Throughout his storied career, Jon Bernthal has played a handful of iconic roles in movies and TV shows. Bernthal first broke out with a starring role on the hit zombie series The Walking Dead, and rose to further prominence playing the Marvel superhero the Punisher in Netflix’s Defenders saga. Since then, Bernthal has been working steadily in both film and television. David Simon cast Bernthal in his follow-up to The Wire, David Chase cast Bernthal in his prequel to The Sopranos, and David Ayer cast him in the tank crew of Fury.
During his tenure as a movie and TV star, Bernthal has played comic book antiheroes like Shane Walsh and Frank Castle, real-life historical figures like Ford VP Lee Iacocca, and the father of Tony Soprano. He’s worked with such acclaimed filmmakers as Martin Scorsese, Steve McQueen, James Mangold, and Edgar Wright, and co-starred with A-list actors like Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Will Smith, and Vera Farmiga. Bernthal’s best movies include The Wolf of Wall Street and Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, while his best TV shows include Daredevil and We Own This City.
10 The Many Saints Of Newark (2021)
Although it bombed at the box office, The Many Saints of Newark was popular with streaming audiences and led to a renewed interest in The Sopranos. A prequel to the seminal TV series, The Many Saints of Newark revolves around a teenage Tony Soprano and his family during the 1967 Newark riots. Some reviews criticized the script for skewing closer to the conventions of television than cinema, but the cast was widely praised, including Bernthal as Johnny Soprano and Ray Liotta in dual roles as twin brothers “Hollywood Dick” and Salvatore “Sally” Moltisanti.
9 Baby Driver (2017)
Brought to life by Edgar Wright’s typically energetic direction, Baby Driver is a stylish action comedy with a unique musical format and a great soundtrack. Ansel Elgort stars as Baby, a getaway driver who times his high-speed pursuits to sync up with his iPod playlists. In the years since it was released to critical and commercial success, Baby Driver’s reputation has been slightly tarnished by the controversies surrounding Elgort and co-star Kevin Spacey. But its jukebox action and supporting players like Bernthal as heist crew member Griff.
8 Fury (2014)
Set in the final weeks of the European theater of the Second World War, Fury follows a plucky U.S. tank crew fighting behind enemy lines in Germany. Fury is an action-packed WWII thriller that was praised for its intense battle scenes, effectively capturing the visceral horrors of war, and went on to become an admirable box office success. The all-star ensemble, featuring Bernthal as tank loader Grady Travis, Brad Pitt as tank commander Don Collier, and Michael Peña as tank driver Trini Garcia, won the National Board of Review Award for Best Cast for their stellar work in the film.
7 Me And Earl And The Dying Girl (2015)
Adapted from Jesse Andrews’ novel of the same name (Andrews also wrote the screenplay), Me and Earl and the Dying Girl is a heartbreaking coming-of-age dramedy about the beautiful friendship that blossoms between a socially awkward teenager, the confident best friend he makes movie parodies with, and a classmate of theirs who’s been diagnosed with cancer. It wasn’t a huge box office success back in 2015, but it was well-received by critics. Bernthal has a small but memorable role as Mr. McCarthy, a compassionate teacher who provides sage wisdom at pivotal moments in the teens’ lives.
6 King Richard (2021)
Will Smith leads the King Richard cast as Richard Williams, the father and coach of renowned tennis players Venus and Serena Williams, opposite Saniyya Sidney as Venus, Demi Singleton as Serena, and Bernthal as professional coach Rick Macci. King Richard is a touching sports biopic about the power of a father’s encouragement. It’s as much about the strength of family as it is about the craft of tennis. King Richard bombed at the box office, but it was acclaimed by critics and received six Oscar nods, including a Best Actor win for Smith.
5 We Own This City (2022)
Chronicling the rise and fall of the Baltimore Police Department’s Gun Trace Task Force, We Own This City was David Simon and George Pelecanos’ highly anticipated follow-up to The Wire. Bernthal stars as Sgt. Wayne Jenkins, a key figure in the GTTF surrounded by crime and corruption. Much like Simon’s previous series, We Own This City offers a morally gray, powerfully acted depiction of Baltimore law enforcement. Whereas The Wire was on the air for five seasons, We Own This City tells its whole true-crime story in just six episodes with an intriguing non-linear structure that unfolds in flashbacks.
4 Ford V Ferrari (2019)
Matt Damon and Christian Bale are perfectly matched in Ford v Ferrari as automotive designer Carroll Shelby and his British driver Ken Miles, respectively. Bernthal gives a terrific supporting turn as Ford VP Lee Iacocca, who hires them to build a car capable of beating Ferrari at the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans race. The underdog story is so relatable and the acting is so compelling that Ford v Ferrari appeals to racing fans and non-fans alike. Ford v Ferrari was a hit at the box office and a hit with critics, earning four Oscar nominations including a nod for Best Picture.
3 The Walking Dead (2010-2012, 2018)
Bernthal scored one of his early breakout roles as Shane Walsh in the first two seasons of AMC’s horror drama series The Walking Dead. Shane was the former deputy of Rick Grimes, who led a group of survivors after the zombie apocalypse. As he descended into psychopathy, Shane became the first of many great villains on the show, a dark journey that Bernthal captured spectacularly. The Walking Dead was a ratings giant and a critical hit, at least during Bernthal’s tenure, and it started a new wave in the zombie genre.
2 The Wolf Of Wall Street (2013)
Based on the life of stockbroker Jordan Belfort, The Wolf of Wall Street is a darkly hilarious crime epic satirizing the absurd excess and nonexistent scruples of the rich and powerful. Leonardo DiCaprio leads the cast as Belfort, and it's one of DiCaprio’s best Scorsese movie roles, with standout supporting turns by Bernthal and Jonah Hill as his cronies and Margot Robbie as his long-suffering wife. Thanks to Martin Scorsese’s direction and the pitch-black humor of Terence Winter’s script, The Wolf of Wall Street’s three-hour runtime flies by. It was a huge box office hit and received five Oscar nominations including Best Picture.
1 The Defenders Saga (2016-2019)
The defining role of Bernthal’s career is Frank Castle, better known as the Punisher, in The Defenders saga on Netflix. After a standout supporting role in the second season of Daredevil, Bernthal’s Punisher was quickly given his own spin-off series, which captured the grit, guile, and relentlessness of the character like no previous adaptation. The Punisher solo series was met with a mixed response from critics, but it earned an enthusiastic response from fans. It’s a suitably brutal and bloody take on the beloved Marvel antihero, anchored by Jon Bernthal’s fiercely faithful performance.