# Johnny Berchtold
**Johnny Berchtold** (born 1994) is an American actor and writer known for leading roles in the Netflix film *Dog Gone* (2023), the Blumhouse thriller *The Passenger* (2023), and for playing Paul Murdaugh in the Hulu limited series *Murdaugh: Death in the Family* (2025) and Richard Beck in season 3 of *Reacher* (2025)[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/johnny-berchtold/) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm6851692/bio/). Alongside his screen work, he has built a large following on TikTok with short videos parodying common movie tropes[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm6851692/bio/).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1994; sources give his birthplace as Laureldale, Hamilton Township, New Jersey[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm6851692/bio/) or Atlantic City, New Jersey[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/johnny-berchtold/) |
| Breakout screen roles | Fielding Marshall in *Dog Gone* (2023) and Randolph Bradley in *The Passenger* (2023)[3](https://filmupdates.net/2024/03/15/interview-johnny-berchtold/) |
| Television leads | Richard Beck in *Reacher* season 3 (8 episodes, 2025) and Paul Murdaugh in *Murdaugh: Death in the Family* (8 episodes, 2025)[4](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/297563/johnny-berchtold) |
| Early work | Young Ted Kaczynski in *Manhunt* (2017); Quinn in *The Wilds* (2020)[5](https://www.filmstarts.de/personen/816503/filmo/) • [4](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/297563/johnny-berchtold) |
| Online presence | TikTok creator (johnny_berchtold) making short videos parodying movie tropes, with hundreds of millions of views[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm6851692/bio/) • [3](https://filmupdates.net/2024/03/15/interview-johnny-berchtold/) |
| Stage | Lead of Second Stage Theater's production of *Camp Siegfried*[6](https://latw.org/artist-public-profile/johnny-berchtold) |
| Height | 5′ 8″ (1.73 m)[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm6851692/bio/) |
## Background
Berchtold grew up in the Mays Landing area of Hamilton Township, New Jersey[7](https://www.netflixmovies.com/s/actor/johnny-berchtold). His first paid acting job was as a scare actor at a haunted house, an experience he credits with shaping his approach to performance because of its fully immersive nature[8](https://visualtalesmagazine.com/2025/11/19/johnny-berchtold/). In interviews he has described his career as a gradual build rather than a sudden rise: by 2024 he said he had been working in the industry for almost 10 years, taking small projects that taught him skills he carried into later roles[3](https://filmupdates.net/2024/03/15/interview-johnny-berchtold/).
His early screen credits include a one-episode appearance as the young [Ted Kaczynski](https://www.edgepedia.org/ted-kaczynski) in *Manhunt: Unabomber* (2017)[5](https://www.filmstarts.de/personen/816503/filmo/), a guest role as Quinn in the first season of Amazon's *The Wilds* (2020)[4](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/297563/johnny-berchtold), and leading roles in independent films including the sci-fi drama *A Hard Problem* and the horror film *Snow Falls*[3](https://filmupdates.net/2024/03/15/interview-johnny-berchtold/).
## Television work
**Gaslit and Tiny Beautiful Things.** In the Starz limited series *Gaslit* (2022), about the [Watergate scandal](https://www.edgepedia.org/watergate-scandal), Berchtold played Jay Jennings, the son of [Julia Roberts](https://www.edgepedia.org/julia-roberts)'s character, in episodes 5 through 8[5](https://www.filmstarts.de/personen/816503/filmo/) • [4](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/297563/johnny-berchtold). He has described the shoot, his first back on a set after the COVID-19 pandemic, as heavily improvised and has spoken warmly of working with Roberts[3](https://filmupdates.net/2024/03/15/interview-johnny-berchtold/). In 2023 he appeared as Jess in three episodes of the Hulu limited series *Tiny Beautiful Things*, based on [Cheryl Strayed](https://www.edgepedia.org/cheryl-strayed)'s writing[4](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/297563/johnny-berchtold) • [6](https://latw.org/artist-public-profile/johnny-berchtold).
