Jon Bernthal’s best roles ranked - From The Punisher to his best hidden gems

The Punisher actor, Jon Bernthal, has become one of the most sought-after actors in the Hollywood industry due to his exemplary performances in various popular projects.

From his ruthless character in The Walking Dead, later as fan-favorite MCU character Frank Castle, Bernthal has appeared in numerous movies and TV shows, showing the viewers his versatility in the field of acting.

Other than these popular roles, Jon Bernthal has also appeared in many movies, such as Sicario, The Accountant, and Ford V Ferrari. Additionally, his TV appearances include shows like CSI: Miami and How I Met Your Mother.

Although it is difficult to choose the best roles from a talented actor’s long career, we have tried to list 10 of the best Jon Bernthal performances across movies and TV shows.

Disclaimer: This article is based on the writer's opinion. Reader's discretion is advised.

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10) Sam Rossi (Sweet Virginia)

Jon Bernthal plays the character of Sam in this neo-noir thriller. A popular bull rider who had to quit due to an accident that severely injured him. The film begins with the murder of three men by Christopher Abbott’s Elwood, who later befriends Sam.

The movie revolves around how Sam struggles to fight back due to his injuries, but in the end, he shoots Elwood to save Bernadette after he tries to rob her. Jon Bernthal perfectly portrayed the raw emotions of Sam after a traumatic event occurred in his life and was holding him back for most of the movie.

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9) Griff (Baby Driver)

Edgar Wright’s action thriller Baby Driver follows a young, music-loving getaway driver who tries his best to quit his life of crime but still gets involved in it.

Jon Bernthal’s character, Griff, is a part of Doc’s heist crew and is responsible for the security of the crew. He is a well-known criminal and is a little suspicious of Ansel Elgort’s Baby.

In an interview on the set of Baby Driver, Jon Bernthal revealed that to understand his role better, he met with real-life criminals. He shared:

"I think there’s often a huge misconception, and especially in the ways criminals are portrayed in film and television. There’s a misconception that to be criminal is to be uneducated or untalented. I think there are people with real talent and people who take it enormously seriously, and those are the kinds of people I talked to."

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8) Mark (The Peanut Butter Falcon)

The Peanut Butter Falcon depicts the story of Zack Gottsagen’s Zack, a young man with Down syndrome, as he runs away from a care facility and befriends Shia LaBeouf’s Tyler and tries to fulfill his dream of becoming a professional wrestler.

The film is a beautiful tale of friendship between the two men, where Jon Bernthal plays the role of Tyler’s older brother, Mark. Bernthal only appears for a few minutes in the whole movie in flashbacks of Tyler’s memories of his brother, which gives depth to Tyler’s character, and we also get to see how he remembers his older brother with the help of those fragments of memory.

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7) Sgt. Wayne Jenkins (We Own This City)

Jon Bernthal played the character of Sgt. Wayne Jenkins in the miniseries We Own This City. He is part of the Baltimore Police Department Gun Trace Task Force.

Jon Bernthal’s Jenkins is one of the central characters of the crime drama who has been a corrupt officer of the BPD. He is a ruthless and harsh police officer who severely beats up several convicts. Moreover, he planted fake evidence and looted money from many people and was later sentenced to prison.

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6) Brad Bodrick (The Wolf of Wall Street)

In this acclaimed movie starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Jon Bernthal plays Brad Bodnick, a local drug dealer.

He becomes a part of DiCaprio’s character Jordan’s brokerage company, where Brad and Jordan’s other friends are trained by him in the concept of hard sell. Bernthal perfectly portrays Brad as a reprehensible and shady character.

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5) Grady Travis (Fury)

David Ayer’s war film, Fury, follows the story of an American tank crew fighting for their survival in the last days of World War II.

Starring Brad Pitt as the tank commander Don, Jon Bernthal plays the character of tank loader Grady Travis. He is one of the hardened and ruthless crew members. Bernthal’s Grady depicted the effects of war on men as they become harsh and unhinged, forgetting about their fears.

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4) Rick Macci (King Richard)

King Richard is inspired by Venus and Serena Williams’s early lives. Will Smith portrays Richard Williams, Venus and Serena’s father, who dreams of making his daughters professional tennis players.

Bernthal portrayed the character of famed tennis coach Rick Macci. After seeing Venus and Serena play, he convinces Richard to send them to his academy to train.

Other than Serena and Venus, Macci has also trained players like Andy Roddick and Maria Sharapova.

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3) Shane Walsh (The Walking Dead)

Jon Bernthal gained prominence with the role of Shane Walsh in the zombie-apocalyptic series The Walking Dead.

Bernthal's Shane was initially portrayed as Rick Grimes’s best friend. However, surviving through the apocalypse changes him as he begins to have conflicting opinions about the group’s survival to Rick's. He also tries to kill Rick and replace him as the patriarch of his family.

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2) Michael Berzatto (The Bear)

One of the recent popular roles of Jon Bernthal is in the highly acclaimed series The Bear. He portrays the character of Carmy’s (Jeremy Allen White) older brother, Mikey, who dies by suicide and only appears in the flashback scenes.

Bernthal’s Mikey is one of the fan-favorite characters of the show as he portrays Mikey as a well-rounded person. Apart from his struggles with drug addiction, Mikey was a charismatic person who was loved by all of his friends and family.

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1) Frank Castle (The Punisher/ Daredevil)

One of the most popular roles of Jon Bernthal is his portrayal of Marvel’s Punisher/ Frank Castle.

MCU’s The Punisher was released on Netflix and followed the New York vigilante as he began to avenge his family’s death. Bernthal’s Punisher doesn’t shy away from going to any lengths to fight crime in his city.

He recently reprised his role in Daredevil: Born Again.

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