How a ‘Boy Meets World’ Star Changed the Tony Awards Forever
For fans of Boy Meets World, William Daniels is best known as Mr. George Feeny, the teacher and next-door neighbor who helped a young Cory Matthews (Ben Savage) navigate through the process of growing up.
But fans of Broadway know Daniels as the man who helped guide a country. Daniels originated the role of John Adams in the 1969 run of Sherman Edwards and Peter Stone’s critically-acclaimed musical, 1776. William’s performance was so outstanding, it would have won him a Tony Award —had he not turned it down.
And that incident caused the Tonys to permanently change their rules.
Theater expert Will Anderson, one-half of The Theater Lovers, detailed Daniels’ plight in a video posted on Aug. 18. Anderson explains that John Adams is the unofficial lead role of the musical. “He’s only off stage for like, two songs,” said Anderson, “And one of them starts out by going, ‘Hey, Adams isn’t around.'” So, it’s understood that William Daniels was the lead star.
However, when the 23rd Tony Awards unveiled their nominations, Daniels received one for Best Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Musical.
And as The New York Times put it, “Mr. Daniels insisted yesterday he was placed in the wrong category.” Daniels believed that if he deserved to be nominated for anything, it was for the Best Performance by a Lead Actor in a Musical.
Both Anderson and The New York Times point out that, at the time, the League of Theaters (the organization that conducts the Tonys) specified that an actor’s name had to be above the title in the program or poster to be considered a lead.
Daniels wouldn’t have it. He withdrew himself from consideration, ultimately turning the Tony down. His performance was so undeniably great that he would have easily won. But, as Anderson points out in his video, that would be unfair for the other nominees who didn’t have as much stage time as Daniels.
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The New York Times reported that Stuart Ostrow, a producer of 1776 and a member of the League of Theaters’ board, said “he would seek a modification of the regulation for 1970.” The rules were changed, allowing an actor—wherever their name appeared on the playbill—to be considered, making the category fairer.
Daniels reprised the role for the 1972 film adaptation of 1776. By then, his film and television career was taking off, leading to his iconic roles in Knight Rider and St. Elsewhere in the 1980s.
But his heart never entirely left 1776. Anderson also pointed out how Boy Meets World included an easter egg: Cory Matthews and his friends attend John Adams High School, a clear nod to Daniels’ role.
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