Jeffrey Dean Morgan Biography

Summary

"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 played The Comedian in the 2009 superhero film "Watchmen".

Early life

Morgan was born an only child 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 in a multi-episode arc as a figment of Dr. Isobel 'Izzie' Steven's imagination. He also appeared in one episode 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.

Morgan portrayed The Comedian, a cigar-chomping vigilante, in "Watchmen", based on Alan Moore's graphic novel.

He is currently shooting the thriller "Invasion of Privacy" with two-time Oscar winner Hilary Swank. He finished filming 'All Good Things' starring Ryan Gosling, "Taking Woodstock" directed by Ang Lee and "Shanghai" starring John Cusack, all three are due out in 2009. He is slated to play 'Clay' in a comic book movie adaptation of "The Losers".

Personal life

At some point in his young adulthood he was married, according to a 1997 interview in "Playgirl". Little is known publicly about the marriage, other than that it ended in divorce.

Morgan began dating his former "Weeds" costar, Mary-Louise Parker in December 2006. The couple briefly split in June 2007, though they later reconciled. On February 12, 2008, Morgan and Parker announced their engagement, only to break it off in April 2008. Billy Crudup, Parker's previous live-in boyfriend, co-starred with Morgan in the 2009 film "Watchmen".

He is often confused with Javier Bardem and Robert Downey Jr., though he is much taller than Downey Jr, and about an inch taller than Bardem at 6' 2'.