Jon Bernthal stepped into the limelight as Shane Walsh on The Walking Dead, AMC's apocalyptic horror show. The show, currently gearing up for its 11th season, had its production delayed by the pandemic. Shane Walsh was a recurring character until the second season when Jon Bernthal took a final bow.

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His role began with Walsh serving as the right-hand man of Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) as portrayed on a comic book that bears the same name. As the seasons went by, the relationship between Shane Walsh and Rick Grimes grew sour due to Shane’s jealousy and obsession with Rick’s wife, Lori (Sarah Wayne Callies). In the end, Shane, who’d impregnated Lori, was killed by Rick Grimes and shot in the head by Carl Grimes (Chandler Riggs). Since leaving The Walking Dead, Jon Bernthal has been busy pursuing other interesting projects. That said, here are some things you may not know about the The Punisher actor:

10 He Studied At Harvard

We’ve heard the ‘dropout’ story before, but this time, there’s a twist. While Jon did drop out of Skidmore College, he proceeded to attend the Moscow Art Theatre where he caught the eye of the executive director of Harvard’s Institute of Advanced Theatre Training. Jon would later attend the school and graduate in 2002.

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9 And Was Married By His Acting Teacher

We all have that one person in our lives who’s like a guardian angel of some sort. For Jon Bernthal, that would be his acting teacher, Alma Becker. His move to attend the Moscow Art Theatre was at her advice. Who knew it would land him in Harvard? Becker was also the one who married Jon Bernthal and his wife Erin Angle, with whom he has two sons and a daughter.

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Jon Bernthal is not the only famous person in his lineage. His grandfather, Murray Bernthal, was a known musician and producer, who was based in New York. His brother, Thomas Bernthal, is a marketing executive who is engaged to Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg. Bernthal’s wife, Erin Angle, is the niece of retired wrestler Kurt Angle.

7 He Auditioned For The Roles Of ‘Rick’ And ‘Shane’ On ‘The Walking Dead’

If you pictured  The Walking Dead Audition as a bunch of people impersonating zombies, you are definitely correct. Except, for Jon Bernthal, there had to be talking involved. It’s interesting to learn that he did not just audition for the part of Shane, he wanted to be Rick too. This was revealed through AMC’s special marathon that featured members of the crew.

6 He Stays In Character Mid-Shoots

In an interview with late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel, Jon Bernthal revealed that he preferred to stay in character on the set of The Punisher. On the show, Bernthal portrayed Frank Castle, otherwise known as ‘The Punisher,’ a reprised role from Marvel’s Daredevil. In reference to staying in character, Jon Bernthal told Kimmel, “It’s a lot of isolation and sort of not having too much fun. He lives in a world of darkness, and my job is to kind of embrace that.”

5 Jon Bernthal Loves His Pit Bulls

More than anything, Jon Bernthal loves his pit pulls. His love for pit bulls has seen him become the spokesperson for the Animal Farm Foundation, which places emphasis on the need for proper care of pit bulls. Jon Has three pit bulls, who are also his travel mates. They come with him to set and have appeared in some of his films.

4 And Preferred To Move Between LA And NYC…By Road!

It is surprising to learn that Jon Bernthal, while shooting The Punisher, opted to travel by road from Los Angeles, where he lives, to New York. Guess who he brought along as company? Yes, his pit bulls. Sometimes, his dad would be on the wheel. As Jon told Kimmel, through the two-and-a-half-day ride, his dad would only allow one stop where they'd do everything. Anything else was 'Too Hollywood.’

3 He’s Good Friends With ‘The Walking Dead’ Cast

While Jon Bernthal was technically fired from The Walking Dead, he somehow had a hunch it was coming.. However, he doesn’t hold any grudges towards showrunner Frank Darabont, though he shed a couple of tears when he knew the end had come. Bernthal considers the cast as family and has refuted the existence of bile in many interviews. This was proven through his return in later seasons of the show.

2 He Shot Some Scenes Of ‘The Punisher’ With A Broken Hand

In his interview with Jimmy Kimmel, Jon Bernthal revealed that he broke his hand while shooting The Punisher.  Unlike Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson, he prefers to do his own stunts. He could have easily told the stunt coordinator his hand was broken, but he didn’t. Instead, he kept asking if he could use his left hand to complete the fight scene. Things got worse when his broken hand had to be slammed on a table. Lucky for him, he managed to finish the three-day shoot.

1 His Son Prefers ‘Daredevil’ Over ‘The Punisher’

Children never quite understand, do they? You’d think that, with a dad like ‘The Punisher,’ a young boy would be living the dream. That apparently isn’t the case for Jon Bernthal’s son, who prefers Daredevil over The Punisher. This was revealed when he visited Jimmy Kimmel and had to do a quick check backstage. Definitely one of his lowest fatherhood moments. We’re pretty sure he got over it.

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