Jon Bernthal facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jon Bernthal
Bernthal at GalaxyCon Raleigh in 2024
Born	Jonathan Edward Bernthal (1976-09-20) September 20, 1976 (age 48) Washington, D.C., U.S.
Education	Skidmore College Harvard University (GrDip)
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1994–present
Works	Full list
Spouse(s)	Erin Angle ​ (m. 2010)​
Children	3
Relatives	Thomas Bernthal (brother) Murray Bernthal (grandfather) Adam Schlesinger (cousin) Sheryl Sandberg (sister-in-law) Kurt Angle (uncle-in-law) Eric Angle (uncle-in-law)

Jonathan Edward Bernthal (born September 20, 1976) is an American actor. He is well-known for playing tough and complex characters. One of his most famous roles was Shane Walsh in the TV show The Walking Dead. He was a main character in the first two seasons of this popular horror drama.

Bernthal also gained a lot of attention for his role as Frank Castle, also known as The Punisher. He first appeared as this character in the second season of Daredevil. Later, he starred in his own show, The Punisher. He will play The Punisher again in the upcoming series Daredevil: Born Again.

Recently, he won a Primetime Emmy Award for his guest role as Michael Berzatto in the series The Bear. He has also appeared in many movies. Some of these include The Wolf of Wall Street, Fury, Sicario, Baby Driver, and Ford v Ferrari.

Jon Bernthal's Early Life and School

Jonathan Edward Bernthal was born in Washington, D.C. on September 20, 1976. He grew up in a Jewish family. His father, Eric Lawrence "Rick" Bernthal, was a lawyer. His grandfather, Murray Bernthal, was a musician and producer.

Jon has two brothers. Nicholas is an orthopedic surgeon and a professor at UCLA. Thomas is a CEO of a consulting agency. Thomas is married to Sheryl Sandberg, who used to be a top executive at Facebook. Jon's cousin was the rock musician Adam Schlesinger.

Bernthal spent his childhood in Cabin John, Maryland. He went to Sidwell Friends School and finished in 1995. He has often said that he was a "troublemaker" when he was younger. After high school, he started studying at Skidmore College but left before finishing. His acting teacher suggested he go to the Moscow Art Theatre School in Russia. While there, he even played as a catcher for a professional baseball team in Russia.

Jon Bernthal's Acting Journey

Starting Out in Acting (2002–2008)

Jon Bernthal was discovered while studying at the Moscow Art Theatre. He then went to Harvard University's Institute for Advanced Theater Training. He finished his studies there in 2002. After graduating, he moved to New York City to become a theater actor. He uses a special acting style called method acting.

Since 2002, Bernthal has acted in over thirty plays. Many of these were with his own theater company, Fovea Floods. He also had small roles in TV shows like Boston Legal, CSI: Miami, and How I Met Met Your Mother. In 2006, he moved to Los Angeles. He got his first regular TV role in the sitcom The Class, but the show only lasted one season. He also appeared in films like Day Zero and World Trade Center.

Becoming Famous with The Walking Dead (2009–2015)

Bernthal at ComicCon in 2011.

In 2009, Bernthal was a regular on the TV show Eastwick. The show was canceled after one season. In 2010, he played Sgt. Manuel Rodriguez in the HBO miniseries The Pacific.

Bernthal became very well-known for playing Shane Walsh in The Walking Dead. This show is based on a popular comic book series. He was a main cast member until 2012. His performance earned him a nomination for a Breakout Performance award in 2011. He later worked with the director of The Walking Dead, Frank Darabont, on the series Mob City. In this show, he played a police detective in 1940s Los Angeles.

During this time, Bernthal also had supporting roles in movies. These included Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (where he played Al Capone) and The Ghost Writer. He also appeared in the 2011 film Rampart. He guest-starred in TV shows like Numbers and Harry's Law. In 2011, Bernthal performed in the play Small Engine Repair. Critics praised his acting in the play.

Bernthal at the Phoenix ComicCon in 2012.

In 2013, Bernthal had roles in the crime drama Snitch and the sports comedy Grudge Match. He also played Brad in the Martin Scorsese film The Wolf of Wall Street. In 2014, he played Grady Travis in the World War II film Fury. Critics liked the cast's performances in this movie.

Bernthal also filmed Viena and the Fantomes in 2014, which was released in 2020. In 2015, he appeared in Sicario, an action drama that received many awards. He also had supporting roles in Me and Earl and the Dying Girl and We Are Your Friends. He played attorney Michael H. Sussman in the HBO miniseries Show Me a Hero.

