American-born actor Jeffrey Dean Morgan has appeared in numerous renowned movies and TV shows, playing instantly recognizable and diverse roles. Including Negan in The Walking Dead and The Comedian in Zack Snyder’s 2009 R-rated superhero classic, Watchmen.
Starting his career in 1991 with Uncaged, Morgan has predominantly spent most of his career on TV, with shows such as Grey’s Anatomy, Supernatural, and of course, like previously mentioned, The Walking Dead. More recently, it’s been announced that Morgan will reunite with Supernatural writer Eric Kripke, as well as fellow star Jensen Ackles to star in the upcoming 4th season of The Boys. However, between his epic stints on TV, Morgan has appeared in more than 25 movies, including Rampage, The Losers, Watchmen, and The Possession. Morgan proves his acting range in his vast filmography, allowing his charisma to shine through in all of his roles, while also occasionally hiding that underneath a wholly dark, terrifying, and intimidating performance. So with that, here are Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s best performances.
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6 The Possession (2012)
Lionsgate
2012’s The Possession is a good horror flick in its own right, with an interesting story, and effective scares, as well as some infamously haunting behind-the-scenes stories. However, Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s powerful charismatic performance helped elevate the run-of-the-mill horror, and without him, The Possession could have quite easily been forgotten in the weeds of better horror movies of the time.
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5 P.S I Love You (2007)
Warner Bros. Pictures
P.S I Love You for the most part, is a fairly emotional and heartbreaking journey, which has very few moments of hope and joy. During this journey, however, we meet William, Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s character, who is inherently charming, endearing, and provides a much-needed and welcomed sense of happiness and hope to Hilary Swank’s main character. Sure, the film may have been slammed by critics upon release, but Morgan’s performance helped P.S I Love You become a rom-com classic.
4 The Losers (2010)
The Losers is stacked with an all-star cast that includes the likes of future MCU superheroes Zoe Saldaña, Idris Elba, and Chris Evans. In a cast as talented as the one in The Losers, it’s fairly difficult for anyone to really stand out, but not for Jeffrey Dean Morgan, who still managed to steal the show. The 2010 comic book adaptation The Losers certainly isn’t perfect, but it is a lot of fun, which is mostly thanks to Morgan’s hilarious and charismatic performance, for which he is now known for, as well as his infectious chemistry with the rest of the films cast.
3 Supernatural (2005-2010)
Warner Bros. Television Distribution
As the father of both Dean and Sam Winchester, John provides for many important, engaging, and emotional storylines that are only accentuated by Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s endearing and iconic performance. For most, Supernatural was the first interaction that audiences ever had with Jeffrey Dean Morgan, before his terrifying turn as Negan, which we’ll get to later. Morgan made a lasting impression as the headstrong and determined father, seeking revenge for his wife’s death, who raised his two sons into the exceptionally gifted monster hunters they are today. That alone makes John Winchester memorable, but with Jeffrey Dean Morgan in the role, its pure TV gold.
Morgan appeared mostly throughout the first season before his heartbreaking demise at the start of the second season, when sacrificing himself for his sons. Thankfully, this wasn’t the last fans saw of John Winchester and Jeffrey Dean Morgan, as Morgan made an exciting appearance in the shows huge 300th milestone episode in the shows 14th season in 2019.
2 Watchmen (2009)
Jeffrey Dean Morgan absolutely nails the role of The Comedian in a worthy adaptation that brilliantly brings the comic book character to life. The cigar-smoking “hero” is a character that comes with many flaws; however, Morgan’s fantastic and compelling performance manages to make Eddie Blake a sympathetic character. Whether you believe Zack Snyder’s 2009 superhero flick, Watchmen is an epic and flawless superhero adaption, or an inconsistent mess of a flick, the one thing we can all agree on, is Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s truly captivating performance as The Comedian.
1 The Walking Dead (2010 - 2022)
AMC
The Walking Dead had seen some pretty terrifying and twisted villains, from The Governor, The Terminus Group, The Whisperers, and of course, the series’ Walkers. But no villain is as memorable nor as ruthless as the leader of the Saviors, Negan. Equipped with Lucille, his iconic baseball bat wrapped in barbed wire, Negan made an unforgettably tense and shocking entrance into the show, capturing all our favorite characters, before brutally beating Glenn and Abraham to death. Nonetheless, Negan is one of the series’ best villains, mostly for his ruthless nature, disregard for others, playful mannerisms, and just for being one of TV’s most deranged and haunting villains. Morgan only makes Negan a more memorable villain, delivering jaw-dropping speeches in a way only Jeffrey Dean Morgan could pull off.
Sure, Negan is most known for being the ruthless villain of the show; however, since then, he has had quite an emotional redemption arc that now puts Negan as one of the best protagonists of the show. Again, this wouldn’t be possible without the fantastic range that Morgan shows, going from a ruthless, terrifying antagonist, to an emotional, regretful, and compassionate hero, that may not forgive Negan for his horrific actions, but nonetheless provide Morgan a great medium to portray his simply impeccable and underrated acting chops.
