Jeffrey Dean Morgan's 10 Best Roles, Ranked Worst To Best

Summary

  • Morgan’s diverse roles showcase his range as an actor in both TV and movies, from supernatural hunters to charming agents.
  • Known for taking on complex characters, Morgan’s performances bring depth and emotion to each role, capturing audiences’ hearts.
  • Negan from The Walking Dead stands out as Morgan’s most memorable character, showcasing his ability to portray multifaceted villains turned heroes.



Jeffrey Dean Morgan has racked up impressive movie and television roles over the last two decades, including his part as Joe Kessler in Eric Kripke’s hit series adaptation The Boys. Joining The Boys season 4, Joe Kessler is an amalgamation of a couple of Morgan’s most well-known and controversial television characters: Supernatural’s John Winchester and The Walking Dead’s Negan Smith.

Morgan’s history in the industry began in the early 1990s, but his acting career really took off in 2005. Two series in particular, in which Morgan had significant roles, are beloved and long-running shows that helped audiences and critics fall in love with his charisma and talent. Even after a list of memorable roles, 2024 could be Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s biggest year yet. Throughout his time on the small screen and the big screen in projects of varying quality, Morgan has always been a solid and reliable star who works hard to bring every character to life.


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10 Harvey Russell, Rampage

Morgan Is A Natural In Action Comedies

Morgan proved he was made for action-adventure popcorn flicks when he starred as Agent Harvey Russell in Rampage (2018) opposite Dwayne Johnson. The actor imbued the character with his classic charm and swagger, making him an audience favorite. Russell’s wit, charm, and southern accent transformed him from a cocky government agent into a welcome ally of Rampage’s main characters. While not his most memorable or unique role, watching Morgan play off of Johnson’s natural charisma always makes for a fun movie experience.


9 Jacob Kanon, The Postcard Killings

JDM Reunited With His Good Wife Costar In This Thriller

While The Postcard Killings (2020) might sit low on Rotten Tomatoes — with a 23% critic score and only a slight bump with audiences at 40% — Morgan’s performance as Jacob Kanon is the biggest reason why viewers should give the movie a chance. Morgan portrays a veteran New York detective searching for his daughter’s killer, balancing a tightrope between an investigator trying to bring down a serial killer and a father mourning the brutal death of his child.


The movie was based on the 2010 novel of the same name by James Patterson and Liza Marklund.

Fans of JDM will not want to miss the emotional and messy depiction of grief as Kanon buries himself in alcohol after hearing about the murders of his daughter and her husband. Watching Morgan move through that anguish on his own, screaming in a quiet room, or sobbing in the arms of his equally distraught wife, Valerie (Famke Janssen), is heartbreaking. The grieving father is as interesting to watch as is the detective, who teams up with journalist Dessie Lombard (Cush Jumbo) to uncover the truth.

The Postcard Killings

The Postcard Killings is a crime thriller directed by Danis Tanović, based on the James Patterson and Liza Marklund novel. The film follows New York detective Jacob Kanon, played by Jeffrey Dean Morgan, as he investigates a string of murders across Europe. Each crime is preceded by the killer sending a postcard to a journalist. The narrative delves into themes of grief, obsession, and the quest for justice.

Director
Danis Tanovic

Release Date
March 13, 2020

Writers
Liza Marklund , James Patterson , Andrew Stern

Cast
Jeffrey Dean Morgan , Famke Janssen , Cush Jumbo , Joachim Król , Steven Mackintosh , Naomi Battrick , Ruairi O’Connor

Runtime
104 minutes


8 Jason Crouse, The Good Wife

Jason And Alicia Didn’t Get The Ending Fans Wanted

Jeffrey Dean Morgan made quite an impact when he appeared on The Good Wife season 7 (2015-2016) as Jason Crouse, Alicia Florrick’s (Julianna Margulies) last love interest. Playing a former New Jersey attorney and private investigator for Alicia and Lucca Quinn’s (Cush Jumbo, who would later reunite with Morgan in The Postcard Killings) law firm, the role was right up Morgan’s alley. Charismatic, sexy, and competent, Morgan’s Jason quickly won fans over, and many viewers of The Good Wife were hoping he and Alicia would be endgame.


The last episode of season 7 served as the show’s controversial series finale. Audiences were not happy that one of the most loved relationships on The Good Wife was not given proper closure. Morgan agreed with viewers who were upset, telling Entertainment Weekly that he “didn’t like it” when asked what he thought about Jason and Alicia not ending up together by the end of the finale:

My feeling was we raised so many questions about Jason and this relationship that he had with Alicia that I felt like nothing was ever answered, you know? So I walked away frustrated for my character and Alicia’s character in not having any kind of closure with that.


7 Clyde, The Possession

Morgan Excels In Genre Narratives

In 2012’s The Possession, Morgan plays a father named Clyde, whose youngest daughter, Emily (Natasha Calis), falls prey to a malicious spirit after she finds a mysterious box at a yard sale. After Emily’s behavior begins to change, Clyde discovers it’s a dybbuk box. According to Jewish mythology, the antique box contains a dybbuk, a dislocated spirit that devours the human host it inhabits. Morgan is believable as a desperate father looking for answers on top of being a divorcé missing his ex-wife (played by Kyra Sedgwick). His performance in the horror thriller is as underrated as the movie is.


