Jeffrey Dean Morgan facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jeffrey Dean Morgan
Morgan at the 2019 San Diego Comic-Con
Born	(1966-04-22) April 22, 1966 (age 59) Seattle, Washington, U.S.
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1991–present
Spouse(s)	Anya Longwell ​ ​ (m. 1992; div. 2003)​ Hilarie Burton ​ (m. 2019)​
Partner(s)	Mary-Louise Parker (2006–2008)
Children	2

Jeffrey Dean Morgan (born April 22, 1966) is an American actor. He is well-known for playing the character Negan in the AMC horror drama series The Walking Dead from 2016 to 2022. He also stars in its spin-off The Walking Dead: Dead City, which started in 2023. People have praised his acting in both shows.

Jeffrey Dean Morgan has also appeared in many other popular TV shows. These include John Winchester in Supernatural, Denny Duquette in Grey's Anatomy, and Jason Crouse in The Good Wife. More recently, he joined the cast of The Boys in 2024 and voices Conquest in Invincible. He has also been in films like P.S. I Love You, Watchmen, and Rampage.

Early life and first steps in acting

Morgan was born in Seattle, Washington. He grew up in Kirkland, Washington, where he went to Ben Franklin Elementary School. This is where he first tried acting in a school play. He also attended Rose Hill Junior High.

In 1984, Morgan finished high school at Lake Washington High School. He was the captain of the basketball team there.

Morgan briefly went to Skagit Valley College because he wanted to play basketball professionally. However, a leg injury stopped him from pursuing this dream. After that, he left school to explore other interests like painting and writing.

While living in Seattle, Morgan sold his paintings. He also got his first acting roles in movies like Uncaged (1991) and To Cross the Rubicon (1991). He acted in To Cross the Rubicon with his roommate, actor Billy Burke.

Later, Morgan helped a friend move from Seattle to Los Angeles. He only planned to stay for a weekend, but he decided to live there permanently to become an actor. He said, "I fell into acting, found out I had a little talent, and pursued it."

Career highlights in television and film

Jeffrey Dean Morgan's acting career began with Uncaged in 1991. Since then, he has appeared in over 25 movies. However, most of his work has been in television. He was a main character in the 1996–97 TV series The Burning Zone.

In 2005 and 2006, Morgan was busy appearing in three TV series at the same time. He played John Winchester in the CW series Supernatural. He also had a recurring role as heart transplant patient Denny Duquette on ABC's Grey's Anatomy. Additionally, he appeared as Judah Botwin in two episodes of the Showtime series Weeds.

Morgan has also made guest appearances in many other TV shows. These include ER, JAG, Walker, Texas Ranger, Angel, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Sliders, The O.C., and Monk.

Morgan at the premiere of Watchmen in 2009

In 2009, Morgan played The Comedian, a tough antihero, in the movie Watchmen. This film was based on a famous graphic novel. That same year, he appeared in Taking Woodstock. He also played Clay in The Losers, another movie based on a comic book.

In 2011, Morgan starred in the crime thriller Texas Killing Fields as a detective. The next year, he starred in the TV drama series Magic City, which was about mob life in 1950s Miami. In 2012, he also appeared in the horror-thriller The Possession and had a supporting role in the war film Red Dawn.

In 2015, Morgan played Deaf Smith in Texas Rising, a miniseries on the History Channel. Also in 2015, he became a regular cast member for the second season of the CBS sci-fi drama Extant. He also had a small, uncredited role as Bruce Wayne's father, Thomas Wayne, in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.

From 2015 to 2016, Morgan played freelance investigator Jason Crouse in the CBS TV series The Good Wife. In 2016, he began his most famous role as Negan on the AMC TV series The Walking Dead. He first appeared in the sixth-season finale and was the main villain for the seventh and eighth seasons. Later, his character became more of an anti-hero. He also voiced Negan for the fighting video game Tekken 7.

In April 2018, Morgan was a main actor in the Dwayne Johnson film Rampage. In February 2019, he returned to his role as John Winchester for the 300th episode of Supernatural.

In August 2022, Morgan was cast in the fourth season of The Boys. When the season was released in 2024, he was credited as a main cast member, playing "Joe Kessler". In 2025, Morgan hosted the reality show Destination X.

Personal life and family

Jeffrey Dean Morgan was married to actress Anya Longwell from 1992 to 2003.

In 2009, Morgan began a relationship with actress Hilarie Burton. They were set up on a blind date by his Supernatural co-star Jensen Ackles and Ackles's wife, Danneel. Morgan and Burton's son was born on March 14, 2010. Their daughter was born on February 16, 2018.

On October 5, 2019, Morgan and Burton got married. Many people had thought they were already married since 2014. Jensen Ackles officiated their wedding.

Morgan and Burton live on a 100-acre working farm in the Hudson Valley in Rhinebeck, New York. They have many animals, including cows, ducks, chickens, alpacas, donkeys, and an emu.

Since 2014, Morgan and Burton have been co-owners of Samuel's Sweet Shop, a Rhinebeck candy store. They helped save the store from closing after its previous owner, who was a friend, passed away suddenly. Actor Paul Rudd is also a co-owner.

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

See also

In Spanish: Jeffrey Dean Morgan para niños