Jeffrey Dean Morgan
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Jeffrey Dean Morgan (born April 22, 1966) is an American actor. He is best known for playing the character
Negan Negan is a character and antagonist in the comic book series ''The Walking Dead (comic book), The Walking Dead'', its The Walking Dead (TV series), self-titled television adaptation, and its spin-off series ''The Walking Dead: Dead City, Dead Ci ...
in the
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horror drama series '' The Walking Dead'' (2016–2022) and its spin-off '' The Walking Dead: Dead City'' (2023–present), for both of which he has received critical acclaim. He has also appeared in television roles such as John Winchester in
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fantasy horror series ''
Supernatural Supernatural phenomena or entities are those beyond the Scientific law, laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin 'above, beyond, outside of' + 'nature'. Although the corollary term "nature" has had multiple meanin ...
'' (2005–2007; 2019), Denny Duquette in the ABC medical drama series ''
Grey's Anatomy ''Grey's Anatomy'' is an American medical drama television series focusing on the personal and professional lives of surgical internship (medicine), interns, residency (medicine), residents, and attending physician, attendings at the fictional ...
'' (2006–2009), Jason Crouse in the CBS political drama series ''
The Good Wife ''The Good Wife'' is an American legal political drama television series that aired on CBS from September 22, 2009, to May 8, 2016. It focuses on Alicia Florrick, the wife of the Cook County State's Attorney, who returns to her career in law ...
'' (2015–2016), Joe Kessler in the
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adult superhero series' '' The Boys'' (2024–present), and Conquest in '' Invincible'' (2025–present), as well as film roles including William Gallagher in '' P.S. I Love You'' (2007), the Comedian in the superhero film ''
Watchmen ''Watchmen'' is a comic book Limited series (comics), limited series by the British creative team of writer Alan Moore, artist Dave Gibbons, and colorist John Higgins (comics), John Higgins. It was published monthly by DC Comics in 1986 and 19 ...
'' (2009), Clay in '' The Losers'' (2010), Sgt. Maj Andrew Tanner in '' Red Dawn'' (2012), and Agent Harvey Russell in '' Rampage'' (2018). He also starred as a pivotal character in the History Channel's miniseries about the war with Mexico for the creation of Texas, '' Texas Rising'' (2015).


Early life

Morgan was born in
Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is the List of municipalities in Washington, most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the List of Unit ...
to Sandy Thomas and Richard Dean Morgan. He grew up in
Kirkland, Washington Kirkland is a city in King County, Washington, United States. A suburb east of Seattle, its population was 92,175 in the 2020 U.S. census which made it the sixth largest city in King County and the twelfth largest city in the state of Washington. ...
, and attended Ben Franklin Elementary School and Rose Hill Junior High. He graduated from Los Gatos High School in 1984 and briefly attended Skagit Valley College to pursue a career in basketball. Following a leg injury that ended his hope of becoming a professional player, he left school to pursue his other interests such as painting and writing. While helping a friend move from Seattle to
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
, intending only to stay for a weekend, he decided to live there permanently to pursue acting. "I fell into acting, found out I had a little talent and pursued it."


