Dan "Danno" Hanks, a man with a storied past, has accumulated a seven-page rap sheet boasting over fifty arrests and four terms in state and federal prisons. Born on July 13th, 1946, to Cheerful Louise Kappes and Daniel Joseph Portley III, Dan was the youngest of ten children. Tragedy struck early, as his birth father took his own life when Dan was just a toddler.
This tumultuous start to life was further complicated by Dan's experiences in a lifeboat for eighteen days, an ordeal that would later be immortalized in a news story and adapted into the Alfred Hitchcock film "Lifeboat". As a teenager, Dan turned to the night streets, seeking refuge from the advances of a sexually abusive stepfather, Charles Hanks.
In 1976, while incarcerated at San Quentin, Dan witnessed a fatal stabbing in the chow line, an event that would have a profound impact on his future. The altercation was sparked by a heated debate between two inmates over a character's sexuality on an afternoon soap opera. Upon his release, Dan discovered that he could make a more lucrative living and avoid the dangers of the streets by working as a private investigator and Confidential Informant for the DEA and FBI.
During his time in prison, Dan spent a period at the co-ed federal prison in Pleasanton, California, where he was the first and, for a long time, the only male prisoner. It was during this period that he penned a short story, "Prisoner in Paradise", which would later be developed into a full script by George Gallo, the renowned writer of Midnight Run.
Upon his release, Dan teamed up with Fred Valis and the two formed Backstreet Investigations. Over the course of his career, Dan has been responsible for solving over a thousand theft, fraud, and drug cases. After working with Fred Valis for twenty-five years, Dan obtained a certificate of Rehabilitation and was granted his own private investigator's license.
Following Fred Valis's passing, Dan continued to carry on the Backstreet Investigations legacy, working as a story consultant to George Gallo and a technical advisor on police and crime dramas. He has also made appearances as a regular commentator on "Geraldo at Large". Although Dan is currently retired as a private investigator, he has reactivated his Sag-Aftra card and can be seen in the upcoming George Gallo film "The Comeback Trail".
