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Jonathan Banks
Jonathan Ray Banks (born January 31, 1947) is an American actor. He played FBI Special Agent Frank McPike in the television series Wiseguy (1987–1990). For his role, he was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. Banks gained renewed recognition for his role as hitman and fixer Mike Ehrmantraut in the television series Breaking Bad (2009–2013). He reprised the role as a lead character in the spin-off series Better Call Saul (2015–2022) and the movie El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie (2019). For playing Ehrmantraut, he received five nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series.
Banks' film projects include The Rose (1979), Airplane! (1980), Frances (1982), Beverly Hills Cop (1984), Armed and Dangerous (1986), There Goes the Neighborhood (1992), Under Siege 2: Dark Territory (1995), Foolish (1999), Puff, Puff, Pass (2006), Identity Thief (2013) and The Commuter (2018). He also appeared prominently in the fifth season of Community (2014) and provided the voice of Commissioner Jim Gordon in the video game Batman: Arkham Knight (2015), and Brit in the animated series Invincible (2025–present).
Banks was born on January 31, 1947, in Washington, D.C., and grew up in the suburb of Chillum, Maryland. His father was a civil servant and his mother was a professor at Indiana State University. Banks has said his late mother was a secretary in various federal government offices, including the Central Intelligence Agency, and that she was also a private secretary to several top Naval officers, including Admiral Chester W. Nimitz.
Banks graduated from Northwood High School in Silver Spring, Maryland, and attended Indiana University Bloomington, where he was a classmate of actor Kevin Kline. During this time, they participated in a production of The Threepenny Opera together. He also played Anthony Anderson in The Devil's Disciple, which he credits as changing his life. Banks left IU without a degree to begin his theater career.
After leaving college, he joined a touring company of Hair as a stage manager, and traveled to Australia and New Zealand.
In 1974, Banks moved to Los Angeles, where he worked in theater before picking up bit parts. His most notable theatrical role was Frid in the United States tour of the musical A Little Night Music. Also in 1974, Banks acted in the public service announcement (PSA) Linda's Film on Menstruation. Banks' early film appearances include supporting roles in films such as the crime film Who'll Stop the Rain (1978), the murder-mystery The Cheap Detective (1978), the war film Coming Home (1978), and the musical drama The Rose (1979). During the late 1970s and early 1980s, he appeared in television films such as The Girl in the Empty Grave (1977), Alexander: The Other Side of Dawn, The Ordeal of Patty Hearst (1979), She's Dressed to Kill (1979), Rage (1980), and Desperate Voyage (1980).
Banks acted in the films such as the Sidney Poitier prison buddy comedy Stir Crazy (1980) starring Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder and the comedy films Airplane! (1980) and 48 Hrs. (1982). Banks also acted in numerous films such as Frances (1982), Beverly Hills Cop (1984), Gremlins (1984), Buckaroo Banzai (1984), Armed and Dangerous (1986), Cold Steel (1987), and Honeymoon Academy (1990). His television-roles of the 1980s include the NBC series the Gangster Chronicles (1981), where he played Dutch Schultz, and the short-lived science fiction series Otherworld (1985), where he portrayed the main antagonist.
Banks achieved a career breakthrough with the role of Frank McPike in the television series Wiseguy, which he starred in from 1987 to 1990. His performance led to a Primetime Emmy Award nomination, for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. Although his character was primarily the hero's mentor and superior officer, stories occasionally featured McPike as hero.
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Jonathan Banks
Jonathan Ray Banks (born January 31, 1947) is an American actor. He played FBI Special Agent Frank McPike in the television series Wiseguy (1987–1990). For his role, he was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. Banks gained renewed recognition for his role as hitman and fixer Mike Ehrmantraut in the television series Breaking Bad (2009–2013). He reprised the role as a lead character in the spin-off series Better Call Saul (2015–2022) and the movie El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie (2019). For playing Ehrmantraut, he received five nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series.
Banks' film projects include The Rose (1979), Airplane! (1980), Frances (1982), Beverly Hills Cop (1984), Armed and Dangerous (1986), There Goes the Neighborhood (1992), Under Siege 2: Dark Territory (1995), Foolish (1999), Puff, Puff, Pass (2006), Identity Thief (2013) and The Commuter (2018). He also appeared prominently in the fifth season of Community (2014) and provided the voice of Commissioner Jim Gordon in the video game Batman: Arkham Knight (2015), and Brit in the animated series Invincible (2025–present).
Banks was born on January 31, 1947, in Washington, D.C., and grew up in the suburb of Chillum, Maryland. His father was a civil servant and his mother was a professor at Indiana State University. Banks has said his late mother was a secretary in various federal government offices, including the Central Intelligence Agency, and that she was also a private secretary to several top Naval officers, including Admiral Chester W. Nimitz.
Banks graduated from Northwood High School in Silver Spring, Maryland, and attended Indiana University Bloomington, where he was a classmate of actor Kevin Kline. During this time, they participated in a production of The Threepenny Opera together. He also played Anthony Anderson in The Devil's Disciple, which he credits as changing his life. Banks left IU without a degree to begin his theater career.
After leaving college, he joined a touring company of Hair as a stage manager, and traveled to Australia and New Zealand.
In 1974, Banks moved to Los Angeles, where he worked in theater before picking up bit parts. His most notable theatrical role was Frid in the United States tour of the musical A Little Night Music. Also in 1974, Banks acted in the public service announcement (PSA) Linda's Film on Menstruation. Banks' early film appearances include supporting roles in films such as the crime film Who'll Stop the Rain (1978), the murder-mystery The Cheap Detective (1978), the war film Coming Home (1978), and the musical drama The Rose (1979). During the late 1970s and early 1980s, he appeared in television films such as The Girl in the Empty Grave (1977), Alexander: The Other Side of Dawn, The Ordeal of Patty Hearst (1979), She's Dressed to Kill (1979), Rage (1980), and Desperate Voyage (1980).
Banks acted in the films such as the Sidney Poitier prison buddy comedy Stir Crazy (1980) starring Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder and the comedy films Airplane! (1980) and 48 Hrs. (1982). Banks also acted in numerous films such as Frances (1982), Beverly Hills Cop (1984), Gremlins (1984), Buckaroo Banzai (1984), Armed and Dangerous (1986), Cold Steel (1987), and Honeymoon Academy (1990). His television-roles of the 1980s include the NBC series the Gangster Chronicles (1981), where he played Dutch Schultz, and the short-lived science fiction series Otherworld (1985), where he portrayed the main antagonist.
Banks achieved a career breakthrough with the role of Frank McPike in the television series Wiseguy, which he starred in from 1987 to 1990. His performance led to a Primetime Emmy Award nomination, for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. Although his character was primarily the hero's mentor and superior officer, stories occasionally featured McPike as hero.