Jensen Ross Ackles portrayed Dean Winchester on The CW show Supernatural, as one of two main characters, alongside fellow Texan Jared Padalecki as Sam Winchester. The show follows the two brothers as they cross the country hunting monsters.
Background[]
Born to Donna Joan Shaffer and Alan Ackles on March 1st, 1978 in Dallas, Texas, he is three years younger than brother Joshua and seven years older than sister Mackenzie. Although he had planned to study sports medicine and become a physical therapist, he moved to Los Angeles to launch himself in an acting career.
Having modeled on and off since the age of 4, Jensen focused on an acting career in 1996. Since then he appeared in several guest roles, such as in Mr. Rhodes, Cybill and Sweet Valley High. In 1997, he joined the cast of Days of Our Lives as Eric Brady which nominated him for several awards. This was followed by several other shows, such as Dark Angel, Smallville and Dawson's Creek.
In 2005, he was cast as the older brother Dean Winchester on Supernatural, and has starred in all the episodes till date, up to its final 15th season. He has also directed an episode of the sixth season, Weekend at Bobby's and one of the seventh season, The Girl Next Door, as well as season eight's Heartache. In the tenth season he directed Soul Survivor, in the eleventh season The Bad Seed and in the fifteenth season Atomic Monsters.
His big break in movies came when he was cast as Tom Hanniger in the remake of the 1981 cult movie, My Bloody Valentine, in 2008, called My Bloody Valentine 3D.
Ackles has done his share in voice acting. His notable roles are Jason Todd in Batman: Under The Red Hood, Gibson in the video game TRON: Evolution and Kyle Madigan in the Parasite Eve spin-off, The 3rd Birthday which was set to be released in March 29, 2011.
He has had many relationships, including a somewhat discreet relationship with lesser known Sam (last name unknown). However, on May 15th, 2010, he married long time girlfriend Danneel Harris. Their daughter Justice Jay "JJ" Ackles was born on May 30, 2013. She shares her birthday with Mark Sheppard, who played Crowley.
Jensen and Danneel welcomed twins, a boy and a girl, on Friday, December 2nd 2016, and named them Zeppelin Bram and Arrow Rhodes Ackles. He also is Best friends with his co-star, Jared Padalecki, from supernatural and is a brother to him and uncle to Padalecki's three children.
Jensen and his wife were also producers for their spin-off, The Winchesters which was cancelled after 1 season.
Filmography[]
Film[]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | The Plight of Clownana | Jensen | Short film |
| 2005 | Devour | Jake Gray | Straight-to-DVD |
| 2007 | Ten Inch Hero | Boaz Priestly | |
| 2009 | My Bloody Valentine 3D | Tom Hanniger | |
| 2010 | Batman: Under The Red Hood | Jason Todd/Red Hood | Direct-to-video; voice role |
| 2019 | Buddy Games | Jack Durfy | Cameo |
| 2021 | Batman: The Long Halloween | Batman/Bruce Wayne | Direct-to-video; voice role |
| 2023 | Legion of Super-Heroes | Batman | Direct-to-video; voice role |
| 2023 | Buddy Games: Spring Awakening | Jack Durfy | Cameo |
| 2023 | Justice League: Warworld | Batman | Direct-to-video; voice role |
| 2024 | Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths | Batman | Direct-to-video; voice role |
Television[]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Wishbone | Michael Duss | 1 episode |
| 1996 | Sweet Valley High | Brad Rollins | 1 episode |
| 1996-97 | Mr. Rhodes | Malcolm | 7 episodes |
| 1997 | Cybill | David | 1 episode |
| 1997–00 | Days of Our Lives | Eric Brady | 115 episodes |
| 2001 | Blonde | Eddie G. Robinson | Television film |
| 2001-02 | Dark Angel | Ben/X5-493, Alec McDowell/X5-494 | 19 episodes |
| 2002-03 | Dawson's Creek | C.J. Braxton | 12 episodes |
| 2003 | Still Life | Max Morgan | Unaired TV series |
| 2004-05 | Smallville | Jason Teague | 22 episodes |
| 2005–20 | Supernatural | Dean Winchester | 327 episodes |
| 2011 | Supernatural: The Animation | Dean Winchester | Voice role; 2 episodes |
| 2012 | Undead Noise | Event Guest | 1 episode |
| 2015–18 | The Hillywood Show | Dancer/Himself/Ghostbuster | Cameos; 2 episodes |
| 2017 | Kings of Con | Justin Angles | 1 episode |
| 2022 – Present | The Boys | Soldier Boy/Ben | 8 episodes |
| 2022 | Walker | Miles Vyas | Cameo; 1 episode |
| 2022–23 | Big Sky | Beau Arlen | 14 episodes |
| 2022-23 | The Winchesters | Dean Winchester | 13 episodes |
| 2023 | Gen V | Soldier Boy/Ben | Cameo; 1 episode |
| 2024 – Present | Tracker | Russell Shaw | 2 episodes |
| 2025 | Countdown | Mark Meachum | 13 episodes |
| TBA | Vought Rising | Soldier Boy/Ben | TBA |
Video games[]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Tron Evolution: Battle Grids | Gibson | Voice role |
| 2010 | Tron: Evolution | Gibson | Voice role |
| 2011 | The 3rd Birthday | Kyle Madigan | Voice role |
| 2012 | Life Weaver | Dark Elf | Voice role |
| 2023 | Atomic Heart | Major Nechayev | Live-action trailer |
Directing[]
Supernatural[]
- Season 6 : Weekend at Bobby's
- Season 7 : The Girl Next Door
- Season 8 : Heartache
- Season 10 : Soul Survivor
- Season 11 : The Bad Seed
- Season 15 : Atomic Monsters
Walker[]
- Season 2 : No Such Thing as Fair Play
Music[]
With Steve Carlson[]
- Spot in the Corner (2003): Jensen sings harmonies on the track Come around more Alabama.