Career

Starting with ''Uncaged'' (1991), Morgan has appeared in over 25 feature films. However, the bulk of his work has been in television. He was a major character in the 1996–97 television series '' The Burning Zone'', appearing in eleven of its nineteen episodes. In 2005 and 2006, Morgan simultaneously appeared in three television series: in the CW series ''
Supernatural Supernatural phenomena or entities are those beyond the Scientific law, laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin 'above, beyond, outside of' + 'nature'. Although the corollary term "nature" has had multiple meanin ...
'' as John Winchester, in a recurring role on ABC's ''
Grey's Anatomy ''Grey's Anatomy'' is an American medical drama television series focusing on the personal and professional lives of surgical internship (medicine), interns, residency (medicine), residents, and attending physician, attendings at the fictional ...
'' as heart transplant patient Denny Duquette, and as Judah Botwin in two episodes of the Showtime series ''
Weeds A weed is an unwanted plant of any species. Weed or weeds may also refer to: Places * Weed, Arkansas, an unincorporated community in the United States * Weed, California, a city in the United States * Weed, Kentucky, an unincorporated communit ...
''. He has also guest-starred in a number of television series, including '' ER'', '' JAG'', ''
Walker, Texas Ranger ''Walker, Texas Ranger'' is an American action fiction, action Crime drama, crime television series created by Leslie Greif and Paul Haggis. It was inspired by the film ''Lone Wolf McQuade'', with both the film and the series starring Chuck Norr ...
'', ''
Angel An angel is a spiritual (without a physical body), heavenly, or supernatural being, usually humanoid with bird-like wings, often depicted as a messenger or intermediary between God (the transcendent) and humanity (the profane) in variou ...
'', '' CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'', '' Sliders'', '' The O.C.'' and ''
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''. In 2007, Morgan was cast in a proposed project by ''Grey's Anatomy'' creator
Shonda Rhimes Shonda Lynn Rhimes (born January 13, 1970) is an American television producer and screenwriter, and founder of the production company Shondaland. Inducted into the Television Hall of Fame and NAB Broadcasting Hall of Fame, Rhimes became known ...
. The series, tentatively titled "Correspondents", was to have started production in summer 2007. ABC instead picked up a spin-off of ''Grey's Anatomy'', called '' Private Practice'', that was also created by Rhimes. As a result, "Correspondents" was shelved. In 2007, Morgan starred in the film '' The Accidental Husband'', which finished filming in March 2007 and was released on DVD in 2009. Jeffrey starred in the thriller '' The Resident'' in 2011. He also appeared in the drama film '' Days of Wrath'' in 2008. In 2009, Morgan portrayed The Comedian, a cigar-chomping antihero in ''
Watchmen ''Watchmen'' is a comic book Limited series (comics), limited series by the British creative team of writer Alan Moore, artist Dave Gibbons, and colorist John Higgins (comics), John Higgins. It was published monthly by DC Comics in 1986 and 19 ...
'', based on
Alan Moore Alan Moore (born 18 November 1953) is an English author known primarily for his work in comic books including ''Watchmen'', ''V for Vendetta'', ''The Ballad of Halo Jones'', Swamp Thing (comic book), ''Swamp Thing'', ''Batman: The Killing Joke' ...
's graphic novel. In the same year, Morgan appeared in '' Taking Woodstock'', and played Clay in a comic book film adaptation of '' The Losers''. He also played Jeb Turnbull in the DC comic book film ''
Jonah Hex Jonah Woodson Hex is a fictional antihero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer John Albano and artist Tony DeZuniga. Hex is a surly and cynical bounty hunter whose face is scarred on the r ...
''. Morgan appeared in the crime thriller '' Texas Killing Fields'' as a homicide detective in 2011. The following year, Morgan starred in the television drama series '' Magic City'', which centered on mob life in 1950s
Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...
. The same year, Morgan starred in the horror-thriller '' The Possession'', and had a supporting role in the war film '' Red Dawn''. In 2014, Morgan played Charlie Peters, the owner of the Cake House, in the season finale of '' Shameless''. In November 2014, Morgan was cast as
Joe DiMaggio Joseph Paul DiMaggio (; born Giuseppe Paolo DiMaggio, ; November 25, 1914 – March 8, 1999), nicknamed "Joltin' Joe", "the Yankee Clipper" and "Joe D.", was an American professional baseball center fielder who played his entire 13-year career ...
opposite Kelli Garner as
Marilyn Monroe Marilyn Monroe ( ; born Norma Jeane Mortenson; June 1, 1926 August 4, 1962) was an American actress and model. Known for playing comic "Blonde stereotype#Blonde bombshell, blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the most popular sex ...
in '' The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe'', a Lifetime four-hour miniseries based on J. Randy Taraborrelli's book of the same name. In 2015, Morgan portrayed Deaf Smith in '' Texas Rising'', a five-part mini-series which aired on the
History Channel History (formerly and commonly known as the History Channel) is an American pay television television broadcaster, network and the flagship channel of A&E Networks, a joint venture between Hearst Communications and the Disney General Entertainme ...
. Also in 2015, Morgan became a regular cast member for season 2 of the CBS sci-fi drama ''
Extant Extant or Least-concern species, least concern is the opposite of the word extinct. It may refer to: * Extant hereditary titles * Extant literature, surviving literature, such as ''Beowulf'', the oldest extant manuscript written in English * Exta ...
''. He appeared in an uncredited role in '' Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice'', as Bruce Wayne's father,
Thomas Wayne Dr. Thomas Wayne, Doctor of Medicine, M.D. is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He is the father of Bruce Wayne (Batman), and husband of Martha Wayne as well as the paternal grandfather of Damian Wayn ...
. In 2015, Morgan took on the role of freelance investigator Jason Crouse, opposite
Julianna Margulies Julianna Margulies (; born June 8, 1966) is an American actress. After several small television roles, Margulies received wide recognition for her starring role as Carol Hathaway in the NBC medical drama series '' ER'' (1994–2000; 2009), fo ...
, in the CBS TV series ''
The Good Wife ''The Good Wife'' is an American legal political drama television series that aired on CBS from September 22, 2009, to May 8, 2016. It focuses on Alicia Florrick, the wife of the Cook County State's Attorney, who returns to her career in law ...
'', until that series concluded in the spring of 2016. That year Morgan began his most noted role to date, as
Negan Negan is a character and antagonist in the comic book series ''The Walking Dead (comic book), The Walking Dead'', its The Walking Dead (TV series), self-titled television adaptation, and its spin-off series ''The Walking Dead: Dead City, Dead Ci ...
on the
AMC AMC may refer to: Film and television * AMC Theatres, an American movie theater chain * AMC Networks, an American entertainment company ** AMC (TV channel) ** AMC+, streaming service ** AMC Networks International, an entertainment company *** ...
TV series '' The Walking Dead''. He made his first appearance in the sixth-season finale on April 3, 2016, serving as the primary antagonist of the seventh and eighth seasons and later an anti-hero since the ninth season. He later lent his voice to the character when he was added as DLC in the fighting game ''
Tekken 7 is a 2015 fighting game developed and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment. It is the seventh main and ninth overall installment in the ''Tekken'' series, and is the first in that series to be released for PC. ''Tekken 7'' was released to Am ...
''. In 2015, he had a lead role in
Jonás Cuarón Jonás Cuarón Elizondo (born 1981) is a Mexican film director, screenwriter, Film producer, producer, Film editor, editor and cinematographer. He is the son of the Academy Award-winner Alfonso Cuarón and his first wife, Mariana Elizondo. Cua ...
's thriller film '' Desierto''. On May 28, 2017, Morgan drove the 2017 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport Pace Car to lead the starting field of the 101st Indianapolis 500. In September, Morgan appeared in a commercial for the online game '' Evony''. Morgan was 5th billed in the Dwayne Johnson film '' Rampage'', released in April 2018. Morgan reprised his role as John Winchester in the thirteenth episode of the fourteenth season of ''Supernatural'', which was also the 300th episode of the series. It aired on February 7, 2019. In August 2022, Morgan was cast in the fourth season of '' The Boys''; while initially reported to be a recurring role, on the season's release in 2024, Morgan was credited as a main cast member, portraying " Joe Kessler", a hallucination/alter ego of Billy Butcher. In 2025, Morgan hosted the reality show ''Destination X''.


