Daniel Sea (born July 26, 1973) is an American filmmaker, actor and

musician A musician is someone who Composer, composes, Conducting, conducts, or Performing arts#Performers, performs music. According to the United States Employment Service, "musician" is a general Terminology, term used to designate a person who fol ...

. They rose to prominence through their role as Max Sweeney on

Showtime Showtime or Show Time may refer to: Film * ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film * ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur Television Networks and channels * Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global w ...

's drama series ''

The L Word ''The L Word'' is a television drama series that aired on Showtime in the United States from 2004 to 2009. The series follows the lives of a group of lesbian and bisexual women who live in West Hollywood, California. The premise originated wit ...

''. Sea (he/they) is a trans non-binary actor, musician and artist who has worked in film, theater, television, and the fine arts. They played the first recurring transmasculine role on television, appearing from 2006-2009 as Max in Showtime's ''The L Word''. In 2022, they reprised the role as Max for the current iteration of the ''L Word: Generation Q''. They acted in films such as John Cameron Mitchell's ''Shortbus'', and Barbara Albert's film '.

Personal life

Daniel Sea was born on July 26, 1973, in

Malibu, California Malibu ( ; ; ) is a beach city in the Santa Monica Mountains region of Los Angeles County, California, about west of downtown Los Angeles. It is known for its Mediterranean climate, its strip of beaches stretching along the Pacific Ocean coa ...

. Sea described their parents as

hippies A hippie, also spelled hippy, especially in British English, is someone associated with the counterculture of the 1960s, counterculture of the mid-1960s to early 1970s, originally a youth movement that began in the United States and spread to dif ...

who "left a lot of doors open for me to experiment with my gender expression and life choices". Despite an accepting home environment, Sea still describes having a rough childhood due to the way society viewed being queer and trans in the 1980's. Sea came of age as an artist as part of the queer punk, art and activist scenes of the San Francisco Bay Area, California in the 1990s. They ran away from LA when they were 16 went to

Laney College Laney College is a public community college in Oakland, California. Laney is the largest of the four colleges of the Peralta Community College District which serves northern Alameda County. Laney College is named after Joseph Clarence Laney. ...

in Oakland in

Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a region of California surrounding and including San Francisco Bay, and anchored by the cities of Oakland, San Francisco, and San Jose. The Association of Bay Area Governments ...

, "like a good gay kid would." While there in

Berkeley Berkeley most often refers to: *Berkeley, California, a city in the United States **University of California, Berkeley, a public university in Berkeley, California *George Berkeley (1685–1753), Anglo-Irish philosopher Berkeley may also refer to ...

, they joined the DIY/

punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...

feminist Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideology, ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social gender equality, equality of the sexes. Feminism holds the position that modern soci ...

/artist space

Gilman Street Project The Alternative Music Foundation located at 924 Gilman Street, almost exclusively referred to as "Gilman", is a non-profit, all-ages, collectively organized music club. It is located in the West Berkeley area of Berkeley, California. Gilman is ...

, studied improv acting in

, and played in several

punk rock Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...

bands, including The Gr'ups and

Cypher in the Snow Cypher in the Snow were an American all women queercore band from San Francisco, California, United States. History One of the band's first appearances was at the ''Dirtybird'' Queercore Festival in San Francisco in 1996. This historic festival ...

. In an article in the

LA Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper in the U.S. and the large ...

Sea said that when they ''left LA for the Bay Area, as many queer and trans people did in the pre-internet early '90s, I found a community in punk that helped

hem A hem in sewing is a garment finishing method, where the edge of a piece of cloth is folded and sewn to prevent unravelling of the fabric and to adjust the length of the piece in garments, such as at the end of the sleeve or the bottom of the ga ...

become a working artist at the age of 19, touring internationally with an East Bay punk band the Gr’ups, and organizing with both the Gilman Street and Q-TIP, Queers Together in Punkness, collectives." Sea traveled across

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

and

Asia Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...