- Stripped Down (2008): Jensen helped co-write the tracks Where my River flows and Love you or leave you.
- Sharing the Covers (2012): Jensen sings and plays the guitar on the track Angeles.
- Different Town (2012): Jensen helped co-write the title song Different Town.
With The Steve Carlson Band[]
- Rollin' On (2003): Jensen sings backing vocals on the tracks Hummingbird Billy, Rocking Chair and Wasted Jamie.
With Jason Manns[]
- Jason Manns (2006): Jensen sings on the track Crazy Love.
- Christmas with Friends (2014): Jensen sings on the track Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.
- Covers with Friends (2016): Jensen sings on the tracks The Weight and Simple Man.
- Recovering with Friends (2018): Jensen sings on the tracks The Joker, Up On Cripple Creek and Funk 49.
With Louden Swain[]
- Saturday Night Special (2017): Jensen sings on the track Whipping Post.
With Radio Company[]
Radio Company is a collaboration between Jensen Ackles and Steve Carlson.
- Vol. 1 (2019)
- The song Sounds of Someday was used in the episode Atomic Monsters.
- Vol. 2 (2021)
- In 2024, Daybreakers released a remix of the song Quarter To.
- Keep on Ramblin’ (2023)
- Radio Company - Live from Nashville (2023)
With Amazon and Christopher Lennertz[]
- The Boys: Season 3 (Amazon Original Series Soundtrack) (2022): Jensen sings on the track From a Logical Point of View.
- Jensen also sings on the track Rapture which doesn't appear on the album.
Award Nominations and Awards[]
Nominations[]
Daytime Emmy[]
- Outstanding Younger Actor in a Drama Series for Days of Our Lives (1998)
- Outstanding Younger Actor in a Drama Series for Days of Our Lives (1999)
- Outstanding Younger Actor in a Drama Series for Days of Our Lives (2000)
OFTA Television Award[]
- Best Supporting Actor in a Daytime Serial for Days of Our Lives (1999)
- Best Supporting Actor in a Daytime Serial for Days of Our Lives (2000)
Teen Choice Award[]
- TV - Choice Breakout Star for Supernatural (2005)
- Choice TV Actor: Fantasy/Sci-Fi for Supernatural (2012)
- Choice TV Actor: Fantasy/Sci-Fi for Supernatural (2013)
- Choice TV Actor: Fantasy/Sci-Fi for Supernatural (2017)
Constellation Award[]
- Best Male Performance in a 2006 Science Fiction Television Episode for In My Time Of Dying (2007)
- Best Male Performance in a 2007 Science Fiction Television Episode for What Is And What Should Never Be (2008)
- Best Male Performance in a 2009 Science Fiction Television Episode for The End (2010)
- Best Male Performance in a 2012 Science Fiction Television Episode for We Need To Talk About Kevin (2013)
SFX Award[]
- Best TV Actor for Supernatural (2007)
- Best TV Actor for Supernatural (2013)
People's Choice Award[]
- Favorite Dramatic TV Actor for Supernatural (2013)
- Favorite Sci-Fi/Fantasy TV Actor for Supernatural (2014)
- Favorite TV Duo (shared with Jared Padalecki) for Supernatural (2015)
- Favorite Sci-Fi/Fantasy TV Actor for Supernatural (2015)
- Favorite Sci-Fi/Fantasy TV Actor for Supernatural (2017)
Other Nominations[]
- Ewwy Award - Best Actor in a Drama Series for Supernatural (2008)
- TV Guide Award - Favorite Duo (shared with Jared Padalecki) for Supernatural (2014)
- Russian National Movie Awards - Foreign Duo of the Year (shared with Jared Padalecki) for Supernatural (2014)
- Saturn Awards - Best Guest Performance in a Streaming Series for The Boys (2022)
Awards[]
People's Choice Award[]
- Favorite TV Bromance (shared with Jared Padalecki and Misha Collins) for Supernatural (2014)
- Favorite Sci-Fi/Fantasy TV Actor for Supernatural (2016)
Other Awards[]
- Soap Opera Digest Award - Outstanding Male Newcomer for Days of Our Lives (1998)
- Ewwy Award - Best Actor in a Drama Series for Supernatural (2010)