**Reacher.** Berchtold joined the Amazon series *Reacher* as a series regular for its third season, playing Richard Beck, a college art student whose abduction drives the season's plot, which is based on [Lee Child](https://www.edgepedia.org/lee-child)'s novel *Persuader*[3](https://filmupdates.net/2024/03/15/interview-johnny-berchtold/) • [9](https://www.dailypioneer.com/uploads/2025/epaper/january/vijayawada-english-edition-2025-01-10.pdf). The season premiered in February 2025 and ran eight episodes[4](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/297563/johnny-berchtold).
**Murdaugh: Death in the Family.** In the Hulu and Disney+ eight-part limited series *Murdaugh: Death in the Family* (2025), Berchtold plays Paul Murdaugh, the son in the prominent [South Carolina](https://www.edgepedia.org/south-carolina) legal family whose 2021 killings the series dramatizes, alongside [Jason Clarke](https://www.edgepedia.org/jason-clarke) as Alex Murdaugh and [Patricia Arquette](https://www.edgepedia.org/patricia-arquette) as Maggie Murdaugh[8](https://visualtalesmagazine.com/2025/11/19/johnny-berchtold/) • [10](https://www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/murdaugh-death-in-the-family-star-johnny-berchtold-breaks-down-the-chilling-finale/). To prepare, he received a 400-page research packet that included Paul's last text messages, and he studied Southern culture by adjusting his social media feeds to mimic those of a young man in South Carolina[10](https://www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/murdaugh-death-in-the-family-star-johnny-berchtold-breaks-down-the-chilling-finale/) • [8](https://visualtalesmagazine.com/2025/11/19/johnny-berchtold/). He has said his goal was to portray Paul as both a perpetrator of a crime, the 2019 boat crash that killed Mallory Beach, and a victim, without turning him into a caricature[8](https://visualtalesmagazine.com/2025/11/19/johnny-berchtold/) • [10](https://www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/murdaugh-death-in-the-family-star-johnny-berchtold-breaks-down-the-chilling-finale/). The murders of Paul and Maggie were the last scenes he shot, and the final day of production fell on June 7, the anniversary of the killings[10](https://www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/murdaugh-death-in-the-family-star-johnny-berchtold-breaks-down-the-chilling-finale/).
## Film work
**Dog Gone.** Berchtold's first major film lead came in the Netflix drama *Dog Gone* (2023), playing Fielding Marshall opposite [Rob Lowe](https://www.edgepedia.org/rob-lowe) and [Kimberly Williams-Paisley](https://www.edgepedia.org/kimberly-williams-paisley) in the story of a family searching the [Appalachian Trail](https://www.edgepedia.org/appalachian-trail) for a lost dog[7](https://www.netflixmovies.com/s/actor/johnny-berchtold) • [3](https://filmupdates.net/2024/03/15/interview-johnny-berchtold/). The film spent a number of days as the number one movie on Netflix worldwide, and Berchtold has said the size of the audience took him by surprise[3](https://filmupdates.net/2024/03/15/interview-johnny-berchtold/).
**The Passenger.** In the Blumhouse thriller *The Passenger* (2023), directed by Carter Smith, Berchtold plays Randolph "Randy" Bradley, an introverted fast-food worker taken hostage by his co-worker Benson, played by [Kyle Gallner](https://www.edgepedia.org/kyle-gallner), after Benson commits a violent rampage[3](https://filmupdates.net/2024/03/15/interview-johnny-berchtold/) • [11](https://promotehorror.com/2023/08/02/the-passenger-qa-with-kyle-gallner-johnny-berchtold-and-liza-weil/). Berchtold's path to the role ran through his online videos: during the pandemic, Blumhouse CEO Jason Blum reached out after seeing his content, and the two made comedic Zoom videos together before Berchtold was cast[3](https://filmupdates.net/2024/03/15/interview-johnny-berchtold/). He still had to audition, and his self-tape included an odd character choice, a ringtone set to the *Golden Girls* theme song, that impressed Smith[3](https://filmupdates.net/2024/03/15/interview-johnny-berchtold/). The film was released quietly at the start of the 2023 [SAG-AFTRA](https://www.edgepedia.org/sag-aftra) strike but found a wider audience after streaming on Prime Video[3](https://filmupdates.net/2024/03/15/interview-johnny-berchtold/) • [12](https://thehollywoodnews.com/2024/04/11/interview-johnny-berchtold-discusses-the-passenger).
