Daniel Hayes (born February 6, 1989) is a Trinidadian actor, boxer and mixed martial artist. He is a top ranked boxing prospect and the boxing ambassador of Trinidad & Tobago. He is known for his acting role in Going Down in LA-LA Land, Lucky 13 etc.

Biography

Hayes was immersed from an early age in soccer, basketball, football, amateur boxing, baseball, and swimming. While attending high school at Cawthra Park Secondary School in Mississauga, Ontario, Hayes was recruited to play basketball for several NCAA Division 1 and 2 schools. Instead, he attended university in Canada where he was offered an athletic scholarship. While a university student at Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops, British Columbia, Hayes took one elective class and realized his love of acting. According to an article in The Mississauga News, "If not for a bit of tardiness, Daniel Hayes might never have found his passion for acting." Reporter, Chris Clay, explains that, "When it came time to select classes, Hayes was late and found many of those he wanted were full. But one class was still open - theatre." Hayes says, "I realized my love for acting after just a single course. I switched my major from kinesiology to theatre, and the rest seems to have fallen into place." Not long after declaring Theatre as his major, he received several offers of acting gigs.

Hayes had already begun working at seventeen as a print model in magazine spreads and billboard ads for Gap, Guess, Nike, Sony, Hugo Boss, Lacoste, Armani Exchange and Andrew Christian. At the age of 21, he landed his first two commercials with And1 and Nike and began studying at The Second City Toronto. He played a marine in the short film Boot Camp (2007) and a criminal suspect in another short entitled The Police Story (2008).

Hayes competed in the 2008 Toronto 48-Hour Film Project, where participants must write, produce, and shoot a short film in just 48 hours. The team, Level Runner, was led by Steve Nash. Hayes completed the challenge as a writer and producer of the futuristic love story, Essence, and played the lead, Henry, for which he was nominated for the Best Actor award.

In 2009 Hayes wrote, produced, and acted as the lead in the movie, Modern Day Gladiator, a detailed look at the life of a professional Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter, which was later entered into the LA Film Festival. His acting intensity and athletic physique were what made him a good fit for the role. In fact, in real life, Hayes is a MMA fighter and certified trainer. In an interview with photographer, Sibel Aisha, Hayes said, "My favorite character I played was Dru in the film Modern Day Gladiator. I enjoyed playing him because all the feelings, which I normally have to contain in everyday life, I was able to release. I was able to be as angry, aggressive and hostile as I wanted to be. It definitely helped me relieve some stress." Daniel also completed his studies at The Second City Toronto in 2009.

Hayes began 2010 with his supporting role in the feature film Going Down in LA-LA Land, released in 2011. In the film, he plays a young man on a journey with his best friend who is desperately trying to make it in Hollywood. In the second half of 2010 Hayes takes the lead role in each of two new movies: The Silver Chain, a vampire love story, and Finding Larry. Hayes has auditioned for the annual ABC Actors Showcase, where actors audition for roles in upcoming pilots.

In September 2011, Hayes became sponsored by Manimal Athletics [1] and participated in the Oakville Half Marathon [2], where he endorsed their line of athletic wear. He completed the 13.1 mile race in under 2 hours.

Hayes, is an avid fan of Amateur League football and is the Director of Football at Bloomfield FC.