Table of Contents

Early life and education
Career
Personal life
Always Keep Fighting
Filmography
Film
Television
Awards and nominations
References
External links

Jared Padalecki

NameJared Padalecki
Image
CaptionPadalecki at MegaCon Orlando in 2025
Birth NameJared Tristan Padalecki
Birth Date1982-7-19
Birth PlaceSan Antonio, Texas, U.S.
OccupationActor
Yearsactive1999–present
Known ForSam Winchester in Supernatural
SpouseGenevieve Cortese (2010 – now)
Children3

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 (2000–2005) as well as the films Flight of the Phoenix (2004), House of Wax (2005) and 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 to Los Angeles County, California instead to pursue an acting career.

Career

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.

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. 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.

In September 2025, it was announced that Padalecki would star in a Netflix film adaptation of Katherine Center's novel The Bodyguard, opposite Leighton Meester.

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

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

YearTitleRoleNotes
1999A Little InsideMatt Nelson
2003Cheaper by the DozenHigh School BullyUncredited
2004New York MinuteTrey Lipton
Flight of the PhoenixJohn Davis
2005House of WaxWade Felton
Cry WolfTom Jordan
2007House of FearsJ.P.Uncredited
2008Christmas CottageThomas Kinkade
2009Friday the 13thClay Miller
2015Phantom BoyLieutenant AlexVoice role
English dub
Guarding StarsJack StapletonLead Role

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
2000Silent WitnessSamTelevision film
2000–2005Gilmore GirlsDean ForesterRecurring role (seasons 1, 4 & 5); main role (seasons 2 & 3)
2001ERPaul HarrisEpisode: "Piece of Mind"
2002A Ring of Endless LightZachery GrayTelevision film
2003Young MacGyverClay MacGyverUnsold television pilot
2004I Love the '90sHimselfDocumentary miniseries
2005–2020SupernaturalSam WinchesterMain role
2007Room 401HimselfHost
2011Supernatural: The Anime SeriesSam WinchesterVoice role
2015, 2018The Hillywood ShowDancer / Himself / GhostbusterGuest role
2016Gilmore Girls: A Year in the LifeDean ForesterEpisode: "Fall"
2017Kings of ConJaden JaworskiEpisode: "Arlington, VA"
2021–2024WalkerCordell WalkerMain role
Also executive producer
2023Walker: IndependenceUnnamedCameo; episode: "How We Got Here"
2024Fire CountryCamdenGuest role
2026The Boys

Awards and nominations

YearWorkAwardCategoryResult
2002Gilmore GirlsTeen Choice AwardChoice TV Actor Drama
2005House of WaxChoice Movie: Male Breakout Star
2007SupernaturalConstellation AwardBest Male Performance in a 2006 Science Fiction Television Episode (for "Croatoan")
Teen Choice AwardChoice TV Actor Drama
2008Constellation AwardBest Male Performance in a 2007 Science Fiction Television Episode (for "Born Under a Bad Sign")
SFX AwardBest TV Actor
2011Teen Choice AwardChoice TV Actor Fantasy/Sci-Fi
2012
2013Constellation AwardBest Male Performance in a 2012 Science Fiction Television Episode (for "The Born-Again Identity")
People's Choice AwardFavorite Dramatic TV Actor
SFX AwardBest TV Actor
Sexiest Man
Teen Choice AwardChoice TV Actor Fantasy/Sci-Fi
2014People's Choice AwardFavorite Sci-Fi/Fantasy TV Actor
Favorite TV Bromance (shared with Jensen Ackles and Misha Collins)
2015People's Choice AwardFavorite Sci-Fi/Fantasy TV Actor
Favorite TV Duo (shared with Jensen Ackles)
Teen Choice AwardChoice Sci-Fi/Fantasy TV Actor
2019
2021Critics' Choice Super AwardBest Actor in a Horror Series

References


External links


Category:1982 births
Category:Living people
Category:20th-century American male actors
Category:21st-century American male actors
Category:Male actors from San Antonio
Category:American expatriates in Canada
Category:American male film actors
Category:American people of Polish descent
Category:American male television actors
Category:American male voice actors
Category:American people of German descent
Category:American people of Scottish descent
Category:American people of French descent
Category:American people of English descent