His smile can melt your heart or send chills up your spine. His charisma is unmatched. Jeffrey Dean Morgan has made a career out of making people fall in love with him or develop a deep and not-entirely healthy fear and/or hatred of him. He is devilishly good looking, emphasis on the devil and he is as smooth as a used car salesman. Jeffrey Dean Morgan has portrayed many iconic characters throughout his career. He has been a superhero and a super villain. Morgan has fought monsters and he has been one himself. He’s driven the coolest cars and he has yielded the most bad-ass of weapons. Jeffrey Dean Morgan has, seemingly, done it all and he has done so with his trademark smile.
5) William – PS I Love You (2007)
In 2007, Butler and Hilary Swank starred as a married couple in the romantic-drama PS I Love You. It was based on the novel of the same name, which saw Butler’s character die towards the beginning of the film and Swank must find ways to cope with his death, through the guidance he provided in a string of pre-death letters. One of those letters brought Swank to Ireland, where she met an Irish singer named William, played by Morgan. Turns out, William was actually the best friend of Butler’s character and he was somehow even more charming and good looking than Jerry (Butler’s character). Swank eventually fell for William and began a new love story.
4) Denny Duquette – Grey’s Anatomy (2005-2009)
When Jeffrey Dean Morgan first came onto television screens in season 2 of Grey’s Anatomy, he immediately endeared himself to audiences everywhere. He played a heart-transplant patient who became a love interest of Izzie Stevens. Despite being on a first-name basis with death, he and Izzie fall in love and he actually ends up proposing to her. Again, with limited screen time, Jeffrey Dean Morgan made all of us fall in love with him. His radiating smile in the face of death, as well as his charm and sense of humor, made audiences fall for him faster than Izzie did.
3) The Comedian – Watchmen (2009)
The 2009 film adaptation of Alan Moore’s Watchmen starred Morgan as a superhero veteran who is mercilessly thrown out of his window at the end of a harrowing battle. Again, Morgan is given limited screen time but his performance, as well as his death, is what invests audiences in the film. We have to care about The Comedian for the rest of the film to work. Luckily, audiences did care about him and Watchmen saw moderate success. Morgan recently stated that the film was “ahead of its time,” and a case could certainly be made to support that.
2) John Winchester – Supernatural (2005-2006, 2018)
As the father of Sam and Dean Winchester, it was John’s responsibility to teach his sons how to combat monsters under the bed. John did exactly that and his sons grew to be heroes, then legends, then, in some cases, gods. Jeffrey Dean Morgan played John Winchester during the first two seasons of Supernatural, before eventually sacrificing his own life for that of his son, Dean. Yes, this is yet another production in which Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s character was killed off. But recent news has stated that Jeffrey Dean Morgan will, in fact, be returning to Supernatural during its 300th episode. The heart, and anger, and vulnerability that Morgan brought to the role of John Winchester is what has kept him a fan favorite all these years, despite not even being in the show since its 2nd season.
1) Negan -The Walking Dead (2016-present)
While some fans may criticize The Walking Dead for feeling a bit sluggish these days, there is no denying that any time Negan is on screen, audiences pay attention. First introduced in the show’s final episode of its 6th season, Negan immediately grabbed our attention with his unnatural charisma and his blasé attitude about murder. Audiences got an even bigger glimpse of Negan during the premiere episode of The Walking Dead’s 7th season. It was this episode that really allowed Jeffrey Dean Morgan to play. Negan was cocky. He was funny. He was charming. And he was psychotic. Only an actor of the caliber of Jeffrey Dean Morgan could bludgeon two of The Walking Dead’s most loved characters (RIP Glen and Abraham) to death, but still have audiences saying “Meh. He’s not THAT bad of a guy.”
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