- TV Guide Award - Favorite Actor for Supernatural (2011)
- SFX Award - Sexiest Man for Supernatural (2013)
- Teen Choice Award - Choice TV Chemistry (shared with Misha Collins) for Supernatural (2015)
- Critic's Choice Super Award - Best Actor in a Horror Series for Supernatural (2021)
- Astra Television Awards - Best Supporting Actor in a Streaming Drama Series for The Boys (2024)
Trivia[]
General Trivia[]
- Jensen stated that Dean is incapable of crying. Instead, his face "leaks".
- Like Dean, Jensen is very protective of The Impala. He got mad when his stunt double drove the car into a ditch and was noticeably frustrated when Courtney Ford's stunt double drove off with it in "The Future".
- Jensen once had a dream about the show ending with Dean trading The Impala for a motorbike, since Sam died and there was no need for a passenger seat.
- During SDCC 2017, Jensen revealed that his favorite prop was the angel blade, and compared it to a fidget spinner.
- At VegasCon 2019, Jensen explained how he and Jared came to the decision to end Supernatural. "It wasn't an easy decision, it was months and months, if not years of discussion between he and I, between the rest of the cast, between the crew, between our writers, between our producers, between the studio, between the network, nobody wanted to see this show fizzle out and I think it was everyone wanting to do the biggest service to the show that we could by going out strong and it just seemed like the writing was kind of on the wall as to when that was happening. I think everybody kind of felt that it was coming soon, and so it was just taking that leap of faith and going like, well guys, let's get out the paint and paint that finish line, and hold our heads high, because what we've accomplished is unlike any other." [1]
Tracker[]
Jensen guest starred in the CBS show, Tracker. His debut episode on the show is littered with Supernatural references:
- Russell's first line is “Hey, little brother” similar to how Dean almost always greets his little brother by saying "Hiya, Sammy"
- He calls his dad a “crazy son of a bitch”. Probably a reference to Dean’s catchphrase.
- He traced his friend Doug’s phone to a gas station outside Ronanoke
- He is living at a motel “for the moment”
- As he gets into Colter’s truck, he pats a black vintage Impala, the same car that Dean
- He wears a green canvas jacket and jeans, similar to Dean
- He again says Dean's catchphrase, “Son of a bitch”
- Both Dean (Supernatural) and Colter (Tracker) turn to a character named Bobby for intel on the case they are working on
- Russell tries to con his way into the morgue. Something Dean has done multiple times on Supernatural. When that doesn’t work, Russell breaks in with his brother (again, something both Russell and Dean have done multiple times).
- Russell thinks that Greenie is “Awesome”. This is Dean's other catchphrase.
- Greenie says “Oh balls”.
- When Russell talks about Doug looking for protection, he mentions some guys in his unit were superstitious, and that they were into “blood magic” and “curses”.
- To get answers, Russell crashes a kid’s birthday party. Dean did the same thing with Ben.
- Both Russell and Dean's dads taught them how to survive and both gave them knives
- Russell's plan to open a brewery is “gonna be awesome”. Again, probably another reference to Dean's catchphrase.
- Russell walks by a painting of a moose.
Gallery[]
→ see also Jensen Ackles/Gallery and Category:Images of Jensen Ackles
See Also[]
External links[]
Jensen Ackles at the Internet Movie Database- Jensen Ackles at Wikipedia
- Jensen Ackles on Twitter
- Jensen Ackles on Instagram
- Jensen Ackles on Facebook
- Jensen Ackles at AllRovi
- Works by or about Jensen Ackles in libraries (WorldCat catalog)
