Jon Bernthal

Jon Bernthal is a classically trained actor who has captivated audiences with various roles across a multitude of genres. A veteran of more than 30 theatrical productions, Bernthal most recently started the Ojai Theatre Festival, where he produced and starred in a production of Pulitzer Prize winner Martyna Majok’s Ironbound, opposite Marin Ireland. Bernthal also starred in Rogue Machine Theatre’s production of Small Engine Repair (Ovation Award nomination), which had its New York premiere at MCC in 2013. He had previously starred in Neil LaBute’s Fat Pig (Geffen Playhouse), Lanford Wilson’s Fifth of July (New York’s Signature Theatre), The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui as Ui, (Portland Stage Company), and This is Our Youth (Studio Theatre in Washington, D.C.). Bernthal opened the non-profit theatre company Fovea Floods in upstate New York.

Bernthal studied at the prestigious Moscow Art Theatre School in Russia, where he was educated in acting, acrobatics, ballet, and rhythm. He was discovered by the director of Harvard University’s Institute for Advanced Theater Training at the American Repertory Theatre in Moscow, where he graduated with a Master of Fine Arts.

On the film side, Bernthal starred alongside Ben Affleck in The Accountant 2 and alongside Rami Malek in the CIA spy thriller The Amateur. He recently wrapped production for Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, starring alongside Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong’o, and Charlize Theron. Recent films include Ava DuVernay’s Origin, Lena Dunham’s feature film Sharp Stick, King Richard with Will Smith and Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, The Unforgivable opposite Sandra Bullock, the Sopranos movie prequel The Many Saints of Newark, Small Engine Repair based on the award-winning stage production which he starred in, James Mangold’s Ford v Ferrari as Lee Iacocca alongside Christian Bale and Matt Damon, and The Peanut Butter Falcon. Other film work includes Edgar Wright’s Baby Driver, Martin Scorsese’s The Wolf of Wall Street, Taylor Sheridan’s Those Who Wish Me Dead and Wind River, Steve McQueen’s Widows, Sweet Virginia, Shot Caller, The Accountant, Pilgrimage, Sicario, Fury, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, Date Night, Roman Polanski’s The Ghost Writer, Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian, Grudge Match opposite Robert De Niro, and The Air I Breathe. Bernthal’s first major film role was in the Oliver Stone picture World Trade Center with Nicholas Cage and Maria Bello.

On TV, Bernthal can currently be seen in Disney+ “Daredevil: Born Again,” reprising his iconic role as Frank Castle/The Punisher. In 2024, he won his first Emmy for his role in season 2 of Hulu’s “The Bear.” Bernthal also starred in the HBO series “We Own This City,” B.J. Novak’s “The Premise,” Frank Castle/The Punisher in Netflix’s “The Punisher,” AMC’s breakout hit “The Walking Dead” as Shane Walsh, Frank Darabont’s “Mob City,” and Steven Spielberg’s “The Pacific.”

Bernthal started a weekly podcast called “Real Ones” in which he gives the microphone to some of the most interesting, authentic people living on the front lines of the big issues of our time, including soldiers, doctors, police officers, activists, and first responders. Alongside his father, Bernthal launched a production company called Story Factory with several film and television projects in development. Bernthal was a professional baseball player both in the U.S. minor leagues and European Professional Baseball Federation.