Jared Padalecki
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 to Los Angeles County, California instead to pursue an acting career.
Career
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.
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Also in 2005, Padalecki was cast as Sam Winchester on the WB series, Supernatural. 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. The series was cancelled in 2024 after four seasons. A month later, Padalecki agreed to guest star on The Boys, the Amazon Prime Video superhero drama helmed by Supernatural creator, Eric Kripke. In August 2024, it was announced that Padalecki would join the cast of Fire Country for a three episode guest stint with the possibility of headlining a spinoff.
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, addiction, self-injury and suicide. 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 | A 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" |
| 2021–2024 | Walker | Cordell Walker | Main role, 56 episodes; also executive producer |
| 2023 | Walker: Independence | Unnamed | Cameo; episode: "How We Got Here" |
| 2025 | Fire Country | Camden | Guest role |
| 2026 | The Boys | TBA | TBA |
Awards and nominations
 | This section of a biography of a living person does not include any references or sources. (February 2017) |
References
- ^ "Jared Padalecki biography". TV Guide. Archived from the original on November 27, 2013. Retrieved December 24, 2013.
- ^ "Jared Padalecki Biography". FilmReference.com. Archived from the original on August 19, 2007.
- ^ "Jared Padalecki interview". The Bonnie Hunt Show. February 10, 2009.
- ^ "Schwan Duo Interpretation" (PDF). The H.B. Mitchell Trophy. National Forensic League. p. 5. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 10, 2008. Retrieved March 31, 2007.
- ^ "Teen Choice Awards". supernaturalwiki.com. Archived from the original on August 31, 2014.
- ^ "Jared Padalecki". IMDb. Retrieved October 30, 2018.
- ^ "Jared Padalecki biography and filmography | Jared Padalecki movies". Tribute.ca. Retrieved October 30, 2018.
- ^ "Interview with Bonnie Hunt". Archived from the original on November 7, 2015.
- ^ Keith, Amy Elisa (November 29, 2005). "Celebrity Q&A: Jared Padalecki". People Magazine. Time-Warner. Archived from the original on November 25, 2020. Retrieved November 29, 2006.
- ^ "'Supernatural' now longest running sci-fi show in U.S." discoversd.com. Archived from the original on September 25, 2016. Retrieved September 24, 2016.
- ^ "Room 401: Cast Bios". MTV. Archived from the original on May 3, 2008.
- ^ "Friday the 13th: Jared Padalecki". SuicideGirls.com. January 9, 2009. Archived from the original on January 24, 2009. Retrieved January 9, 2009.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (September 23, 2019). "'Walker, Texas Ranger' Reboot Starring Jared Padalecki in the Works". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved September 24, 2019.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (October 11, 2019). "'Walker, Texas Ranger' Reboot Starring Jared Padalecki Lands at the CW". Deadline. Retrieved October 12, 2019.
- ^ Swift, Andy (January 14, 2020). "Jared Padalecki's Walker, Texas Ranger Reboot Ordered to Series at The CW". TV Line. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
- ^ Haring, Bruce (January 30, 2021). "'Walker' Debut Grows More Than 50% In Live+7 To Log the CW's Largest Viewership In More Than 2 Years". Deadline. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
- ^ Porter, Rick (May 21, 2024). "'Walker' Canceled at The CW After Four Seasons". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on May 21, 2024. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
- ^ Campione, Katie (June 26, 2024). "Jared Padalecki On Reteaming With Eric Kripke For 'The Boys': "The Answer Is Yes"". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved August 12, 2024.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (August 12, 2024). "Jared Padalecki Joins 'Fire Country' For Guest Arc That Could Lead To New Franchise Offshoot". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved August 12, 2024.
- ^ Cortese, Genevieve; Padalecki, Jared. "The Perfect Winter Wedding". Sun Valley Magazine. Archived from the original on June 5, 2014. Retrieved June 1, 2014.
- ^ Godwin, Jennifer, Jared Padalecki and Genevieve Cortese Are Engaged Archived February 25, 2010, at the Wayback Machine, EOnline.com, January 6, 2010; accessed February 14, 2009.
- ^ Kubicek, John, Notes from the Supernatural 100th episode party Archived February 9, 2010, at the Wayback Machine, BuddyTV.com; February 2, 2010.
Quote: "Jared Padalecki talking sweetly about his recent engagement to former co-star Genevieve Cortese"; accessed February 14, 2010. - ^ Jakle, Jeanne (August 5, 2014). "Hollywood Stars Love the Spurs Too". Mysa. Archived from the original on September 10, 2014. Retrieved September 9, 2014.
- ^ "Jared Padalecki and Wife Genevieve Cortese Expecting Baby No. 3". E! Online. Archived from the original on October 14, 2017. Retrieved December 12, 2017.
- ^ "Jared Padalecki & Wife Genevieve Cortese Welcome Baby No. 3". E! Online. Archived from the original on September 3, 2017. Retrieved December 12, 2017.
- ^ Collins, Misha [@mishacollins] (November 3, 2018). "@jarpad, @JensenAckles, & I want YOU to vote this Tuesday!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ "How Jared Padalecki's 'Always Keep Fighting' Helped This Fan Battle Depression". MTV News. Archived from the original on October 17, 2015.
- ^ "Jared & Jensen Always Keep Fighting - Represent". represent.com. Archived from the original on September 7, 2015.
- ^ "Supernatural: Jensen Ackles on the Finale and His Charity with Jared Padalecki : People.com". PEOPLE.com. Archived from the original on April 15, 2016.
- ^ "Jared Padelecki's Love Yourself First Hoodie - Represent". represent.com. Archived from the original on October 8, 2015.
- ^ "Fans Support Jared Padalecki's Fight Against Depression With Incredibly Moving Comic-Con Tribute". Entertainment Tonight. July 13, 2015. Archived from the original on September 17, 2015.
- ^ Megan Behnke (February 27, 2023). "Walker's Jared Padalecki Discusses His Independence Cameo And Whether More Easter Eggs Are On The Way". Cinema Blend. Retrieved March 25, 2023.
- ^ "People's Choice Awards 2013". People's Choice Awards. Retrieved January 8, 2014.
- ^ Moreau, Jordan (June 19, 2019). "'Avengers: Endgame,' 'Riverdale,' 'Aladdin' Top 2019 Teen Choice Award Nominations". Variety. Retrieved July 19, 2019.
- ^ "Jared Padalecki Wins Teen Choice Award for 'Choice Sci-Fi/Fantasy TV Actor'". nerdsandbeyond.com. August 11, 2019.
- ^ Hammond, Pete (November 19, 2020). "'Palm Springs', 'Lovecraft Country' Top Movie And Series Nominations For Inaugural Critics Choice Super Awards; Netflix Lands 35 Nods". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
External links
- Jared Padalecki at IMDb
- Jared Padalecki on Twitter
- Interview with Jared Padalecki at SuicideGirls.com
