Jonathan Banks

Jonathan Ray Banks (born January 31, 1947) 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. Banks gained prominence for his role as hitman and fixer Mike Ehrmantraut in the television series Breaking Bad (2009–2012). 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 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series nominations. 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 been a voice actor, including in video games. Early life and education Jonathan Ray Banks was born on January 31, 1947, in Washington, D.C., and grew up in Chillum Heights, Maryland. His father was a civil servant and his mother a professor at Indiana State University. 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.