His other film credits include *Broke* (2025), directed by Carlyle Eubank, in which he plays Caleb Brandywine alongside [Dennis Quaid](https://www.edgepedia.org/dennis-quaid) and [Wyatt Russell](https://www.edgepedia.org/wyatt-russell), and *Test Screening* (2024)[6](https://latw.org/artist-public-profile/johnny-berchtold) • [13](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/johnny_berchtold).
## Online content and writing
Berchtold's TikTok videos, made under the handle johnny_berchtold, parody common tropes in movies and have amassed hundreds of millions of views[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm6851692/bio/) • [3](https://filmupdates.net/2024/03/15/interview-johnny-berchtold/). The channel also created professional opportunities, leading directly to his relationship with Blum and eventually his casting in *The Passenger*[3](https://filmupdates.net/2024/03/15/interview-johnny-berchtold/). He has also moved into writing: he wrote, produced, and starred in a short film that completed production in 2024, and he has said he hopes to have more of his scripts produced[3](https://filmupdates.net/2024/03/15/interview-johnny-berchtold/). TV Guide credits him additionally as a cinematographer, editor, and assistant director[14](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/johnny-berchtold/bio/3060063385/).
## Personal life
Berchtold is engaged to casting assistant Casey Bailey, who worked in the casting department on *The Passenger* and other Blumhouse projects; the two keep their professional and personal work separate when she is casting a project he is auditioning for[3](https://filmupdates.net/2024/03/15/interview-johnny-berchtold/). He is a self-described horror fan, and worked in an escape room before his acting career, where he crossed paths with his later *Murdaugh* co-star Brittany Snow in 2016[10](https://www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/murdaugh-death-in-the-family-star-johnny-berchtold-breaks-down-the-chilling-finale/).
## References
1. [Johnny Berchtold, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/johnny-berchtold/)
2. [Johnny Berchtold Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm6851692/bio/)
3. [Interview: Johnny Berchtold, Film Updates (March 15, 2024)](https://filmupdates.net/2024/03/15/interview-johnny-berchtold/)
4. [Johnny Berchtold, TVmaze](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/297563/johnny-berchtold)
5. [Filmografie von Johnny Berchtold, FILMSTARTS.de](https://www.filmstarts.de/personen/816503/filmo/)
6. [Johnny Berchtold, L.A. Theatre Works artist profile](https://latw.org/artist-public-profile/johnny-berchtold)
7. [Johnny Berchtold Movies on Netflix, NetflixMovies.com](https://www.netflixmovies.com/s/actor/johnny-berchtold)
8. [Here's Johnny! With Johnny Berchtold, Visual Tales Magazine (November 2025)](https://visualtalesmagazine.com/2025/11/19/johnny-berchtold/)
9. [Reacher Season 3 cast listing, The Daily Pioneer (January 10, 2025)](https://www.dailypioneer.com/uploads/2025/epaper/january/vijayawada-english-edition-2025-01-10.pdf)
10. [Murdaugh: Death in the Family Star Johnny Berchtold Breaks Down the Chilling Finale, The Daily Beast](https://www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/murdaugh-death-in-the-family-star-johnny-berchtold-breaks-down-the-chilling-finale/)
11. [The Passenger Q&A with Kyle Gallner, Johnny Berchtold and Liza Weil, PromoteHorror.com](https://promotehorror.com/2023/08/02/the-passenger-qa-with-kyle-gallner-johnny-berchtold-and-liza-weil/)
12. [Interview: Johnny Berchtold discusses The Passenger, The Hollywood News (April 11, 2024)](https://thehollywoodnews.com/2024/04/11/interview-johnny-berchtold-discusses-the-passenger)
13. [Johnny Berchtold Movies & TV Shows List, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/johnny_berchtold)
14. [Johnny Berchtold Biography, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/johnny-berchtold/bio/3060063385/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › American actors: 2000s onward › Surnames Be to Bl*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 11, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license