Daniel Meade
| Daniel Meade | |
|---|---|
| Ugly Betty character | |
Eric Mabius as Daniel Meade
|
|
| First appearance | "Pilot" (episode 1.01) |
| Last appearance | "Hello Goodbye" (episode 4.20) |
| Created by | Silvio Horta |
| Portrayed by | Eric Mabius |
| Information | |
| Nickname(s) | Danny (by Alexis) |
| Gender | Male |
| Occupation | Unemployed (as of 2010) Former Co-editor-in-chief of Mode (with Alexis Meade; 2007-2008) (with Wilhelmina Slater; 2008-2010) Editor-in-chief of Player (2008) Editor-in-chief of Mode (2006-2007, 2008) |
| Family |
Bradford Meade (father; deceased) Claire Meade (mother) Alexis Meade (older sister) Tyler Meade-Hartley (maternal half-brother) Daniel Meade Jr. (nephew) |
| Spouse(s) | Molly Meade (wife; deceased) |
| Significant other(s) | Sofia Reyes (ex-fiancée) Amanda Tanen (ex-lover) Renee Slater (ex-girlfriend) Betty Suarez (girlfriend/future wife) |
Daniel Meade is a fictional character in the American dramedy series Ugly Betty, portrayed by Eric Mabius.
Daniel is the second son of magazine publisher Bradford Meade and Claire Meade, born in 1974. After his graduation from Harvard, Daniel's father picked him to succeed the well-respected (and recently deceased) Fey Sommers as editor-in-chief at MODE, the fashion magazine Bradford publishes and Claire owns.
Sensing Daniel would need help because of his inexperience in the fashion industry, Bradford hired a personal assistant to guide him. However, due to his son's habit of womanizing, he knew the assistant he chose should be one his son would never be attracted to and chose the fashion-ignorant but bright Betty Suarez. An integral part of the show's premise was that Betty was considered ugly by the denizens of the New York fashion world of Mode and specifically by Daniel himself.
Daniel's initial repulsion and resentment of Betty would, over the course of the show's 4 seasons, turn first into respect and ultimately into a close friendship and the possibility of a more romantic relationship. As Betty's character undergoes a metamorphosis into a polished professional woman, Daniel's perception of Betty's beauty alters as an outward sign of his growing maturity as a person.
Daniel's late brother Alex was the editor-in-chief of another Meade publication, Hudson. Part of Daniel's motivation as a character was proving that he could hold his own without living in Alex's shadow. However, he was unaware Alex was not only alive and had a sex change, but plotting to have Daniel removed from the job. When Alexis attempted to fire Daniel, he fired back with an injunction because "Alex" was legally dead and therefore no longer had any ownership of the company. The ensuing sibling rivalry was negotiated by Betty playing mediator between the two. Daniel and Alexis were ultimately forced by their mother to share co-Editor in Chief duties until Alexis' departure from the show.
Daniel's womanizing was overt and unabashed. Towards the end of the first season, a model he'd slept with attempted to extort him by saying she was only 16 as part of a plan by Alexis to force Daniel's ouster from Mode. Betty saved Daniel by finding evidence that the model was actually 20, but insisted Daniel deal with his sexual addiction. Seeking the help of a psychologist, Daniel began taking a prescription to help him control his sex addiction. The first season ended with Daniel accidentally overdosing, and Alexis attempting to get Daniel to the hospital. On the way, the car crashed because the assassin Alexis had hired to kill Bradford Meade had cut the brakes.
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Wikipedia