8 Places You Saw Jeffrey Dean Morgan Before The Walking Dead
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Last year, Jeffrey Dean Morgan stormed onto the season finale of The Walking Dead as Negan, the most terrifying villain the zombie drama has ever seen. Clad in leather and brandishing a barbed-wire-wrapped baseball bat, Negan brought us a frustrating and sickening cliffhanger when he killed a mystery character (later revealed to be Abe, then Glenn).
Now that the dust has settled, we find ourselves still thinking about Negan and, more specifically, about the man who expertly plays him. Morgan is kind of the ultimate TV veteran, only it's not on shows where he's a series regular — instead, Morgan is in the unusual position of being a guest star whose presence permeates the entire show. If you're having trouble placing Morgan or remembering all the times you have actually seen him, we're pointing out some of his most memorable roles on the big and small screens. Here's where to find him after season seven ends!
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Weeds
On Weeds, Nancy Botwin was the Walter White of her time, going into the marijuana business to support her family after her husband's untimely death. Morgan played Judah, the husband in question, whose death precipitates Nancy's actions and everything that follows on the series. No big deal.
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Supernatural
Judah Botwin isn't the only famous TV daddy Morgan has played. Morgan is also John Winchester, father to hunters Sam and Dean Winchester. Yeah, those fictional genes add up nicely.
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Grey's Anatomy
Morgan's most famous role before Negan might be Denny Duquette in an unforgettable arc on the second season of Grey's. Why so famous? Well, he checks into Seattle Grace, falls hard for Izzie, Izzie/an entire audience fall for him . . . and then he never checks out. No Grey's Anatomy fan would ever be the same again, least of all Morgan, who said that it broke his heart to leave the show.
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P.S. I Love You
It didn't take long for casting directors to recognize Morgan as a sexy romantic lead. His next stint was on the big screen as Hilary Swank's love interest after she grieves her husband, but it's possible you had trouble placing him due to the Irish accent.
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Watchmen
Before pitting Batman against Superman, director Zack Snyder cast Morgan as a vigilante. As the Comedian, Morgan has a penchant for brutality and acts of violence with a baseball bat. That counts as training!
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Magic City
Remember how we talked about Morgan usually being always the memorable guest star, never the series regular? Well, Magic City is one of the exceptions. He played the lead in the 1950s-set Miami drama for two seasons on Starz.
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The Good Wife
Just before being The Walking Dead's baddest villain, he lightened things up earlier this year as a lawyer on The Good Wife — his mom's favorite show.
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Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
Director Zack Snyder is surely still fond of his Watchmen star — he cast him in a brief but immensely important role in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Morgan plays Thomas Wayne, the father of Bruce Wayne. That's right, he's still nailing those brief but pivotal daddy roles.
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The Walking Dead
Which brings us up to speed to Morgan's most nefarious role. Pretty weird to think of Denny Duquette bashing someone's brains out, isn't it?