Daniel "Danny" R. McBride is an American actor, writer, and producer. In 2006, McBride appeared in the lead role in the low-budget comedy film The Foot Fist Way, which he wrote with friends and frequent collaborators Jody Hill and Ben Best. Will Ferrell and Adam McKay's production company, Gary Sanchez Productions, has picked up distribution rights to the film and hopes for it to endure a Napoleon Dynamite-like success. McBride has recently filmed major supporting roles in the comedies Hot Rod, The Heartbreak Kid, Drillbit Taylor, Tropic Thunder, and The Pineapple Express. McBride has also created and starred in the 2008 HBO pilot, East Bound and Down, which he worked on again with Jody Hill and Ben Best. Gary Sanchez Productions is producing the show.

McBride appeared as a guest on Late Night with Conan O'Brien on February 26, 2008 as the character Fred Simmons of The Foot Fist Way. Many viewers were not familiar with either the character or the actor and as a result there was initially much speculation as to whether the seemingly disastrous Tae Kwon Do demonstration--during which Simmons asked for a "redo" after a failed block-splitting attempt despite the fact that Late Night is live television--and awkward interview--during which he repeatedly lashed out at fellow guest Will Ferrell for dancing around in a sexual nature during his interview segment earlier--were real or staged. Among the only immediate clues to suggest the interview was a setup was when the website for the film http://www.thefootfistway.com was flashed onscreen during the interview.