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Jared Padalecki
Jared Padalecki (35444305903).jpg
Padalecki at San Diego Comic-Con in 2017
Born
Jared Tristan Padalecki

(1982-07-19) July 19, 1982 (age 42)
San Antonio, Texas, U.S.
Occupation Actor
Years active 1999–present
Spouse(s)
(m. 2010)
Children 3

Jared Tristan Padalecki (born July 19, 1982) is an American actor. He is best known for playing the role of Sam Winchester in the TV series Supernatural. He rose to fame in the early 2000s after appearing on the television series Gilmore Girls as well as the films New York Minute (2004) Flight of the Phoenix (2004) and House of Wax (2005), later starring in Friday the 13th (2009).

Early life and education

Padalecki was born in San Antonio, Texas to Gerald and Sherri Padalecki. His father is of Polish descent, while his mother has German, Scottish, French, and English ancestry.

He was a 2000 candidate for the Presidential Scholars Program. In 1998, Padalecki and his partner Chris Cardenas won the National Forensic League national championship in Duo Interpretation. Although he had originally planned to attend the University of Texas after graduating from high school in 2000, Padalecki decided to move Los Angeles County, California instead to pursue an acting career.

Career

Jared Padalecki by Gage Skidmore
Padalecki at San Diego Comic-Con in 2011

Padalecki won Fox Broadcasting's 1999 "Claim to Fame Contest"; he subsequently appeared at the Teen Choice Awards, where he met an agent. His first role was a minor role in the 1999 film A Little Inside. In 2000, he was cast as Dean Forester on the television series Gilmore Girls, a role he played until 2005. Throughout the early 2000s, he appeared in several made-for-television films, including Silent Witness, Close to Home, and the Disney Channel Original Movie A Ring of Endless Light.

Padalecki had an uncredited role as a high school bully in 2003's comedy Cheaper by the Dozen, which he played after being asked by fellow actor and friend Tom Welling, who played Charlie Baker, and the director of the movie, who wanted someone larger than Charlie to pick on him. Padalecki originally auditioned for Welling's role, but gave it up in order to film a pilot titled Young MacGyver which was never picked up.

In 2004, he appeared in the Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen comedy New York Minute as Trey Lipton, a cute boy to whom the Olsens' characters are attracted. He also landed a short role in the thriller Flight of the Phoenix alongside Dennis Quaid and Hugh Laurie. In 2005, Padalecki starred opposite Elisha Cuthbert, Chad Michael Murray, and Paris Hilton in House of Wax as Wade. In 2005, he appeared in Cry Wolf, another horror film, as Tom.

Jared Padalecki & Jensen Ackles (28572560062)
Padalecki and his Supernatural costar Jensen Ackles at San Diego Comic-Con in 2016

Also in 2005, Padalecki was cast as Sam Winchester on the WB series, Supernatural. Sam and his brother Dean (Jensen Ackles) drive throughout the United States hunting paranormal predators, fighting demons and angels, and dealing with all manner of fantasy & sci-fi genre. The show ended in 2020, after fifteen seasons, making it the longest-running North American sci-fi series in history.

In 2007, Jared served as the host of MTV's horror reality series, Room 401, which was discontinued after only eight episodes due to poor ratings.

He had the lead role in 2008's Christmas Cottage as Thomas Kinkade, alongside acclaimed actor Peter O'Toole.

He also had the lead role in the 2009 version of Friday the 13th as Clay Miller, a character who heads out to Camp Crystal Lake in search of his sister who has gone missing.

In September 2019, Padalecki was announced as the title role in Walker, a reboot series of Walker, Texas Ranger in development at The CW. The reboot was ordered to series in January 2020 and premiered in January 2021.

Personal life

Padalecki's engagement to his Supernatural co-star Genevieve Cortese was announced in January 2010. They met when Cortese guest-starred as Ruby on the show's fourth season. Padalecki proposed to her in front of their favorite painting, Joan of Arc, by French realist Jules Bastien-Lepage at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art in October 2009. The pair married on February 27, 2010, in Cortese's hometown of Sun Valley, Idaho. They have three children.

