Joe Manganiello facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Joe Manganiello
Manganiello in 2015
Born	Joseph Michael Manganiello (1976-12-28) December 28, 1976 (age 48) Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Education	Carnegie Mellon University (BFA)
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1995–present
Spouse(s)	Sofía Vergara ​ ​ (m. 2015; div. 2024)​

Joseph Michael Manganiello (born December 28, 1976) is an American actor. He started his film career playing Flash Thompson in the movie Spider-Man. He became very famous for his role as the werewolf Alcide Herveaux in the HBO TV series True Blood.

Joe Manganiello has also been in many popular films. These include Magic Mike, Magic Mike XXL, and Rampage. In 2013, he wrote his first book called Evolution. He also directed a documentary film called La Bare in 2014. He played Brad Morris in the TV show How I Met Your Mother. Joe is very active with charities, especially the UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh. In 2016, he was chosen to play Slade Wilson / Deathstroke in the DC Extended Universe movies. He first appeared as this character in Justice League in 2017.

Growing Up: Joe Manganiello's Early Life

Manganiello was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His mother has Croatian, Armenian, Austrian, and German family roots. His father's family came from Italy. Researchers on the TV show Finding Your Roots found out more about his family history. They discovered that his biological paternal grandfather was of mixed African-American and Irish descent. His family line goes back to an African-American slave who was freed before slavery ended in Massachusetts. This ancestor later fought for the Continental Army in the American Revolution.

Joe grew up in Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania. He has a younger brother named Nicholas. He went to St. Bernard School, a Catholic elementary school. Then he attended 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. This made him want to study acting.

Manganiello had some 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 and worked hard in theater for a year. He tried again at Carnegie Mellon and got a scholarship. He was one of only 17 students accepted into the acting program that year. He acted in plays and made a student film. He earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in acting in 2000. After college, he went to New York City and Los Angeles. He met people in the entertainment business there.

Joe Manganiello's Acting Journey

Starting His Career in Acting

Manganiello at the 2012 San Diego Comic-Con International.

While at Carnegie Mellon University, Joe Manganiello acted in many plays in Pittsburgh. After graduating, he moved to Los Angeles, California. He quickly found a talent agent. Just three days later, he auditioned for the movie Spider-Man (2002). He got the role of Eugene "Flash" Thompson, who was Peter Parker's rival. This was his first acting job after college. He played Flash Thompson again briefly in Spider-Man 3 (2007).

Joe then started getting roles in television. In 2006, he played Tori Spelling's boyfriend on So Notorious. He also appeared on shows like Las Vegas and Scrubs. In 2007, he was in the TV show American Heiress. He also had a four-episode role on NBC's ER. He returned to the stage in 2007 for a play in New York City. In 2008, he played Stanley Kowalski in A Streetcar Named Desire for the West Virginia Public Theatre.

In 2009, he starred in a play called Unusual Acts of Devotion. He also played the lawyer Brad Morris on the CBS comedy How I Met Your Mother. He joined the cast of One Tree Hill in its fifth season. He played a bartender named Owen Morello. He continued this role for the sixth and seventh seasons.

Manganiello appeared in two episodes of the sitcom 'Til Death. He also starred in a short film called Wounded. In 2009, he was in the war film Behind Enemy Lines: Colombia. He played a Navy SEAL squad leader. To prepare, he trained for several months with a former Navy SEAL. He also guest-starred on all three CSI TV shows. In 2010, he was in commercials for Taco Bell.

Becoming a Star in True Blood

In late 2009, Joe Manganiello was cast as the werewolf Alcide Herveaux in the third season of HBO's True Blood. His work on this show made him very popular. He won several awards for his role. These included the 2011 Scream Award for Breakout Performance – Male. He also won a Saturn Award for Best Guest Starring Role in Television. True Blood was his favorite TV show before he joined the cast. He trained hard to build muscle for the role. He also studied live wolves to prepare.

In 2011, Manganiello was considered for the role of Superman in the movie Man of Steel. However, he had to drop out because of his filming schedule for True Blood. He said he was sad he couldn't even try on the suit.

After filming season four of True Blood, he appeared on USA's White Collar. He then filmed What to Expect When You're Expecting. He also appeared in an episode of Two and a Half Men.

Before finishing his last two seasons of True Blood, Joe tried new things. He filmed Sabotage with Arnold Schwarzenegger. Arnold became a friend and mentor to Joe. Arnold even wrote the introduction for Joe's book, Evolution. In 2013, Joe returned to the stage. He played Stanley Kowalski again in A Streetcar Named Desire at the Yale Repertory Theater.

A few months later, Joe released his documentary film La Bare. He paid for, directed, and produced this film with his brother Nick. It was shown at the Slamdance Film Festival. He received many offers from distributors. He sold the rights to the film within 24 hours. He later received the Triple Threat Award from the Maui International Film Festival for his work on the film.

After True Blood: New Adventures

In 2016, test footage of Slade Wilson/Deathstroke was shared online. Geoff Johns, who was in charge of DC Comics, confirmed that Manganiello would play Deathstroke in the Batman film. However, the plans for the Batman film changed. So, Joe's future as Deathstroke is still uncertain.

In 2017, Manganiello won an Emmy Award. He won it for narrating a documentary called Pittsburgh is Home: The Story of the Penguins. This film was about the first 50 years of the Pittsburgh Penguins hockey team.

Exploring Dungeons & Dragons and Fantasy

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. They appear in game modules, video games, and even as toys. He has played the game on TV shows like The Big Bang Theory and Critical Role. In 2017, he wrote a script for a film based on the Dragonlance novel. In 2018, he started a company called Death Saves. It makes fantasy and heavy-metal themed clothing and accessories. His company has made products for Game of Thrones and Dungeons & Dragons.

He also worked as a game designer for Hasbro's remake of the board game HeroQuest. He wrote a quest book for the game. In 2022, Hasbro announced that Manganiello would direct and produce the first official documentary about the history of Dungeons & Dragons. This documentary will be released in 2024 for the game's 50th anniversary.

Joe Manganiello's Personal Life

Joe Manganiello is a huge fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers football team. He directed a documentary in 2007 called DieHardz about Steelers fans. He also loves the Pittsburgh Penguins hockey team. He hosted the 2017 NHL Awards.

He used to be a roadie for the band Goldfinger. He is friends with the lead singer, John Feldmann. He traveled with the band as part of their security team.

He got engaged to actress Sofía Vergara in 2014. They married in Palm Beach, Florida, 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.

Joe practices Transcendental Meditation. He learned it at the David Lynch Foundation center in Los Angeles. In October 2022, he became an Italian citizen. This was because of his paternal grandmother's Sicilian family history.

Filmography

Film

Television

Web shows and series

Directing

Awards and Nominations