Jonathan Banks facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jonathan Banks
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Banks at the 2012 San Diego Comic-Con
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Jonathan Ray Banks
January 31, 1947 Washington, D.C., U.S.
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| Alma mater | Indiana University Bloomington |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1974–present |
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| Children | 3 |
Jonathan Ray Banks (born January 31, 1947) is an American actor. He is well-known for playing tough and serious characters. One of his most famous roles was FBI Special Agent Frank McPike in the TV series Wiseguy from 1987 to 1990.
Later, Banks became even more famous for his role as Mike Ehrmantraut. Mike was a former police officer who became a "fixer" and sometimes a hitman. He appeared in the popular TV series Breaking Bad (2009–2013). Banks then played Mike again as a main character in the spin-off series Better Call Saul (2015–2022). He also appeared in the movie El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie (2019). For his work as Mike Ehrmantraut, he was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series five times.
Jonathan Banks has also been in many movies. These include The Rose (1979), Airplane! (1980), Beverly Hills Cop (1984), and The Commuter (2018). He also voiced Commissioner Jim Gordon in the video game Batman: Arkham Knight (2015). More recently, he voiced Brit in the animated series Invincible starting in 2025.
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Early Life and School
Jonathan Ray Banks was born in Washington, D.C. on January 31, 1947. He grew up in Chillum Heights, Maryland. His mother was a professor at Indiana State University. She also worked as a secretary in government offices, including for important Navy officers.
Banks went to Northwood High School in Silver Spring, Maryland. After high school, he attended Indiana University Bloomington. There, he was classmates with another actor, Kevin Kline. They even performed in a play together called The Threepenny Opera. Banks says playing Anthony Anderson in The Devil's Disciple changed his life. After college, he worked as a stage manager for a touring musical called Hair. He traveled to Australia and New Zealand with the show.
Acting Career
Starting Out: 1974–1990
In 1974, Jonathan Banks moved to Los Angeles. He started working in theater and then got small roles in movies and TV shows. One of his early theater roles was in the musical A Little Night Music. He also appeared in a public service announcement about menstruation.
Some of his early movie roles were in Who'll Stop the Rain (1978) and The Rose (1979). He also appeared in TV movies like The Girl in the Empty Grave (1977). In the early 1980s, he was in comedies like Stir Crazy (1980) with Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder. He also appeared in Airplane! (1980) and 48 Hrs. (1982). Other films from this time include Beverly Hills Cop (1984) and Gremlins (1984).
Banks became widely known for his role as Frank McPike in the TV series Wiseguy. He was on the show from 1987 to 1990. His performance earned him a nomination for a Primetime Emmy Award. Frank McPike was often a mentor to the main hero, but sometimes he was the hero of the story himself.
Later Roles: 1991–2008
In the 1990s, Banks continued to act in many films. These included Freejack (1991), Under Siege 2: Dark Territory (1995), and Flipper (1996). He also appeared in TV shows like Matlock and Walker, Texas Ranger in 1994. In 1996, he played Frank McPike again in the TV movie Wiseguy.
In the 2000s, Banks appeared in films such as Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles (2001) and Dark Blue (2003). He also had guest roles in TV shows like CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2004) and Dexter (2007).
Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul: 2009–2022
In 2009, Jonathan Banks joined the cast of the crime series Breaking Bad. He played the character Mike Ehrmantraut. Mike became a regular character in the show's later seasons. Banks received another Primetime Emmy Award nomination for his work on Breaking Bad in 2013.
During the 2010s, he also appeared in movies like Identity Thief (2013) and Horrible Bosses 2 (2014). He had a recurring role as Buzz Hickey in the fifth season of the sitcom Community.
In 2015, Banks returned as Mike Ehrmantraut in Better Call Saul. This show is a spin-off of Breaking Bad and takes place before the events of that series. Better Call Saul explored Mike's character and his past much more deeply. Banks appeared in almost all of the show's episodes. He was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series four more times for Better Call Saul. This means he has been nominated for playing the same character in two different shows, which is very rare!
In 2015, he also voiced James Gordon in the video game Batman: Arkham Knight. He also appeared in the films Term Life (2016) and The Commuter (2018). In 2017, Banks played a main bad guy in the film Mudbound. He and his co-stars were nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award for their performance.
More recently, in 2020, Banks joined the voice cast of the Netflix animated series F Is for Family. He played Bill Murphy, the main character's father. In 2025, he started voicing the superhero Brit in the animated series Invincible.
Personal Life
Jonathan Banks married his first wife, Marnie Fausch, in 1968. They had one daughter. They later divorced in 1970. In 1990, Banks married his second wife, Gennera Gonzalez Cebian. They have twin children, and Banks also has a stepdaughter from this marriage.
In April 2016, Indiana University gave Banks an honorary doctoral degree. This is a special award that recognizes his achievements.
Sadly, Banks' home was destroyed in the 2018 Woolsey Fire, a large wildfire in California.
Awards and Nominations
Jonathan Banks has received many awards and nominations for his acting.
- He won a Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series in 2015 for Better Call Saul.
- He won two Saturn Awards for Best Supporting Actor on Television for Breaking Bad (2013) and Better Call Saul (2022).
- He was part of the cast that won a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series in 2013 for Breaking Bad.
- He has been nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series six times for his roles in Wiseguy, Breaking Bad, and Better Call Saul.
Images for kids
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Jonathan Banks at the 2012 San Diego Comic-Con
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Jonathan Banks in 1995
See also
In Spanish: Jonathan Banks para niños
