Daniel Barnes grew up on a farm in rural Indiana before moving to Indianapolis to study theater and Spanish. After a professor noticed his acting talents and unique gift for languages, she recommended he apply for a post-graduate acting program in Moscow, Russia. Daniel had no desire to leave the United States, but couldn't pass up the opportunity to study with Stanislavsky's disciples. He moved to Moscow in 2013, where he studied for four years with Russia's leading theatrical professionals at the Russian Academy of Theater Arts - GITIS. After graduating, he planned to move back to America, but was once again noticed for his uniqueness. This time, Oleg Menshikov, from the Academy Award-winning film "Burnt by the Sun" (1994) offered him an acting position in the troupe at his theater, the Ermolova Moscow Theater, where he (as of 2019) is still performing, and can be seen in repertory productions such as "Diary of a Madman", "Light Without Heat", "One Man, Two Guvnors", and "Of Mice and Men" as Lennie.