined a well known theatre company, the Royal Shakespeare Company. There, he grew his acting skills with various plays, from Henry VI to Macbeth. His first film was low-budget The Last Days of Edgar Harding, which was released in 2011. Soon after, he transitioned to acting in America, joining projects such as Teen Wolf, The Originals and, most recently, the PBS show Mercy Street.
Sharman does more than just acting, though. He is also a political activist, and is passionate about both British and American politics. Although notoriously inactive on social media, he’ll sometimes get on Twitter and Instagram to promote causes he cares about. Last spring, for example, he spent time in the San Diego area campaigning for presidential candidate Bernie Sanders.
Despite not being able to vote in U.S. elections, he frequently encouraged those who can vote to do so. The night after Trump’s win, he joined protests in the Los Angeles area.
Sharman was also anti-Brexit, and would often share and retweet posts encouraging British citizens to vote Remain.
Besides politics, Sharman also supports charities such as the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. In the fall of 2015, he collaborated with an artist named Audrey to create and sell shirts with his liking on it. Proceeds went to CFF, and their goal of 500 shirts was met.
His compassion for such charities has inspired his fans as well. Last fall, two girls raised money for CFF by collecting donations from fans online. At a convention in Belgium, they presented the check to Sharman and his friends (and fellow CFF supporters) Max and Charlie Carver.
Despite his immense talent, strong compassion and kind heart, Sharman still isn’t quite a household name. Hopefully, this will change in 2017. With several projects coming up, such as Albion, which co-stars big names like Jennifer Morrison and Debra Messing, this may be his year. No matter how big he gets, however, I hope he will continue his activism in the years to come.
