Jeffrey Dean Morgan (born April 22, 1966) is an American actor. After nearly 20 years in the industry, Morgan became well known in 2006 for playing three high-profile recurring roles simultaneously: patient Denny Duquette on Grey's Anatomy, patriarch John Winchester on Supernatural, and Judah Botwin, the deceased husband of show protagonist Nancy Botwin (Mary-Louise Parker) on the Showtime series Weeds.
In 2005 and 2006, Morgan simultaneously appeared in three separate television series: On the CW series Supernatural as John Winchester, the mysterious father of Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean (Jensen Ackles); in a recurring role on ABC's Grey's Anatomy as heart transplant patient Denny Duquette, who carried on a relationship with intern Izzie Stevens (Katherine Heigl) and died in the show's second-season finale. (During the third season's three show arc his character made an appearance during Meredith's death scene.); as Judah Botwin, on the Showtime series Weeds. Morgan's three roles are notable in that all three of the characters are now deceased, two of whom died onscreen.
Morgan was cast in a new project by Grey's Anatomy creator Shonda Rhimes. The show, tentatively titled "Correspondents", was to have started production in summer 2007. ABC picked up a spinoff of Grey's Anatomy, called Private Practice, that was also created by Rhimes, and that project has rendered the future of "Correspondents" uncertain. Morgan is also among the cast of a movie that is based on a novel by the Irish novelist Cecelia Ahern, PS, I Love You. The movie was released on December 21 2007. Another 2007 film starring Morgan is The Accidental Husband, which finished filming in New York City in March 2007. Morgan also recently finished filming Days of Wrath, a film about gangland violence in Los Angeles.
It has been confirmed that Morgan will portray The Comedian, a cigar-chomping vigilante, in the upcoming Watchmen, based on Alan Moore's graphic novel.
Morgan began dating his former Weeds costar, Mary-Louise Parker, in December 2006. The couple briefly split in June 2007, though they later reconciled. On February 12, 2008, Morgan and Parker announced their engagement, only to break it off in April 2008.