Jonathan Banks
Jonathan Ray Banks (born January 31, 1947)[1] is an American actor. Born in Washington, D.C. and raised in Chillum Heights, Maryland, Banks did theater while attending Indiana University Bloomington. In 1974, he moved to Los Angeles where he began playing supporting roles in films and television. His breakthrough came with the role of 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.
This article is about the actor. For the boxer, see Johnathon Banks. For the American football player, see Johnthan Banks. For the drag queen, see Banksie.
Jonathan Banks
Actor
1974–present
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Marnie Fausch(m. 1968; div. 1970)
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Gennera Cebian(m. 1990)
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Banks gained prominence 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 Breaking Bad spin-off series Better Call Saul (2015–2022) and its sequel film, 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 Stir Crazy (1980), Airplane! (1980), 48 Hrs. (1982), Beverly Hills Cop (1984), Freejack (1991), Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles (2001), Reign Over Me (2007), Mudbound (2017) and The Commuter (2018). He also had appearances on television in The Gangster Chronicles (1981), Otherworld (1985), Highlander: The Series (1994), Walker, Texas Ranger (1994), CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2004), Without a Trace (2006), and Community (2014). He has also done voice acting, including in video games.
Early life and education[edit]
Jonathan Ray Banks was born on January 31, 1947, in Washington, D.C.,[2] and grew up in Chillum Heights, Maryland.[3] His father was a civil servant and his mother a professor at Indiana State University.[4] Banks said his late mother was a secretary in various federal government offices, including the CIA, and that she was also a private secretary to several top Naval officers, including Admiral Chester Nimitz.[5]
Banks graduated from Northwood High School in Silver Spring,[6] and attended Indiana University Bloomington,[7] where he was a classmate of actor Kevin Kline. During that time, they participated in a production of The Threepenny Opera together.[2] After graduating, he joined a touring company of Hair as a stage manager, and traveled to Australia and New Zealand.[8]
Personal life[edit]
Banks married his first wife, Marnie Fausch, in 1968. They had one daughter before divorcing in 1970.[84] Banks married his second wife, Gennera Gonzalez Cebian, in 1990. They had fraternal twins, and Banks has a stepdaughter from this marriage.[2][4]
Banks was awarded an honorary doctoral degree from Indiana University in April 2016.[85]
Banks' home was destroyed in the 2018 Woolsey Fire.[86][87]