Jul 19, 1982

San Antonio, Texas

Padalecki's first credit was a minor role in the 1999 film, A Little Inside; in 2000, he was cast as Dean Forrester on the successful series Gilmore Girls, a role he played until 2004. Throughout the early 2000s, he also appeared in several made-for-television films, including Silent Witness (2000), Close to Home (2001), A Ring of Endless Light (2002) and Young MacGyver (2003).<br/><br/>

Padalecki's first film role was an uncredited part in 2003's comedy Cheaper by the Dozen. In 2004, he appear... ... (read more...) ed in the Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen-led comedy New York Minute, and also had a role in the thriller Flight of the Phoenix. In 2005, Padalecki starred opposite Elisha Cuthbert, Chad Michael Murray and Paris Hilton in the horror film House of Wax, and appeared in another horror film, Cry Wolf. The same year, Padalecki was cast as Sam Winchester on the WB series, Supernatural, and gained a fan base after the show's success. Supernatural was renewed for a second season, which began airing on September 28, 2006 on The CW Television Network.