Danny Glover was born and raised in San Francisco and he attended San Francisco State College and trained at the Black Actors' Workshop of the American Conservatory Theatre. He first came to national attention for his performance in the New York production of Athol Fugard's Master Harold and the Boys. Not long afterwards, he received widespread critical acclaim for his portrayal of cotton farmer Moze in the Academy Award-winning film Places in the Heart. Since then he has starred in such films as The Color Purple, Silverado, Predator 2, Grand Canyon, A Rage in Harlem, Angels in the Outfield, To Sleep with Anger (which he also executive produced), and the Lethal Weapon series. He earned an Emmy nomination for his supporting role in television's top-rated, Lonesome Dove, and his second NAACP Image Award for his performance in the title role of HBO's Mandela. In 1991, Glover was inducted into the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame.

Danny has been married to Asake Bomani since 1975 and they have one daughter together.