Personal life

Morgan was married to actress Anya Longwell from 1992 to 2003."Nevada Marriage Index, 1956–2005," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VVRP-JDM : accessed February 18, 2016), Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Anya Longwell, May 30, 1992; from "Nevada, Marriage Index, 1956–2005," database, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : 2007); citing Clark, Nevada, United States, County Book 618, p. C358929, archive film number 924712, Nevada State Health Division, Carson City, and Clark County Marriage Bureau, Las Vegas. In 2007, he was briefly engaged to his former ''Weeds'' co-star Mary-Louise Parker; their engagement ended in April 2008. In 2009, actress and producer Sherrie Rose told ''
Us Weekly ''Us Weekly'' is an American weekly celebrity and entertainment magazine based in New York City. ''Us Weekly'' was founded in 1977 by The New York Times Company, which sold it in 1980. It was acquired by Wenner Media in 1986, and sold to Ameri ...
'' that she had a son with Morgan, born circa 2004–2005. Morgan has not confirmed this. In 2009, Morgan started a relationship with actress Hilarie Burton after being set up on a blind date through his ''Supernatural'' co-star
Jensen Ackles Jensen Ross Ackles (born March 1, 1978) is an American actor and musician. He gained recognition for his portrayal of Dean Winchester in The WB/The CW, CW dark fantasy drama series ''Supernatural (American TV series), Supernatural'' (2005–2020 ...
and Ackles's wife, Danneel, with whom Burton co-starred on '' One Tree Hill''. The couple's son was born on March 14, 2010. Eight years later, their daughter was born on February 16, 2018. On October 5, 2019, the couple got married, although many erroneously speculated they had married in 2014. The wedding was officiated by Ackles. Morgan and Burton have made their home in Rhinebeck in Dutchess County, New York, on a 100-acre working farm in the Hudson Valley with cows, ducks, chickens, alpacas, donkeys, and an emu. Since 2014, they have been co-owners (along with Morgan's friend, actor Paul Rudd) of Samuel's Sweet Shop, a Rhinebeck candy store they saved from being closed after the previous owner, a friend of theirs, died suddenly. In 2019, Morgan purchased an apartment in the
NoHo NoHo, short for "North of Houston Street, Houston Street" (as contrasted with SoHo), is a primarily residential neighborhood in Lower Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded by Mercer Street (Manhattan), Mercer Street to the west, the Bowery ...
neighborhood of Lower Manhattan in New York City.


Filmography


Film


Television


Video games


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Morgan, Jeffrey Dean 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors 1966 births American male film actors American male television actors Living people Male actors from Seattle People from Kirkland, Washington