Jared Padalecki
About
Biography
Biography
Blessed with all-American good looks, it was no surprise that actor Jared Padalecki began his career as the "boy next door," although his work as a heroic leading man in the horror genre would eventually become his stock in trade. After a nationwide contest led to an appearance on "The 1999 Teen Choice Awards" (Fox, 1999), Padalecki seized the opportunity to make the move to Los Angeles and pursue an acting career. Within a year, he had landed his first recurring role on the family drama "Gilmore Girls" (The WB, 2000-06/The CW, 2006-07) as Dean Forester, the loving but limited first boyfriend of Rory Gilmore (Alexis Bledel). During his four-year run on the show, Padalecki began transitioning to feature work with several small turns in projects such as "Flight of the Phoenix" (2004). It was, however, his performances in horror fests like "House of Wax" (2005) and "Cry Wolf" (2005) that laid the groundwork for his casting in the macabre adventure series "Supernatural" (The WB, 2005-06/The CW, 2006- ). Each week, he and his stalwart brother roamed the countryside in their trusty '67 Chevy Impala as they vanquished evil entities and solved long-buried family mysteries. Padalecki further cemented his position as a horror fixture with efforts such as "Friday the 13th" (2009), while his popular TV series positioned him for a bright future, even if it continued to be in thematically dark material.
Born Jared Tristan Padalecki on July 19, 1982 in San Antonio, TX, he was the middle child of Gerald, a tax accountant, and Sharon, a high school English teacher. Padalecki became interested in acting at the age of 12, but it was his winning of a national academic competition in 1998 that would pave the way to his future success as a thespian. His achievement in the National Forensic League championship helped earn him a winning spot in Fox's "Claim to Fame Contest," which in turn garnered Padalecki an appearance on "The 1999 Teen Choice Awards" (Fox, 1999), where he met a talent manager. A candidate for the prestigious 2000 Presidential Scholars Program, he instead gave up plans for attending the University of Texas and moved to Los Angeles after high school graduation in order to pursue acting as a career. Almost immediately, he landed a small part in the direct-to-video tear-jerker "A Little Inside" (1999), the story of a single dad trying to juggle fatherhood with a professional baseball career.
Soon after, Padalecki was tapped for the role of Rory Gilmore's (Alexis Bledel) first flame on the comedy/drama series "Gilmore Girls" (The WB, 2000-2007). He enjoyed a four-year run on the popular show about a young, single mother (Lauren Graham) trying her best to raise her daughter, Rory, while still pursuing her own adult dreams in a small Connecticut town. He spent four years on The WB hit, even as he picked up side jobs in made-for-TV movies like the adaptation of Madeline L'Engle's "A Ring of Endless Light" (Disney, 2002) and a small appearance in the Steve Martin family feature "Cheaper by the Dozen" (2003). As his time on "Gilmore Girls" wound down, the size of parts in mainstream films increased, with such projects as the Olsen Twins misfire "New York Minute" (2004), and a remake of the aeronautical survival adventure "Flight of the Phoenix" (2004), starring Dennis Quaid and Giovanni Ribisi.
Padalecki's first post-"Gilmore" project was the poorly received horror movie "House of Wax" (2005), a remake of the atmospheric 1953 Vincent Price classic. By and large an unremarkable thriller starring Elisha Cuthbert and Chad Michael Murray, "House of Wax" was most notable for co-star Paris Hilton's graphic, onscreen death. Establishing a bit of a career trend, Padalecki also took on a supporting role in the serial killer feature "Cry Wolf" (2005) that same year. The young actor's breakout role, however, came with his return to the network that essentially gave him his start. Paired with the equally fresh-faced Jensen Ackles, Padalecki co-starred on "Supernatural" (The WB, 2005-06/The CW, 2006- ), a horror/adventure series about two brothers who travel the countryside doing battle with evil spirits as they attempt to uncover dark family secrets. Despite a rocky third season, due in large part to the 2007 writers strike, the series became a substantial hit and earned its young stars legions of fans.
The popularity of "Supernatural" also presented Padalecki with further feature film opportunities, including a rare non-horror movie, the inspirational family drama "Thomas Kinkade's Christmas Cottage" (2007). The semi-biographical story about the humble beginnings of the titular American painter (Padalecki) also starred Marcia Gay Harden and Peter O'Toole. Back in gruesome, yet familiar territory, Padalecki next appeared in the remake of the seminal teen slasher movie "Friday the 13th" (2009). An attempt to reboot the blood-soaked franchise, the movie was directed by Marcus Nispel and starred stuntman Derek Mears as the unstoppable killing machine, Jason Voorhees, with Padalecki playing a brother desperately searching for his missing sister (Amanda Righetti) amidst the abandoned cabins of the foreboding Camp Crystal Lake. Despite the film's mixed-to-negative critical reviews, it nonetheless performed relatively well at theaters.
Filmography
Cast (Feature Film)
Cast (Special)
Cast (TV Mini-Series)
Life Events
1999
Won FOX's "Claim to Fame Contest"
1999
First feature film, played a minor role in "A Little Inside"
2000
Played the main character's love interest, Dean Forester, on the WB series, "Gilmore Girls"
2002
TV movie debut, "A Ring of Endless Light" (Disney Channel)
2003
Played a high school bully in "Cheaper by the Dozen"
2004
Appeared opposite Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen in the comedy, "New York Minute"
2005
Co-starred with Elisha Cuthbert and Chad Michael Murray in the horror film, "House of Wax"
2005
Cast as Sam Winchester on the series, "Supernatural" (WB, 2005-2006; CW, 2006-present)
2007
Hosted MTV's horror reality series, "Room 401"
2009
Played the lead character in the remake of "Friday the 13th"
