Biography of Jared Padalecki
Jared Padalecki is an American actor and producer, best known for his role as Sam Winchester, a fearless monster hunter in the supernatural TV series "Supernatural," in which Jared starred for fifteen years alongside his on-screen brother Jensen Ackles.Additionally, his filmography includes a dramatic role as the famous American artist Thomas Kinkade in the family drama "Christmas Cottage," as well as the role of Texas Ranger Cordell Walker in the action series "Walker."
Childhood, Youth, Family
Jared Tristan Padalecki was born in the summer of 1982 to Gerald and Sherri in San Antonio, Texas. His father worked as a tax accountant, and his mother was a teacher.Jared is half Polish by heritage. His paternal grandparents moved to the USA in the mid-20th century. From his mother's side, he has Scottish, German, English, and French roots.
Jared is the middle child in the family, with an older brother named Jeffrey (now a surgeon) and a younger sister named Megan (who became an architect).
From a young age, he preferred active games and American football, but by the age of twelve, he developed an interest in theater and began acting, participating in productions at James Madison High School.
The year 1999 was significant for Jared when he won the contest "Claim to Fame." As a prize, the seventeen-year-old went to Los Angeles to present an award at the Teen Choice Awards ceremony. Agents noticed the handsome young man and offered Padalecki a collaboration.
Jared originally wanted to become an engineer and was already admitted to the University of Texas at Austin, but he decided to take the chance and stayed in Hollywood's star-making industry.
Few people know that Padalecki was close to playing Anakin Skywalker, the main character in George Lucas's blockbuster "Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones." However, the role went to Hayden Christensen, and Jared made his film debut in a small role as Matt Nelson in the baseball dramedy "A Little Inside." The movie was released in 1999. Soon after, Padalecki played the lead role in the BBC short film "Silent Witness."
"Supernatural" Movie Career
Jared's career began seriously with the family series "Gilmore Girls," where he played Dean Forester, Rory's (Alexis Bledel) boyfriend, a very nice, caring, and modest young man.He also played the lead role of a wealthy but mentally unstable young man, Zachary Gray, in Disney's 2002 melodrama "A Ring of Endless Light," where his co-star was Mischa Barton.
Alongside Jon Bon Jovi and Lindy Booth, he worked in the horror film "Cry Wolf," and with Paris Hilton in the slasher "House of Wax," where he played one of the main characters.
But when the filming started, no one thought the series would enjoy such colossal success and last so long. "Supernatural" creator Eric Kripke changed the concept several times to best match American urban legends.
Once the first episodes aired, Jared understood what real fame was: a flood of viewer love poured over them from all parts of the world where the series was watched. In one interview, recalling the final scenes of the third season, Padalecki shared some secrets:
Then Jared recalled how he and Jensen sang the final song:It all depended on the specific scene we were filming. The finale of the third season... In all the seasons – the first, the second, and the third – the final episodes were something spectacular. There was everything – fights, tears, running, and shouting. In particular, there was a scene where Jim Beaver, Jensen Ackles, and I were sneaking between houses. During the filming of this scene, we were joking around. As soon as the camera turned off... we started making faces, pushing, and spitting. I joked. Maybe it didn't happen this way…
Padalecki and Ackles were the only actors in the TV series who appeared in all episodes and seasons. Jared did many stunts himself and worked as a stuntman for other cast members. Relying on his athletic form, he once broke his arm and had to forget about stunts for a while. Besides the main characters, the audience remembered Misha Collins (angel Castiel), Mark Pellegrino (Lucifer), Genevieve Cortese (Ruby), Jeffrey Dean Morgan (John Winchester). The final episodes of "Supernatural" aired in 2020. Filming the hugely popular series took a lot of energy from the actors, but Padalecki managed to establish himself as more than a one-role actor. He successfully transformed into the famous American artist Thomas Kinkade in the biographical drama "Christmas Cottage."I knew the words of this song by heart. I love Bon Jovi. I was happy to yell this song. Happily, because the script said: They start singing. And a small note: they sing out of tune like people who can't sing and just shout on the road. This suited me perfectly because I don't like singing in public. And since singing well wasn't necessary, I said: 'Okay,' and started shouting. The funny thing is, we knew the song's lyrics very well. One of the assistants took the disc and wrote down the lyrics, but she wrote them wrong. We read it and immediately realized there was a mistake and decided to sing as we knew.
