Jeffrey Dean Morgan as John Winchester

Jeffrey Dean Morgan

Jeffrey Dean Morgan (born April 22, 1966) is an American actor, best known to TV audiences as Denny Duquette on Grey’s Anatomy, patriarch John Winchester on Supernatural, and Judah Botwin on the Showtime series Weeds. He also was in the 2007 film P.S. I Love You as William, an Irish singer, along with Hilary Swank and Gerard Butler. He plays The Comedian in the upcoming 2009 superhero film Watchmen.

Early life

Morgan was born  in Seattle, Washington and attended Ben Franklin Elementary School, Rose Hill Junior High and Lake Washington High School in the nearby smaller city of Kirkland. Morgan was a basketball player in high school and university, until a knee injury ended his desire for a career in the sport. He was a graphic artist for a time, until he helped a friend move to Los Angeles.

Career

Starting with the 1991 movie Uncaged, Morgan has appeared in 15 feature films. The bulk of Morgan’s work has been in television. He was the star of the 1996-1997 television show The Burning Zone; his character, Dr. Edward Marcase, appeared in 10 out of 19 episodes that season. Since 2000, he has amassed a number of credits in television shows such as ER, JAG, Walker, Texas Ranger, Angel, Tru Calling, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Sliders, The O.C., and Monk.

In 2005 and 2006, Morgan simultaneously appeared in three separate television series: On the CW series Supernatural as John Winchester, the mysterious father of Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean (Jensen Ackles); in a recurring role on ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy as heart transplant patient Denny Duquette, who carried on a relationship with intern Izzie Stevens (Katherine Heigl) and died in the show’s second-season finale, though his character made an appearance in a three show arc during Meredith’s death scene in season 3 and also appears in season 5; as Judah Botwin, on the Showtime series Weeds. Morgan’s three roles are notable in that all three of the characters are now deceased, two of whom died onscreen.

Morgan was cast in a new project by Grey’s Anatomy creator Shonda Rhimes. The show, tentatively titled “Correspondents”, was to have started production in summer 2007. ABC picked up a spinoff of Grey’s Anatomy, called Private Practice, that was also created by Rhimes, and that project has rendered the future of “Correspondents” uncertain. Morgan is also among the cast of a movie that is based on a novel by the Irish novelist Cecelia Ahern, PS, I Love You. The movie was released on December 21, 2007. Another 2007 film starring Morgan is The Accidental Husband, which finished filming in New York City in March 2007. Morgan also recently finished filming Days of Wrath, a film about gangland violence in Los Angeles.

It has been confirmed that Morgan will portray The Comedian, a cigar-chomping vigilante, in the upcoming Watchmen, based on Alan Moore’s graphic novel.

Filmography

John Winchester

John E. Winchester is a fictional character created by Eric Kripke for the CW’s Supernatural, portrayed by Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Matt Cohen (young self). John is also the main character in comic book spin-off series Supernatural: Origins, a prequel set prior to the events of the series.

He is the father of Dean (b. January 24, 1979) and Sam (b. May 2, 1983) Winchester. He is also an ex-Marine (Echo 2/1). John watched as his wife, Mary, was killed by Azazel in Sam’s nursery on November 2, 1983.

He raised his two sons to fight the supernatural, with help from hunters he met on his travels, including several customers of Harvelle’s Roadhouse.

Season 1

Twenty two years after Mary’s death, John disappears, causing Dean to seek out Sam at Stanford University to help find him. The brothers are able to track him to Jericho, California. They then follow a set of coordinates they find amongst their father’s things, thinking they might lead them to John. When the brothers return to their childhood home after Sam has precognitive dreams, they leave a message for John on his voicemail. John tracks them in Kansas, but does not reveal his presence while staying with the psychic Missouri Moseley.

John finally visits the brothers in Chicago, Illinois. Meg, a woman possessed by one of Azazel’s children, reveals that Azazel is after John. After defeating the daeva, the brothers split up from their father to keep him from Meg and Azazel. John meets back up with his sons when his old mentor, vampire hunter Daniel Elkins, is murdered. It turns out that the vampires that killed him also stole the Colt, a gun that can kill anything. The brothers and John succeed in getting the gun back and decide to go after the demon together.

When Meg threatens to kill their friends unless they deliver The Colt, John gives her a fake gun and is captured. The brothers end up rescuing him, but he becomes possessed by Azazel and attacks. However, John manages to resist, freeing Sam from his telekinetic control. Sam manages to get the Colt and shoots him in the leg, temporarily subduing the demon. John begs Sam to kill him so that Azazel will die too, but Sam can’t bring himself to do it. To John’s dismay, Azazel then escapes. As the Winchesters later flee the scene in Dean’s 1967 Impala, a man possessed by a demon hits them with a semi truck.

Season 2

After the crash, Sam and John awake in hospital with only minor injuries. However, Dean’s life hangs on a thread. John tries to get Sam to get some materials so that he can summon Azazel from the hospital where they have all ended up. He also seems to know what Azazel wants from Sam and other kids like him. He makes a deal with Azazel so that Dean can live, sacrificing the Colt and its last bullet, along with his soul.

After Dean wakes up, Sam angrily presses John about his whereabouts the night before. John waves it off, telling Sam that arguing is pointless. John then asks Sam to get him some coffee. After Sam leaves, John talks with Dean. John tells Dean to take care of Sam. He then whispers something in Dean’s ear. John then leaves Dean and returns to his hospital room, where he gives the Colt to someone. Sam walks by John’s hospital room, where he finds an unconscious John on the floor. The doctors arrive to try to revive John, but are unable to save his life.

John Winchester’s official time of death is 10:41AM. In the future episode, “Crossroads”, a demon refers to John suffering in Hell to tempt Dean into making a deal to resurrect him. In another episode, “Born Under A Bad Sign”, the demon Meg, who is possessing Sam, tells Dean that she saw John in Hell and that he says “Howdy”. However, this comment is most likely to have been made out of spite.

John returns in “All Hell Breaks Loose, Part 2″ when the gate to Hell is opened. When Azazel is about to kill Dean, John grabs him and pulls him out of his human body. Both John and Azazel wrestle, but John is ultimately thrown off by the demon, who returns to his host body. This distraction gives Dean enough time to grab the Colt and shoot Azazel in the heart, finally killing him. John then gives Sam and Dean a loving smile before becoming engulfed in a white light, seemingly putting his soul at rest. Possibly because the death of Azazel breaks the contract holding John in hell, allowing him to leave.

Season 4

When Dean is sent through time, he meets his father’s younger self. When Dean starts talking about the smell of sulfur and cow mutilations, John believes he’s a little crazy. When John goes to a car dealership, Dean suggests that John buy the car that Dean will eventually have in the future. Dean then watches John go to a diner with a much younger Mary, whom he intends to propose to. It is then revealed that Mary is a hunter. When Mary goes to see John, Azazel possessing her father brutally snaps his neck. Mary makes a deal with Azazel to bring John back to life in exchange for allowing him to visit baby Sam in ten years time.

Appearances

Season 1 –

“Pilot”, “Home”, “Scarecrow”, “Shadow”, “Something Wicked”, “Dead Man’s Blood”, “Salvation”, “Devil’s Trap”

Season 2 –

“In My Time of Dying”, “All Hell Breaks Loose, Part 2″

Season 3 –

“Long Distance Call” (voice only)

Season 4 –

“In the Beginning” (young self)