Jensen Ross Ackles (born March 1, 1978) is an American actor and musician. He gained recognition for his portrayal of Dean Winchester in The WB/CW dark fantasy drama series Supernatural (2005–2020) and appearing in television series such as NBC's Days of Our Lives as Eric Brady which earned him several Daytime Emmy Award nominations. He has also portrayed Ben / Soldier Boy in the superhero series The Boys (2022–2026), a role he will reprise in its prequel, Vought Rising (2027).
He also portrayed twin super soldiers Ben/X5-493 and Alec/X5-494 in Fox's Dark Angel and Jason Teague in The WB/CW's Smallville. He also starred as the lead in the box office success My Bloody Valentine 3D. As a voice actor, he provided the voices of Jason Todd in the animated film Batman: Under the Red Hood, and Bruce Wayne / Batman in Batman: The Long Halloween, Legion Of Super-Heroes, and Justice League: Warworld.
As a musician, Ackles is one half of the rock band Radio Company, formed in 2018 alongside Steve Carlson.
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Early life
Ackles was born in Dallas, the son of Donna Joan (born Shaffer) and Alan Roger Ackles, an actor. He grew up in Richardson and attended Lloyd V. Berkner High School. After graduating in 1996, he moved to Los Angeles to begin his acting career.
Career
Acting
After modeling on and off since the age of four, Ackles began to concentrate on an acting career in 1996. He appeared in several guest roles on Mr. Rhodes, Sweet Valley High and Cybill before joining the cast of the NBC soap opera Days of Our Lives as Eric Brady in 1997. He won a 1998 Soap Opera Digest Award for Best Male Newcomer and went on to be nominated three times (in 1998, 1999 and 2000) for a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Younger Actor in a Drama Series for his work on Days of our Lives.
Ackles left Days of our Lives in 2000 and went on to appear in the mini-series Blonde, about the life of Marilyn Monroe. He also auditioned for the role of the young Clark Kent on Smallville, a role offered to actor Tom Welling instead. Next he appeared in a guest role on the James Cameron television series Dark Angel on Fox in 2001 as serial killer Ben/X5-493, the brother of main character Max/X5-452 (played by Jessica Alba), and returned to the show as a series regular in the second season as Ben's sane clone, Alec/X5-494. He remained with the show until its cancellation in 2002.
Ackles worked steadily throughout 2003. He joined the cast of The WB's hit show Dawson's Creek during its final season, playing CJ, Jen Lindley's lover. Afterward, Ackles filmed several episodes of the unaired series Still Life for Fox before it was abruptly dropped. He also had a small role in the 2004 short film The Plight of Clownana. Ackles was the producer's first choice to play Eliza Dushku's love interest on the second season of Tru Calling; Ackles however, turned down the role, which was then offered to Eric Christian Olsen and the character's name was changed to "Jensen" because the producers liked Ackles' name. Ackles returned to Vancouver (where Dark Angel was filmed) in 2004 to become a regular on Smallville playing the assistant football coach Jason Teague, who was also the newest romantic interest for Lana Lang (played by Kristin Kreuk). He also had a lead role in the 2005 film Devour in which Ackles' father, Alan Ackles, also had a role playing the father of Ackles' character, Jake Gray.
In 2005, Ackles joined the cast of the WB show horror/action series Supernatural where he starred as Dean Winchester. Dean and his brother Sam (Jared Padalecki) drive throughout the United States hunting paranormal predators, fighting demons and angels, and exploring other fantasy and horror genre elements. The show ended after fifteen seasons, making it the longest-running North American fantasy series in history.
Music
In 2018, Ackles collaborated with longtime friend and musician Steve Carlson to form Radio Company; the duo had previously worked together on Carlson's 2003 album Rollin' On, his 2007 Christmas EP An Auld School Christmas and his 2012 album Different Town. As Radio Company, Ackles and Carlson completed their debut album, Vol. 1. The album's first single, "Sounds of Someday", was released on October 18 2019, and the album was released on November 8 2019. In April 2021, Radio Company released two new singles, "City Grown Willow" and "Quarter To" ahead of their second album, Vol. 2, which released on May 7, 2021.
On December 19, 2022, Radio Company played live for the first time in Nashville. Their third album, Keep On Ramblin', was released on February 24, 2023, and was followed by their first live album later that year, when they announced that their debut Nashville performance was being pressed for release. A 17-track double album, titled Live from Nashville, was released on November 24, 2023.
Outside of Radio Company, Ackles has collaborated multiple times with singer-songwriter Jason Manns; notably, Ackles contributed covers of "Simple Man" by Lynyrd Skynyrd and "The Weight" by The Band to Manns's 2016 album Covers with Friends, along with covers of "Up on Cripple Creek" by The Band and "The Joker" by Steve Miller Band to Manns's 2018 album, Recovering with Friends. Ackles often performs at conventions, both with Radio Company and with other musicians.
As part of the soundtrack for The Boys season 3, Ackles contributed a cover of the Robert Mitchum song "From a Logical Point of View", sung in character as Soldier Boy, whom he portrays on the show.
Personal life
After three years of dating, Ackles became engaged to actress and model Danneel Harris in November 2009. The couple married on May 15, 2010, in Dallas. Their first child, a daughter, was born in May 2013. In August 2016, the couple announced that they were expecting twins, a boy and a girl who were born in December.
Ackles is a co-owner of a brewery in Dripping Springs, Texas, Family Business Beer Company, with his wife and in-laws. The brewery's name is a reference to Supernatural ("family business" being a tagline for the series).
Filmography
Discography
with Radio Company
Vol. 1 (2019)
Vol. 2 (2021)
Keep On Ramblin' (2023)
Live From Nashville (2023)