. They

hitchhike Hitchhiking (also known as thumbing, autostop or hitching) is a means of transportation that is gained by asking individuals, usually strangers, for a ride in their car or other vehicle. The ride is usually, but not always, free. Signaling ...

d through

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

, did some

street theatre Street theatre is a form of theatrical performance and presentation in outdoor public spaces without a specific paying audience. These spaces can be anywhere, including shopping centres, car parks, recreational reserves, college or universi ...

, and performed as a fire juggler with a traveling circus in

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

. As a punk rocker, Sea and their band often performed in drag. At one point in their world travels, they lived in

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

for eight months as a man. Growing up in Los Angeles in the 80s, it was difficult for Sea to navigate their identity. In a May 2021 interview with Drew Gregory, "I was bullied for being a “tomboy” and “weird” and eventually found refuge in books, punk, and a few good friends who were also outsiders." Throughout the interview, Sea expanded upon their journey with gender. They talk about the beginnings of the language for

non-binary Non-binary or genderqueer Gender identity, gender identities are those that are outside the male/female gender binary. Non-binary identities often fall under the transgender umbrella since non-binary people typically identify with a gende ...

identities and how they had to navigate that while playing a trans character,

Max Sweeney This list of ''The L Word'' characters is sorted by last name (where possible), and includes both major and minor characters from the American drama ''The L Word''. A * Felicity Adams: Lesbian, portrayed by Latarsha Rose. ''Generation Q'' ** Ex ...

, in the TV series

. Sea later clarified their identity as trans, non-binary, gender expansive, and queer. They have also added the pronouns he/they to their bio on Instagram.

Career

After Sea returned from Europe, they moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

and decided to re-enter the acting world, giving an audition tape to a friend who worked on ''

s writing staff. Sea then got a call at their restaurant job in New York and was asked to fly to

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

for an audition. They were then offered to perform the role of Moira Sweeney, an androgynous computer technician who moves from the Midwest with Jenny ( Mia Kirshner). Over the course of the season, Sweeney comes out as a

trans man A trans man or transgender man is a man who was assigned female at birth. Trans men have a male gender identity, and many trans men undergo medical and social transition to alter their appearance in a way that aligns with their gender identi ...

, adopting the name

. In 2022, Sea reprised the role in the third season of the sequel series '' The L Word: Generation Q''. When the episode aired, Daniel Sea was interviewed by the LA Time
‘The L Word’ failed a trans TV pioneer. 17 years later, he’s back to repair the damage
and Indie Wir
‘The L Word’ Star Daniel Sea on the ‘Reparative Gesture’ of Max’s Return
about their experience performing the role of Max Sweeney and Daniel's return to the show. In their music career, with their girlfriend of the time,

Bitch Bitch may refer to: * Bitch (slang), a vulgar derogatory term used primarily referring to women, but is often directed towards men as well * A female dog or other canine Bitch or bitches may also refer to: Arts and media Film and television ...

, formerly of

Bitch and Animal Bitch and Animal, a duo consisting of musicians Bitch (performer), Bitch and Animal Prufrock, was a queercore band that performed from 1995 to 2004. They became established while touring as an opening act for Ani DiFranco, and later launched their o ...

, they helped to form a band called Bitch and the Exciting Conclusion. They were part of the band

The Thorns of Life The Thorns of Life were a punk rock band from Brooklyn, New York. In October 2008, Blake Schwarzenbach, formerly of Jets to Brazil and Jawbreaker, revealed that he had started writing music for an "as-yet-unnamed group" with the drummer Aar ...

with their longtime friends

Blake Schwarzenbach Alexander Blake Schwarzenbach (born May 21, 1967) is an American musician. He is the singer and guitarist of the San Francisco based band Jawbreaker (1986–1996; 2017–present), and was also a member of Jets to Brazil (1997–2003), The Thor ...

(formerly of Jawbreaker and

Jets to Brazil Jets to Brazil was an American indie rock band from Brooklyn, New York, US. They formed in 1997 and were active until 2003. History Jets to Brazil was founded by Blake Schwarzenbach, the former frontman of Jawbreaker, and Jeremy Chatelain, ...