Next came the lead role of Clay Miller in the horror "Friday the 13th," about which Jared said, "It was unreal cool!" Padalecki continued to surprise fans. As soon as he finished working on "Supernatural," it became known that he would play the main role in the remake of the series "Walker, Texas Ranger," where the main hero, who fought bad guys left and right, was played by Chuck Norris.
Jared's Cordell Walker is different, but he has already won viewers' hearts. The actor, who is also a producer, mentioned the following about his character:
In the original, he was a lawman with his own rules, and he just handed out dizzying punches left and right, but obviously, we can't do that now; it would be ridiculously bad. We don't want viewers to know if Walker is a conservative or a liberal, a Republican or a Democrat. In this version of 'Walker,' we play with a gray area: this show isn't about a martial arts master hitting minorities in the face; it's about a law-abiding Texan saying: 'Hey, I need to hear the whole story before I make a decision.' So, this version isn't so much about what goes through someone's fists and legs, but more about what goes through someone's head and heart.
Jared Padalecki's Personal Life
The actor's attractiveness was never in doubt. At nearly two meters tall, with an athletic build and a charming smile, he always had success with girls and admitted that he was lucky to always date "pretty girls he liked."One of these girls was actress Alexis Bledel, with whom Padalecki starred in "Gilmore Girls." Their brief romance was revealed in 2016 by casting director Mara Casey: "We even joked among ourselves that we cast all of Alexis's real-life boyfriends in the show." The actors kept this fact hidden, and fans of the series believed that Bledel had a romance with her co-star Milo Ventimiglia, but the charming blonde managed to turn more than one head.
In the mid-2000s, Jared was in a romantic relationship with actress Sandra McCoy, whom "Supernatural" fans might remember as a demon. Rumors circulated that by the time filming started, Sandra and Jared were already engaged, but they unexpectedly broke up in the spring of 2008.
Earlier, they starred together in the horror films "Cry Wolf" and "Lone Wolf." Some sources also reported that the supernatural heartthrob had a romance with Paris Hilton during the filming of "House of Wax."
Eventually, "Supernatural" worked its magic: it brought Jared Padalecki and Genevieve Cortese, the actress who played the demon Ruby, together on set. Unexpectedly for himself, the actor fell in love so deeply that their romantic courtship lasted for two years, after which he invited his beloved to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and proposed to her in front of the painting "Joan of Arc" by Jules Bastien-Lepage.
In 2012, their first child, Thomas Colton, was born, followed by Austin Shepherd a year later. Four years later, the family welcomed a daughter, Odette Elliott.
For his large family, Padalecki built a villa in Austin, and their neighbors became Jensen Ackles's family. Jared's house is designed in a Texas style with dark oak interior. The actor also has his own study, where he reads and plays the guitar.
Jared Padalecki Now
At the end of 2023, it became known that The CW platform canceled several series, including the prequel "Walker: Independence," where Padalecki played the lead role. In their statement, channel representatives explained this step:Padalecki stated that he is actively searching for a new platform for the series. The action of "Independence" relates to the early 19th century, with the main character portrayed by actress Katherine McNamara – widow Abby Walker, who tries to start a new life in Texas.As we rethink the concept of the new The CW, we had to make some tough decisions. We thank our partners from Warner Bros., as well as the actors and creative teams of 'Kung Fu' and 'The Winchesters' for all their hard work, creativity, and dedication.
As for the original "Walker," The CW announced its renewal for a fourth season. The new part of the series will consist of thirteen episodes.
Interesting Facts
- Jared admits that he is obsessed with collecting watches. He not only loves receiving them as gifts, but also prefers to give them as presents:
I prefer analog watches. They give me the feeling that I have a piece of history on my wrist. It’s like a small amulet that helps you reset. You can look down, and that moment is yours. You're not looking at this crazy world. You're not staring at your phone, iPad, computer, or TV. It’s a moment when you are kind of alone with yourself, when you look at your hand and check the time.
- Padalecki values history and tradition. He surrounds himself with antique items, such as old maps of Texas and authentic 19th-century currency. The actor says these items give him a sense of peace. In his ranch yard, Jared placed a large old steel bull, on which he practices lassoing. Each antique item calms and energizes him, according to Padalecki.
- Remembering the filming of "Supernatural," Padalecki noted that his favorite stunt scene was the fight in the episode "Skin" from the first season, where his character Sam fought with a shapeshifter Dean. For this episode, the actors were taught how to fight properly and underwent special training:
We filmed it from morning until evening. Hit here, break that, break this... We fought for pretend, but walked around proudly, as if ready to punch anyone. It was a blast. We had a lot of fun. Filming was fun, and the stunts were very interesting.
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