Jonathan Banks (born January 31, 1947) is an American veteran character actor in film and television. He tends to plays villains.
Probably his most well-known movie roles were in 48 Hrs., Beverly Hills Cop. In 48 Hrs. he played a character who is a friend of the lead and is killed by the villain, beginning the lead characters' story. In Beverly Hills cop, he plays a villain who kills the lead characters' friend and begins his story. Both films star Eddie Murphy. Other movie roles include appearances in Armed and Dangerous, Freejack, Gremlins, Murder Me, Murder You, and Under Siege 2: Dark Territory. His most recent film to date is the 2007 film Reign Over Me.
His big role on television, was the series Wiseguy, as Frank McPike. His portrayal of OCB Field Supervisor Frank McPike was particularly believable due to his own law enforcement background; Banks in real-life is a former member of the Greenbelt, Maryland Police Department. He also starred on the short-lived science fiction TV series Otherworld, as Kommander Neveen Kroll and in the sitcom Fired Up. Banks has also made guest appearances on TV shows including Alias, CSI, Day Break, Highlander: The Series, Matlock, SeaQuest DSV, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Women of the House and Walker Texas Ranger. Most recently (both in January 2008) in episodes of ER and Shark.
Versatile veteran character actor Jonathan Banks was born in Washington D.C in 1947. While growing up he always had an interest in acting and stage work, so decided to pursue a career in entertainment. To this day he is a very accomplished stage actor. While acting in film, he usually plays sinister types or villains. Most recently he can be seen in Dark Blue (2002) as Deputy Chief Jimmy Barcomb.