6 Ike Evans, Magic City

JDM Proved He Was A Leading Star

Arguably one of Morgan’s most underrated projects, Magic City put the actor in the lead of Starz’s sleek and stylish 1950s crime drama series. Set in Miami on the cusp of 1960, Morgan plays Ike Evans, the boss of Miami Beach’s most prestigious resort hotel, the Miramar Playa. Ike inevitably finds himself in bed with a mob boss, Ben Diamond (Danny Huston), which leads him and his family down a violent path. Cut far too short after two seasons, Morgan’s performance in Magic City demonstrated his bread and butter is being able to flesh out characters in series narratives.


5 Clay, The Losers

Morgan Leads A Magnetic Cast

Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s turn as Clay in The Losers (2010) is easily the most fun experience audiences have had watching the actor on the big screen thus far. Morgan brought his bravado and action chops while effortlessly leading an all-star cast that included Chris Evans, Idris Elba, and Zoe Saldana. With another comic book adaptation under his belt, Morgan shines in the action comedy alongside his costars, cementing his ability to lead a project and steal every scene written for him.


Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s Comic Book Adaptation Projects

Order of Appearance

Watchmen

2009

The Losers

2010

Jonah Hex

2010

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

2016

The Walking Dead

2016

The Walking Dead: Dead City

2023

The Boys

2024


4 Denny Duquette, Grey’s Anatomy

JDM Stole Hearts And Then Broke Them

Grey’s Anatomy audiences fell in love with Denny Duquette alongside Dr. Izzie Stevens (Katherine Heigl) when he was admitted as a heart patient and joined the series in 2006. Morgan broke just as many hearts as Denny suffered serious symptoms from his failing heart and ultimately died from a stroke after he and Izzie became engaged. Morgan portrayed Denny with the right amount of sweetness, charm, and sincerity to draw viewers in and help them understand why Izzie falls deeply in love with Denny, making his surprising death following a heart transplant all the more unbearable.


Grey's Anatomy Poster

Grey’s Anatomy

A high-intensity medical drama which follows Meredith Grey and the team of doctors at Grey Sloan Memorial, who are faced with life-or-death decisions on a daily basis. They seek comfort from one another, and, at times, more than just friendship. Together they discover that neither medicine nor relationships can be defined in black and white.

Release Date
March 27, 2005

Cast
Ellen Pompeo , Chandra Wilson , James Pickens Jr. , Justin Chambers , Kevin McKidd , Jesse Williams , camilla luddington , Patrick Dempsey , Sara Ramirez , Jessica Capshaw , Sandra Oh

Creator(s)
Shonda Rhimes , Michelle Lirtzman

The Nihilistic Comedian Remains One Of Morgan’s Best Roles

Morgan’s first significant bad boy was Edward “Eddie” Blake, aka The Comedian, in Zack Snyder’s movie adaptation Watchmen (2009). Morgan’s total screen time in the nearly three-hour-long film isn’t massive, but his character packs a big punch. The Comedian’s death is the catalyst for the film’s storyline, and flashbacks reveal the so-called superhero to be a violent vigilante. The DC Comics story deconstructed superheroes long before The Boys took its shot at the genre, and Morgan does a stellar job making the audience despise his character, feel sorry for him, and still be undeniably charmed by him.


2 John Winchester, Supernatural

JDM’s First Project With Kripke Will Always Loom Large

Out of 327 episodes over an impressive 15-season run, Jeffrey Dean Morgan appeared as Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean’s (Jensen Ackles) father, John Winchester, in Supernatural 13 times. The fact that the character looms large over the entire series speaks to the importance of John to the overall narrative, and that is largely thanks to Morgan’s portrayal of him.


John is a controversial character in the series, with Supernatural fans in disagreement over whether he was a good or bad father. There’s no denying, however, that John Winchester is one of the most important roles Morgan has ever played. The actor imbued the character with the complexity John needed, starting as a doting father and husband to a vengeful, grief-ridden, and rage-filled hunter who may have loved his sons but didn’t always know the right way to show it as revenge and hunting became a powerful focal point.


1 Negan, The Walking Dead

The Villain Turned Hero Is JDM’s Biggest Role Yet

Negan will likely remain the most memorable character Jeffrey Dean Morgan has ever brought to life on-screen. Morgan knows how to play complex characters, and Negan is easily the most complicated. Going from one of The Walking Dead’s hardcore villains when he was introduced on the series in 2016 to getting a second chance once Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) spared his life to working side-by-side with his former enemies (and some emotional flashbacks), Negan has given Morgan plenty of room to play.

In
The Walking Dead
, Negan swung a barb-wired baseball bat named Lucille so Joe Kessler could bring out Billy Butcher’s darkest impulses in
The Boys
.


With the flagship series having ended after season 11, Negan lives on in the spin-off The Walking Dead: Dead City alongside Maggie Rhee (Lauren Cohan, who also starred in Supernatural). This is the longest Morgan has lived with a character and one that has taken inspiration from some of his previous roles and lives on in others. In The Walking Dead, Negan swung a barb-wired baseball bat named Lucille so Joe Kessler could bring out Billy Butcher’s darkest impulses in The Boys.

Sources: Entertainment Weekly, Reddit

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