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Jonathan Edward "Jon" Bernthal is an American actor who portrayed Shane Walsh in AMC's The Walking Dead.
Biography
Jon was raised in Washington D.C., and went to study at The Moscow Art Theatre School in Moscow, Russia. He played professional baseball for the European Professional Baseball Federation. While in Moscow, he was noticed by the director of Harvard University's Institute for Advanced Theatre Training at the American Repretory Theatre, and was invited to obtain his M.F.A. there. After graduating in 2002, he performed in over thirty plays regionally and off-Broadway, including many of his own award-winning company, Fovea Floods. He currently resides in Venice, California with his dog, Boss, wife and son. His film resume includes Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (2009), Ghost Writer (2010), and Snitch (2013).
Involvement in The Walking Dead
Bernthal and Andrew Lincoln, who was eventually cast as protagonist Rick Grimes, auditioned for the show together and were the first to be chosen for the regular cast. Series creator Frank Darabont originally had all actors audition for the role of Rick, including Bernthal, and then brought back the actors under close consideration to audition for Shane and other roles. Bernthal, however, wanted to portray the part of Shane from early on and fought for the part, despite knowing that the character would die early in the series.
After the Walking Dead
After Jon's portrayal of Shane in The Walking Dead, Jon went on to perform in many movies/TV shows:
- Snitch as Daniel James (Main Role)
- The Wolf of Wall Street as Brad
- Grudge Match as BJ (Brandon James)
- Fury as Grady Travis
- Harry's Law as Lucas Trassino
- Robot Chicken as Hawkeye
- Lost Angels as Joe Teague
- Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian as Al Capone
Trivia
- He is the nephew-in-law of professional wrestler Kurt Angle.
- Bernthal went to college with Michael Zegen, the actor who portrayed Randall.[1]
References
- ↑ Episode 210 Bonus Segment: Talking Dead Youtube "AMC" (February 28, 2012)