Jonathan Banks

A capable character actor who projected both menace and sympathy, Jonathan Banks spent the better part of a decade bouncing around in small film and television roles before finally winning notice as Zack, a murderous henchman in the hit action comedy "Beverly Hills Cop" (1984). Banks went on to earn both wider recognition and an Emmy Award nomination for his turn as Ken Wahl's cynical boss on the popular crime series, "Wiseguy" (CBS, 1987-1990). But instead of taking that next step, Banks continued to struggle in a long stretch of guest appearances without a regular series role, while also being lost in the background in a number of films like "Under Siege 2: Dark Territory" (1995) and "Dark Blue" (2003). He did make himself known on the second season of "Dexter" (Showtime, 2006-2013) as an FBI agent in pursuit of the Bay Harbor Butcher, but even then he was unable to find that one breakout role that propelled his career. That all changed when he was cast as Mike Ehrmantraut, a former cop-turned-drug fixer on the award-winning series "Breaking Bad" (AMC, 2008-2013) and its prequel "Better Call Saul" (AMC 2015- ). Finally, after decades of looking for that one defining role, Banks received the due he so richly deserved while opening new doors for his already venerable career.