Joe Manganiello facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Joe Manganiello
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Manganiello in 2015
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Joseph Michael Manganiello
December 28, 1976 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
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| Education | Carnegie Mellon University (BFA) |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1995–present |
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Joseph Michael Manganiello, born on December 28, 1976, is an American actor. He started his film career playing Flash Thompson in the movie Spider-Man. He became widely known for his role as the werewolf Alcide Herveaux in the HBO series True Blood.
Joe Manganiello has also appeared in popular films like Magic Mike, Magic Mike XXL, and Rampage. He is also an author, having released his book Evolution in 2013. In 2014, he directed his first documentary film, La Bare. He is also known for playing Brad Morris in the TV show How I Met Your Mother. Joe is very involved with charities, especially the UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh. He also played the character Slade Wilson, known as Deathstroke, in the DC Extended Universe movies.
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Early Life and Family
Joe Manganiello was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His parents are Susan and Charles Manganiello. His mother has Armenian, Croatian, and German family roots. His father was born in Massachusetts. Joe grew up in Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania.
In 2023, a TV show called Finding Your Roots discovered interesting facts about Joe's family history. They found that his biological great-grandparents were an African-American man and a white woman. His family line goes back to an African slave named Plato Turner. Plato was freed before slavery ended in Massachusetts. He even fought in the Continental Army during the American Revolution.
Joe's maternal great-grandmother, Terviz "Rose" Darakjian, survived the Armenian genocide. Her husband and seven of her children were killed during this terrible event. Her eighth child, a baby, drowned while she was escaping. Rose later met a German soldier and had a child with him. This child is Joe's grandmother.
Joe has a younger brother named Nicholas. He went to a Catholic elementary school and then Mt. Lebanon High School. He graduated with honors in 1995. In high school, he was captain of his football, basketball, and volleyball teams. He also acted in school plays and made films with his friends. These experiences made him want to study acting.
Joe had many sports injuries in high school. This made him think about his future. He decided to try out for the Carnegie Mellon School of Drama. He wasn't accepted at first, so he went to the University of Pittsburgh. He worked in theater for a year. Then, he tried again for Carnegie Mellon and got a scholarship. He graduated in 2000 with a degree in acting. After college, he quickly found an agent and got his first acting job.
Becoming an Actor
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While studying at Carnegie Mellon University, Joe acted in many plays in Pittsburgh. After graduating, he moved to Los Angeles. Just three days later, he auditioned for the role of Peter Parker in Spider-Man (2002). He got the part of Eugene "Flash" Thompson, Peter Parker's rival. He even appeared briefly in Spider-Man 3 (2007).
Joe also started working in television. He played roles in shows like Las Vegas and ER. In 2009, he played a jazz musician in a play called Unusual Acts of Devotion. He also played the lawyer Brad Morris in the comedy show How I Met Your Mother. From 2008 to 2010, he was Owen Morello, a bartender, in One Tree Hill.
In 2009, Joe starred in the war film Behind Enemy Lines: Colombia. He played a Navy SEAL leader. To prepare, he trained for months with a real former Navy SEAL. He also appeared in episodes of Medium and the CSI shows.
Famous Roles
True Blood
In 2009, Joe was cast as Alcide Herveaux, a werewolf, in the third season of HBO's True Blood. This role made him very popular. He won awards like the 2011 Scream Award for Breakout Performance. True Blood was his favorite show before he joined the cast. He trained hard to build muscle and studied real wolves to play the character.
In 2011, Joe was considered for the role of Superman in the movie Man of Steel. However, he couldn't take the role because of his filming schedule for True Blood. He later said he was sad he didn't get to try on the Superman suit. After filming True Blood, he appeared in the movie What to Expect When You're Expecting and an episode of Two and a Half Men.
Magic Mike and Other Projects
Joe Manganiello played the character Big Richie in Steven Soderbergh's movie Magic Mike. This film was about male dancers and became very successful. He returned for the sequel, Magic Mike XXL, in 2015.
Between the Magic Mike movies and his last seasons of True Blood, Joe explored other projects. He acted with his childhood hero Arnold Schwarzenegger in the film Sabotage. Arnold Schwarzenegger even wrote the introduction for Joe's book, Evolution. Joe also returned to the stage to play Stanley Kowalski in A Streetcar Named Desire at the Yale Repertory Theater.
A few months later, Joe released his documentary film La Bare. He financed, directed, and produced this film with his brother Nick. The film was shown at the Slamdance Film Festival and was later sold to Showtime and Netflix. Joe received the Triple Threat Award for his work on the film.
After True Blood
In 2016, test footage of Slade Wilson/Deathstroke was shared online. It was later confirmed that Joe Manganiello would play this character in the DC Extended Universe. He first appeared in the 2017 movie Justice League.
In 2017, Joe won an Emmy Award. He won it for narrating the documentary Pittsburgh is Home: The Story of the Penguins. This film told the history of the Pittsburgh Penguins hockey team.
Dungeons & Dragons and Fantasy Work
Joe Manganiello has worked a lot with Dungeons & Dragons. He is a writer, an official ambassador, and a consultant for the game. His characters, like Arkhan the Cruel, are now part of the Dungeons & Dragons stories. He has played the game on TV shows like The Big Bang Theory and Critical Role.
In 2018, he started a company called Death Saves. This company makes fantasy and heavy-metal themed clothing and accessories. They have created products for shows like Game of Thrones and for Dungeons & Dragons.
In 2020, Joe worked as a game designer for Hasbro's remake of the board game Hero Quest. He wrote a quest book for the game. In 2022, it was announced that Joe would direct and produce the first official documentary about the history of Dungeons & Dragons. This documentary is planned to be released in 2024, for the game's 50th anniversary.
Personal Life
Joe Manganiello is a big fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers football team. He also supports the Pittsburgh Penguins hockey team. He even hosted the 2017 NHL Awards.
He was once a roadie for the band Goldfinger. He traveled with them as part of their security team.
Joe Manganiello became engaged to actress Sofía Vergara in 2014. They married in November 2015. They announced their separation in July 2023, and their divorce was finalized in February 2024. Since September 2023, he has been in a relationship with Caitlin O'Connor.
He practices Transcendental Meditation. In 2022, he became an Italian citizen because of his grandmother's family from Sicily. He also supports Armenian causes and is on the board of directors for the Children of Armenia Fund.
Images for kids
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Manganiello in 2015
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Manganiello at the 2012 San Diego Comic-Con
See also
In Spanish: Joe Manganiello para niños
