Johnny Burns
The Gem's young barman, loyal to Al but not a killer.
John "Johnny" Burns, played by Sean Bridgers, works at the Gem Saloon as one of Al Swearengen's lackeys. He tends bar, cleans and hauls bodies to Wu's pigsty. Young, ambitious and not very bright, he is often abused by Al in word and deed.
Quick Facts
- Played by
- Sean Bridgers
- Workplace
- The Gem Saloon
Lore & Background
Johnny is smarter than he looks: he can read and teach reading, and he understands Wu's drawings and pidgin English when even Al cannot, which earns him a punch from an embarrassed Al.
Reader's Guide
Johnny also stops Wu, escaped from Al's house arrest, from going after Lee and getting himself killed.
In season 2 Johnny shoots Charlie Utter and Sol Star without killing them and, unlike Adams and Dority, feels deep remorse. Though loyal to Al, he refuses to kill the prostitute Jen, whom Al uses to fool Hearst into thinking Trixie is dead; Dan knocks him out and ties him up while Al does it. In Deadwood: The Movie he still feels Jen's death but begins a relationship with Caroline Woolgarden, a new arrival at the Gem.
More in Characters & Personalities
Elsewhere in Deadwood
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