) and

Aaron Cometbus Aaron Elliott (born May 20, 1968), better known as Aaron Cometbus, is an American musician, author, songwriter, roadie, and magazine editor, best known as the creator of the punk zine ''Cometbus''. Career Born in Berkeley, California, Cometbus ...

(of

Pinhead Gunpowder Pinhead Gunpowder is an American punk rock band that formed in East Bay, California, in 1991. The band currently consists of Aaron Cometbus (drums, lyrics), Bill Schneider (bass), Billie Joe Armstrong (guitar, vocals) and Jason White (guitar, ...

and formerly

Crimpshrine Crimpshrine was an American punk rock band from Berkeley, California Berkeley ( ) is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Anglo-Irish bisho ...

). The band toured the West Coast and played in New York City and Philadelphia from fall 2008 through winter 2009. Besides ''The L Word'', Sea's filmography also includes the films ''

Shortbus ''Shortbus'' is a 2006 American erotic comedy-drama film written and directed by John Cameron Mitchell. The plot revolves around a sexually diverse ensemble of colorful characters trying desperately to connect in an early 2000s New York City. ...

'' (2006) (with Bitch, both as themselves) and ''

Itty Bitty Titty Committee ''Itty Bitty Titty Committee'' is a 2007 American comedy film directed by Jamie Babbit. It follows the political awakening of Anna, a young, mild-mannered lesbian woman who joins a Radical feminism, radical feminist group. The film is produced by ...

'', released in 2007. They also appeared in the

John Cameron Mitchell John Cameron Mitchell (born April 21, 1963) is an American actor, playwright, screenwriter, singer, songwriter, producer and director. He is known as the writer, director and star of the 2001 film ''Hedwig and the Angry Inch (film), Hedwig and t ...

-directed music video for Bright Eyes' "First Day of My Life" with Bitch. On February 17, 2009, they guest starred on an episode of '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' as a transgender man, playing a similar role to Max Sweeney. Daniel was cast in a leading role in the film '' The Casserole Club.'' Co-starring Susan Traylor, Kevin Richardson,

Pleasant Gehman Pleasant Gehman is an American author, writer, poet, actress, dancer and musician from Los Angeles. Career In the 1980s, she was the singer for the punk rock band Screamin' Sirens. Her articles on rock 'n' roll, American pop culture, sex, t ...

, and Garrett Swann, the film is set in 1969 and deals with damaged relationships. Directed by acclaimed filmmaker

Steve Balderson Stephen Clark Balderson (born January 19, 1975) is an American film director. Early life Balderson was born in Manhattan, Kansas, and raised in nearby Wamego, Kansas, until the age of twelve, when his family moved to Manhattan. Balderson attende ...

, filming took place in Wamego, Kansas during fall of 2010. Sea played in an unnamed music project with Will Schwartz. They played their second show at the

Hammer Museum The Hammer Museum, which is affiliated with the University of California, Los Angeles, is an art museum and cultural center known for its artist-centric and progressive array of exhibitions and public programs. Founded in 1990 by the entrepreneur- ...

in Los Angeles, California, in October 2010. In their most recent work as a conceptual artist Sea works through language, music and memoir in a practice that is expansive, crossing several mediums. In 2018 Sea co-created a decolonial theater piece with Marissa Lôbo and Jota Mombaça collaborating with Brazilian artists Ani Gonzala, Juliana Dos Santos and Indigenous leader Sônia Guajajara. Sea is co-writer, producer and songwriter on“La La La Little Shows”, a decolonial children’s sci fi series, which includes animation, music performance, narrative storytelling and interviews with artists. This show centers

BIPOC The term "person of color" (: people of color or persons of color; abbreviated POC) is used to describe any person who is not considered "white". In its current meaning, the term originated in, and is associated with, the United States. From th ...

and Queer characters and artists.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sea, Daniel 1977 births 21st-century American actors Living people Actors from California American performance artists American non-binary actors American non-binary artists American non-binary musicians Jugglers American punk rock guitarists American indie rock musicians People from Malibu, California LGBTQ people from California 21st-century American accordionists 21st-century American guitarists 20th-century American LGBTQ people 21st-century American LGBTQ people Transgender non-binary people