Becoming a Star as The Punisher (2015–2021)

Bernthal in October 2014

In June 2015, Marvel announced that Jon Bernthal would play Frank Castle / The Punisher. This role was for the second season of Netflix's superhero series Daredevil, which came out in March 2016. Bernthal was unsure about joining a superhero series at first. However, he was impressed by the other actors in Daredevil and decided to take the role.

Critics highly praised Bernthal's performance as The Punisher. IGN called it "an absolutely stellar, gutting performance." Gerry Conway, who helped create The Punisher comic book character, said Bernthal's portrayal was his favorite. He liked how Bernthal showed the character's deep emotions beneath his tough exterior.

Because his character was so popular, Netflix created a spin-off series called The Punisher, which was released in November 2017. His acting in the first season was called "truly remarkable and intense." Bernthal likes to do his own stunts on the show. The series was renewed for a second season, which came out in January 2019, but was canceled a month later. In March 2023, it was confirmed that Bernthal would return as The Punisher in Daredevil: Born Again for Disney+. This new series is expected to premiere in March 2025.

In 2016, Bernthal co-starred with Ben Affleck in the action-thriller The Accountant. He also appeared in the documentary Can't Be Stopped about a graffiti crew. In 2017, he co-starred in Wind River, which premiered at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival. He also had important roles in Baby Driver and the prison drama Shot Caller. In the film Pilgrimage, Bernthal played a character called The Mute. To stay in character, he chose not to speak to the cast or crew for the first few weeks of filming. Critics praised his "intense, nearly wordless performance."

Bernthal at ComicCon in 2017.

In November 2017, both The Punisher and the film Sweet Virginia were released. In Sweet Virginia, Bernthal played a kind motel owner with Parkinson's disease. His performance was well-received. In 2018, he appeared in the heist thriller Widows. He also returned to The Walking Dead for one episode in season 9.

Bernthal played the brother of a fisherman in the independent film The Peanut Butter Falcon. He also played business leader Lee Iacocca in the action drama Ford v Ferrari, which was released in November 2019. In 2019, Bernthal filmed Those Who Wish Me Dead, an action thriller that came out in May 2021. He also reprised his role in the film version of Small Engine Repair, released in September 2021. In January 2019, Bernthal joined the cast of The Many Saints of Newark, a movie that tells the story before the TV show The Sopranos. This film was released in October 2021. In the Netflix film The Unforgivable, Bernthal played the love interest of a woman played by Sandra Bullock.

Bernthal has also done voice acting for video games. He appears in Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Wildlands and Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Breakpoint as LT Cole D. Walker.

Recent Work and Future Projects (2022–Present)

Bernthal starred as Sergeant Wayne Jenkins in the HBO miniseries We Own This City. In the popular Hulu series The Bear, Bernthal played Mikey. He won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for this role in 2024.

Bernthal also created a podcast series called Real Ones with Jon Bernthal. It started in February 2022. The podcast features honest conversations with interesting people, like police officers, soldiers, and activists.

What's Next for Jon Bernthal

Jon Bernthal has several projects planned for the future. He is set to appear in the dark comedy movie Snow Ponies. He will also star in the film Stingray alongside Joel Edgerton. Bernthal will also be in the spy thriller The Amateur and Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey, which is based on the ancient Greek story.

He will also star in and help write a special for Disney+ about The Punisher, expected in 2026. In June 2025, it was confirmed that Bernthal will also appear as The Punisher in Spider-Man: Brand New Day in 2026. He is also expected to make his Broadway debut in the spring of 2026 in a play called Dog Day Afternoon.

Helping Others: Charity and Advocacy

Jon Bernthal and his brother Nicholas run a non-profit organization called Drops Fill Buckets. This group focuses on making a positive difference in the world.

Bernthal is also a strong supporter of pit bull dogs. He is a spokesperson for the Animal Farm Foundation, which helps rescue pit bulls and promotes treating them fairly. He has three pit bulls of his own. Two of them, Boss and Venice, even appeared in his 2012 film Rampart.

Jon Bernthal's Personal Life

Jon Bernthal married Erin Angle on September 25, 2010, in Potomac, Maryland. They have three children together. The family lives in Ojai, California. Erin Angle is the niece of famous wrestler Kurt Angle.

Bernthal is a big fan of the Washington Commanders football team.

Filmography

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Jon Bernthal para niños