Padalecki and Supernatural co-stars Jensen Ackles and Misha Collins supported Beto O'Rourke for the 2018 Senate election in Texas.

Always Keep Fighting

In March 2015, Padalecki launched his Always Keep Fighting campaign through Represent.com. His first campaign raised funds for To Write Love On Her Arms, which supports people struggling with depression. The cause is particularly close to Padalecki, who has been candid about his own struggles with depression. For the second campaign in the Always Keep Fighting series in April 2015, Padalecki partnered with co-star Jensen Ackles to release a shirt featuring both of their faces, to benefit their newly formed joint charitable fund. Over 70,000 shirts were sold. Later, Padalecki launched a third campaign selling a further 40,000 shirts.

During San Diego Comic-Con 2015, more than 6,000 fans surprised Padalecki at the Supernatural panel by holding up candles for him, after having revealed his battle with depression earlier in the year.

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
1999 Little Inside, AA Little Inside Matt Nelson
2003 Cheaper by the Dozen High School Bully Uncredited
2004 New York Minute Trey Lipton
Flight of the Phoenix John Davis
2005 House of Wax Wade Felton
Cry Wolf Tom Jordan
2007 House of Fears J.P. Uncredited
2008 Christmas Cottage Thomas Kinkade
2009 Friday the 13th Clay Miller
2015 Phantom Boy Lieutenant Alex Voice role

Television

Year Title Role Notes
2000 Silent Witness Sam Television film
2000–2005 Gilmore Girls Dean Forester Recurring role (seasons 1, 4 & 5); main role (seasons 2 & 3); 63 episodes
2001 ER Paul Harris Episode: "Piece of Mind"
2002 A Ring of Endless Light Zachery Gray Television film
2003 Young MacGyver Clay MacGyver Unsold television pilot
2004 I Love the '90s Himself Documentary miniseries
2005–2020 Supernatural Sam Winchester Main role; 327 episodes
2007 Room 401 Himself Host; 8 episodes
2011 Supernatural: The Anime Series Sam Winchester Main role, voice role; 22 episodes
2015, 2018 The Hillywood Show Dancer / Himself / Ghostbuster Guest role; 2 episodes
2016 Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life Dean Forester Episode: "Fall"
2017 Kings of Con Jaden Jaworski Episode: "Arlington, VA"
2021–present Walker Cordell Walker Main role, 56 episodes; also executive producer
2023 Walker: Independence Unnamed Cameo; episode: "How We Got Here"

Awards and nominations

Year Work Award Category Result Ref.
2002 Gilmore Girls Teen Choice Award Choice TV Actor Drama Nominated
2005 House of Wax Teen Choice Award Choice Movie: Male Breakout Star Nominated
2007 Supernatural Constellation Awards Best Male Performance in a 2006 Science Fiction Television Episode (for "Croatoan") Nominated
Teen Choice Award Choice TV Actor Drama Nominated
2008 Constellation Awards Best Male Performance in a 2007 Science Fiction Television Episode (for "Born Under a Bad Sign") Won
SFX Awards Best TV Actor Nominated
2011 Teen Choice Award Choice TV Actor Fantasy/Sci-Fi Nominated
2012 Teen Choice Award Choice TV Actor Fantasy/Sci-Fi Nominated
2013 Constellation Awards Best Male Performance in a 2012 Science Fiction Television Episode (for "The Born-Again Identity") Won
People's Choice Awards Favorite Dramatic TV Actor Nominated
SFX Awards Best TV Actor Nominated
Teen Choice Award Choice TV Actor Fantasy/Sci-Fi Nominated
2014 People's Choice Awards Favorite Sci-Fi/Fantasy TV Actor Nominated
Favorite TV Bromance (shared with Jensen Ackles and Misha Collins) Won
2015 People's Choice Awards Favorite Sci-Fi/Fantasy TV Actor Nominated
Favorite TV Duo (shared with Jensen Ackles) Nominated
Teen Choice Award Choice TV Actor Fantasy/Sci-Fi Won
2019 Teen Choice Awards Choice Sci-Fi/Fantasy TV Actor Won
2021 Critics' Choice Super Awards Best Actor in a Horror Series Nominated

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Jared Padalecki para niños

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