Dan was born in Clovis, California, a city located in the San Joaquin Valley, but his early life took a significant turn when he was just eight weeks old, and his family relocated to New Jersey. He spent the next ten years of his childhood in this new environment before making another significant move to Kansas City, Missouri in 1957. This relocation marked the beginning of a new chapter in his life, one that would see him settle in various parts of the country, including San Antonio, Texas.
In 1963, Dan made the move to San Antonio, where he completed his high school education at Jefferson High School in 1964. His academic pursuits continued at Texas A&I University in Kingsville, which later rebranded as Texas A&M University, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mathematics in 1968. Dan's academic endeavors didn't stop there, as he went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree in History in 1969 and a Master of Arts degree in History in 1973, with his thesis focusing on the folk-rock singer, Shawn Phillips.
After completing his graduate studies, Dan began his teaching career in San Antonio, where he spent a year at Brackenridge High School before moving to Jeff Davis Middle School, where he taught for seven years. In 1976, he made the move to Austin, Texas, where he worked in various clerical positions at the University of Texas at Austin for two years before transitioning to a teaching role at Dobie Middle School. He later transferred to Lamar Middle School, where he has been teaching computer and math courses to this day.
In addition to his teaching career, Dan has also made a name for himself in the film industry. In 2000, he founded Austin Film Casting, which quickly expanded to include three other casting lists in Texas, serving over 3,400 members as of late 2001. He also runs casting lists in Chicago, California, and Los Angeles, solidifying his reputation as a respected figure in the film casting industry.
