Jon Bernthal

Jon Bernthal is a classically trained actor best known for playing Shane Walsh on AMC's breakout hit series "The Walking Dead," based on Robert Kirkman's comic book of the same name. For Bernthal, the extraordinary role of a survivor of the zombie apocalypse marked another remarkable turn in a career defined by acclaimed and varied performances on both stage and screen. "The Walking Dead" earned a Golden Globe nomination for Best Drama Series, a WGA nomination for Best New Series and recognition as one of AFI's 10 Best Television Programs of the Year. The series set new records as the most‐watched drama series in basic‐cable history and airs internationally in more than 120 countries and 33 languages.

Bernthal's first major film role was in Oliver Stone's World Trade Center, with Nicolas Cage and Maria Bello. He was also seen in Oren Moverman's Rampart, opposite Woody Harrelson, Robin Wright and Sigourney Weaver; Date Night, with Steve Carell and Tina Fey; Roman Polanski's award‐winning drama The Ghost Writer, opposite Ewan McGregor; Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian, opposite Ben Stiller, Christopher Guest and Hank Azaria; The Air I Breathe, with Kevin Bacon and Julie Delpy; and Day Zero, alongside Elijah Wood. Bernthal and his father have launched a new production company with several film and television projects in development.

On television Bernthal was part of the ensemble in the HBO miniseries "The Pacific." The role required Bernthal to undergo boot‐camp training and combat training with the Marines. His other television work includes turns on series such as "Boston Legal," "CSI: Miami," "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," "How I Met Your Mother" and "Without a Trace." His first series in a starring role was "The Class," created by David Crane and directed by James Burrows.

Bernthal's love of theater led him to open his own non‐profit company Fovea Floods, based in upstate New York. A veteran of more than 30 stage productions, he recently returned to his roots in the Rogue Machine Theatre's production of "Small Engine Repair," starring as Terrance Swaino. This darkly comic drama charts three working‐class friends in Manchester, New Hampshire, as they reunite for an evening of drinking, fighting and reminiscing.

Previous theater credits include Neil LaBute's "Fat Pig," at the Geffen Playhouse; Langford Wilson's "Fifth of July," at New York's Signature Theatre; the Off Broadway production of "The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui," in the title role; and "This Is Our Youth," at the Studio Theatre in Washington, D.C.

During his college years Bernthal was given the remarkable opportunity to study at the prestigious Moscow Arts Theatre in Russia, renowned for its regimented program and disciplined training. Educated in acting, acrobatics, ballet and rhythm, Bernthal received a solid foundation in his craft. While performing at the American Repertory Theatre in Moscow he was discovered by the director of Harvard University's Institute for Advanced Theater Training. He was invited to study at Harvard and graduated with a Master of Fine Arts.

Bernthal was a professional baseball player both in the U.S. minor leagues and the European Professional Baseball Federation. These days Bernthal prefers boxing, training six days a week. He also teaches boxing to at‐risk children in order for them to develop work ethic and discipline. He also works to retrain pit bulls that have been abused, placing them in new and loving homes.

Summit Entertainment