Curious minds, this one’s for you. We’ve put together 25 genuinely fascinating facts about Jonathan Banks, carefully reviewed by our team to ensure every single one is accurate and worth your time. Let’s dive in.
Jonathan Ray Banks is 79 years old. He was born on January 31, 1947, in Washington, D.C.
He was raised by his mother Elena Adams Banks in Chillum Heights, Maryland. Elena worked as a secretary across government offices including the CIA.
Banks graduated in 1966 from Northwood High School in Silver Spring.
He attended Indiana University Bloomington where he studied alongside actor Kevin Kline. They participated in The Threepenny Opera together.
Banks met his first wife to be, Marnie Fausch at university and they married in 1968. Sadly they divorced in 1970.
Banks was given the opportunity to work as stage manager for the touring company “Hair”, so he dropped out of university to pursue this opportunity. Part of the tour took them to Australia.
The 1980s were when Banks’ career took off with his first three big roles in the films Airplane! in 1980, 48 Hrs in 1982, and Beverly Hills Cops in 1984.
His break into television was in 1987 when he played Frank McPike in the series Wiseguy for four years. This role led to an Emmy nomination.
Jonathan Banks re-married in 1990 to Gennera Banks.
Banks has three children. Claudio Jon Henry Banks from his first marriage and Rebecca Elena Banks and Joanna Rae Banks Morgan from his second marriage.
On May 14, 1994, Banks took part in a two-hour-long special episode of Walker, Texas Ranger. The special was called “The Reunion” and featured other famous actors such as Chuck Norris, Clarence Gilyard, and Ben Masters.
From 2004 to 2006, Banks featured in two episodes of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation as Bobby Jensen.
Banks played a role in the 2007 TV series Dexter as the FBI Deputy Director. He appeared in two episodes of Season 2, “Left Turn Head” and “The British Invasion.”
In 2013, Banks won the Best Supporting Actor on Television award at the Saturn Awards for his role in the series Breaking Bad.
In 2015, Banks voiced the character of James Gordon in the video game “Batman: Arkham Knight.”
His daughter Rebecca Elena Banks has followed a similar path to her father in film and TV. She works as a film director and writer.
Rebecca also worked with her father Jonathan Banks on the award-winning AMC series Better Call Saul in 2015.
Banks won his second award in 2015 at the Critics’ Choice Television Awards. The award was for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for his role in Better Call Saul.
In 2018, Banks voiced Rick Dicker in “Lego The Incredibles.” This was Banks’ second videogame appearance.
Banks lost his home in the Woolsey Fire, which devastated the surrounding parts of Los Angeles in California on November 8, 2018.
It is estimated that Banks was paid around $100,000 USD per episode of Better Call Saul.
Jonathan Banks has an estimated Net Worth of $4 million USD as of 2022.
Banks has had six Primetime Emmy Award nominations. These were in 1989, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2019.
He enjoys playing the bad guy. Throughout his career Banks has played the villain or the bad guy role and according to IMBD, he has quoted that he would play the bad guy forever if he could as he really enjoys the type of role.
Banks is 5 foot 7 inches (1.74m) in height.
Jonathan Banks has influenced the television and film industry for decades, playing important support roles and featuring as the bad guy.
He made his career in the 80s playing roles in some of the world’s most loved movies and he hasn’t stopped since.
In more recent years he has taken over television screens with his features in Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul.
Banks is one of the most loved bad guys around; some might say he is the grandfather of the bad guy role.
The Bottom Line: From the surprising to the thought-provoking, Jonathan Banks has more layers than most people ever get to explore. These 25 facts are a great starting point. Which one surprised you most? We’d love to hear from you!
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