Question: What role did Jensen Ackles play in the American fantasy horror television series created by Eric Kripke?
Context: The third season of "Supernatural", an American fantasy horror television series created by Eric Kripke, premiered on October 4, 2007, and concluded on May 15, 2008.  Traveling throughout America, protagonists Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean Winchester (Jensen Ackles) use their father's journal to help them carry on the family business—saving people and hunting supernatural creatures.  The season begins with the brothers tracking down the demons released from Hell in the previous season finale.  They become allies with a demon named Ruby (Katie Cassidy), who claims to know a way to release Dean from his demonic pact—he had sold his soul to a demon and was given a year to live in exchange for Sam's resurrection—and wants to protect them from the new demonic leader Lilith.  As Dean's deadline approaches, their efforts are further hindered by Bela Talbot (Lauren Cohan), a professional thief of occult items who is often at odds with the Winchesters. The eighth season of "Supernatural", an American fantasy horror television series created by Eric Kripke, premiered October 3, 2012, and concluded on May 15, 2013, airing 23 episodes.  It is the first season headed by Jeremy Carver as executive producer and showrunner.  It aired on Wednesdays at 9:00 pm (ET) on The CW.  The season was released on DVD and Blu-ray in region 1 on September 10, 2013,<ref name="DVD/Blu"> </ref> in region 2 on October 28, 2013, and in region 4 on September 25, 2014.  The eighth season had an average viewership of 2.12 million U.S. viewers.  In the season, Dean reunites with Sam after escaping from Purgatory and team up with the prophet, Kevin, to collect a series of tablets that'll allow them to close the gates of Hell for good. Supernatural is an American fantasy horror television series created by Eric Kripke.  It was first broadcast on September 13, 2005, on The WB, and subsequently became part of successor The CW's lineup.  Starring Jared Padalecki as Sam Winchester and Jensen Ackles as Dean Winchester, the series follows the two brothers as they hunt demons, ghosts, monsters, and other supernatural beings.  The series is produced by Warner Bros.  Television, in association with Wonderland Sound and Vision.  Along with Kripke, executive producers have been McG, Robert Singer, Phil Sgriccia, Sera Gamble, Jeremy Carver, John Shiban, Ben Edlund and Adam Glass.  Former executive producer and director Kim Manners died of lung cancer during production of the fourth season. The seventh season of "Supernatural", an American fantasy horror television series created by Eric Kripke, premiered September 23, 2011, and concluded May 18, 2012, airing 23 episodes.  The season focuses on protagonists Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean Winchester (Jensen Ackles) facing a new enemy called Leviathans, stronger than they have encountered so far as well as rendering their usual weapons useless. The sixth season of "Supernatural", an American fantasy horror television series created by Eric Kripke, premiered September 24, 2010, and concluded May 20, 2011, airing 22 episodes.  This is the first season to have Sera Gamble as showrunner after the full-time departure of Kripke.  The sixth season had an average viewership of 2.27 million U.S. viewers. The fifth season of "Supernatural", an American fantasy horror television series created by Eric Kripke, premiered September 10, 2009, and concluded on May 13, 2010, on The CW.  Season five regular cast members include Jared Padalecki, Jensen Ackles and Misha Collins, who was promoted to series regular this season.  After the conclusion of this season, series creator Eric Kripke stepped down as showrunner.  The fifth season was released on DVD and Blu-ray in region 1 on September 7, 2010.  The season follows Sam and Dean as they set out to take down Lucifer, whom Sam had inadvertently released from Hell at the end of the previous season. The first season of "Supernatural", an American fantasy horror television series created by Eric Kripke, premiered on September 13, 2005, and concluded on May 4, 2006 after 22 episodes.  It focuses on brothers Sam and Dean Winchester as they track down their father, John, who is on the trail of the demon who killed their mother and Sam's girlfriend.  During their travels, they use their father's journal to help them carry on the family business—saving people and hunting supernatural creatures.  Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles star as Sam and Dean, with Jeffrey Dean Morgan recurring as their father, John, and Nicki Aycox as the demonic Meg Masters.  This is the only season to air on The WB Television Network, with all subsequent seasons airing on The CW Television Network, a joint venture of The WB and UPN. Jensen Ross Ackles (born March 1, 1978) is an American actor and director.  He is known for his roles in television as Dean Winchester on The CW horror fantasy series Supernatural, Eric Brady in "Days of Our Lives", which earned him several Daytime Emmy Award nominations, as well as Alec/X5-494 in "Dark Angel" and Jason Teague in "Smallville".  He also starred as the lead in the box office success "My Bloody Valentine 3D" and portrayed Jason Todd in the popular animated film "". The ninth season of "Supernatural", an American fantasy horror television series created by Eric Kripke, premiered on October 8, 2013, concluded on May 20, 2014, and contained 23 episodes.  This is the second season with Jeremy Carver as showrunner.  The season was released on DVD and Blu-ray in region 1 on September 9, 2014, in region 2 on June 8, 2015, and in region 4 on October 8, 2014.  The ninth season had an average viewership of 2.19 million U.S. viewers. The second season of "Supernatural", an American fantasy horror television series created by Eric Kripke, premiered on September 28, 2006, and concluded on May 17, 2007, airing 22 episodes.  The season focuses on protagonists Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean Winchester (Jensen Ackles) as they track down Azazel, the demon responsible for the deaths of their mother Mary and father John.  They attempt to discover the demon's plan for Sam and other psychic children—young adults who were visited by Azazel as infants and given abilities, and whose mothers often then died in a fire.  During their travels, they use their father's journal to help them carry on the family business—saving people and hunting supernatural creatures.
Answer: Dean Winchester