Daniel Hendler is a Uruguayan film, television, and theatre actor who works mainly in the cinema of Argentina, where he lives. He is known for his starring roles in films such as Bottom of the Sea, Family Law, The Paranoids, Phase 7 and award-winning Lost Embrace by director Daniel Burman, with whom he worked many times. Working on both sides of the Río de la Plata, Hendler achieved international recognition due to his awards as an actor. In 2004, he won the Silver Bear for Best Actor at the Berlin Film Festival for his performance in Lost Embrace. He made his debut as screenwriter and director with the film Norberto's Deadline in 2010. Hendler is part of the generation of actors who revitalized the Uruguayan cinema with films like 25 Watts, and is one of the regular actors of the so-called New Argentine Cinema.

The Silver Bear for Best Actor was an award presented at the Berlin International Film Festival from 1956 to 2020. It was given to an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance and was chosen by the International Jury from the films in the Competition slate at the festival. Beginning with the 71st Berlin International Film Festival, the award was replaced with two gender-neutral categories: the Silver Bear for Best Leading Performance and the Silver Bear for Best Supporting Performance.