Jensen Ackles

Jensen Ross Ackles (born March 1, 1978) is an American actor and musician. He gained recognition for his portrayal of Dean Winchester on the WB/CW dark fantasy drama series Supernatural (2005–2020) and for appearing in television series such as NBC’s Days of Our Lives as Eric Brady, a role that earned him several Daytime Emmy Award nominations.

He also portrayed the twin super soldiers Ben/X5-493 and Alec/X5-494 in Fox’s Dark Angel, Jason Teague in the WB/CW’s Smallville, and Ben/Soldier Boy in Amazon Prime Video’s The Boys. He also starred in the hit film My Bloody Valentine 3D and voiced Jason Todd in the animated film Batman: Under the Red Hood, as well as Bruce Wayne/Batman in the animated adaptations of Batman: The Long Halloween, Legion of Super-Heroes, and Justice League: Warworld.

Early life

Ackles was born in Dallas, the son of Donna Joan (née Shaffer) and Alan Roger Ackles, an actor. He was raised in Richardson and attended Lloyd V. Berkner High School. After graduating in 1996, he moved to Los Angeles to begin his acting career.

Career

Jensen Ackles began working intermittently as a child model, but in 1996 he seriously pursued his acting career. He made guest appearances in Mr. Rhodes, Sweet Valley High, and Cybill before joining the cast of Days of Our Lives as Eric Brady (1997), earning a Soap Opera Digest Award and three Daytime Emmy nominations for Outstanding Younger Actor. After leaving the soap in 2000, he appeared in the miniseries Blonde and auditioned for Smallville (a role that ultimately went to Tom Welling). In 2001, he guest-starred in Fox’s Dark Angel and became a series regular in 2002. In 2004, he portrayed Jason Teague in Smallville and also starred in the film Devour (2005) alongside his father, Alan Ackles

However, his breakthrough came in 2005 with Supernatural, where he played Dean Winchester for 15 seasons. The series went on to become the longest-running show of its genre in North America. During the show’s hiatus, he starred in the independent film Ten Inch Hero (2007), made his stage debut in A Few Good Men, and in 2009 appeared in the remake My Bloody Valentine 3D.

In animation, he voiced Red Hood in Batman: Under the Red Hood (2010), Batman in Batman: The Long Halloween (2021), and reprised the role in Legion of Super-Heroes and Justice League: Warworld (2023). He also entered the video game world, voicing Gibson in Tron: Evolution (2010).

In music, he released Sounds of Someday and co-founded Radio Company with Steve Carlson, releasing Vol. 1 in 2019, Vol. 2 in 2021, and Keep on Ramblin’ in 2023. Since 2020, he has portrayed Soldier Boy in The Boys and its spin-off Gen V. Together with his wife, he founded Chaos Machine Productions and also served as narrator for the prequel spin-off The Winchesters.

He was cast in the final season of The Boys and in the western Rust, though he departed the project after the tragic death of the cinematographer. In 2022, he appeared in a guest role in ABC’s Big Sky, which later expanded into a series regular role in the following season.

Recent Updates

Tracker – Season 3
Jensen reprised his role as Russell Shaw in Tracker. His character, who had already appeared in several episodes of Season 2, returns in Season 3, currently in production and set to premiere on October 19, 2025, on CBS.

Countdown (Prime Video, 2025)

He plays Detective Mark Meachum, a former US Army Ranger with the LAPD, known for his “cowboy” approach. He joins a task force to stop a dangerous conspiracy in the city. The show features intense action and dramatic twists — including a standout scene where he “surfs” on top of a moving trailer — marking one of the highlights of his recent career.
Creator Derek Haas has praised his strong chemistry with the cast and has not ruled out his return in a future season.

Personal life

After three years of dating, in 2009 he became engaged to actress Danneel Harris, whom he married on May 15, 2010, in Dallas. On May 30, 2013, they welcomed their first child, a daughter, Justice Jay “JJ” Ackles. On December 2, 2016, the couple had twins, Zeppelin Bram Ackles and Arrow Rhodes Ackles. On January 10, 2018, Jensen, his wife Danneel, and her brother Gino Graul opened a brewery in Dripping Springs, Texas, called the Family Business Beer Company. The name of the brewery is a reference to Supernatural (“Family Business” being one of the show’s most famous quotes).