Jonathan Banks in “Breaking Bad”
Jonathan Banks is an acclaimed American character actor whose distinctive voice, weathered appearance and quietly commanding screen presence have made him one of the most recognizable performers in modern television. Over a career spanning more than five decades, Banks has moved effortlessly between drama, comedy, action and animation, frequently portraying hardened authority figures, law-enforcement officers and dangerous criminals. He is best known for his celebrated performance as Mike Ehrmantraut in “Breaking Bad” and “Better Call Saul.”
Born on January 31, 1947, in Washington, D.C., Banks attended Indiana University, where he became involved in theater. He left college before graduating and joined a touring production of the musical “Hair” as a stage manager, traveling with the company to Australia and New Zealand. After developing his skills in the theater, Banks moved to Los Angeles in 1974 and began pursuing film and television work. Indiana University later recognized his accomplishments by awarding him an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree in 2016.
Banks steadily established himself as a dependable supporting actor during the late 1970s and early 1980s. His early film credits included “Coming Home,” “The Rose,” “Stir Crazy” and the disaster-movie spoof “Airplane!,” in which he played an air traffic controller. He subsequently appeared in Walter Hill’s influential action comedy 4″8 Hrs.,” as well as “Frances,” “Gremlins” and “The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension.”
One of Banks’s most memorable early roles came in the 1984 blockbuster “Beverly Hills Cop.” He played Zack, the ruthless enforcer working for criminal art dealer Victor Maitland. Zack murders Axel Foley’s childhood friend at the beginning of the film, setting the plot in motion, and later becomes part of a classic comic confrontation when Axel sends him crashing into a country-club buffet. The role demonstrated Banks’s ability to project menace while still fitting naturally into a fast-moving action comedy.
His first major television breakthrough came as FBI agent Frank McPike in the crime drama “Wiseguy,” which aired from 1987 to 1990. McPike served as a stern but principled supervisor and mentor to undercover agent Vinnie Terranova. Banks brought emotional depth and humanity to what could have been a conventional authority figure, earning his first Primetime Emmy nomination for the performance.
Banks continued working consistently throughout the following decades, appearing in films such as “Under Siege 2: Dark Territory” and making guest appearances on numerous television programs. His career reached another level in 2009 when he was cast as Mike Ehrmantraut in “Breaking Bad.” A former police officer who becomes a fixer and enforcer in Albuquerque’s criminal underworld, Mike was intimidating, disciplined and extraordinarily capable. Yet Banks also revealed the character’s weariness, loyalty and strong personal code. Mike was unquestionably a criminal, but his devotion to his family and refusal to tolerate needless cruelty helped make him one of the show’s most beloved characters.
Banks reprised the role in the prequel series “Better Call Saul,” which gave him the opportunity to explore Mike’s past, his guilt and the choices that gradually pulled him deeper into organized crime. He also appeared as Mike in the 2019 film “El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie.” Banks received five Emmy nominations for playing Mike, in addition to his earlier nomination for “Wiseguy.”
His later work has included “Community,” “Mudbound,” “The Commuter,” “Incredibles 2” and the science-fiction series “Constellation,” along with numerous voice performances. Jonathan Banks’s remarkable career is a testament to the value of great character acting, and to an actor capable of making even the toughest characters feel deeply human.
Interview
Jonathan Banks (August 30, 2012)
We interviewed Jonathan about his role as Mike Ehrmantraut: “That was an emotional parting. When we were running lines, it was all of a sudden for the first time when I realized, ‘As far as the show, this is it. This is the last time we’re ever gonna see each other.’ So that was tough. That was tough.”
Memorable Roles
Beverly Hills Cop
I can still see Zack getting thrown onto the buffet in this classic starring Eddie Murphy.