Joe Manganiello biography, net worth, height, Magic Mike, wife, age 2025

Joe Manganiello's biography

Joe Manganiello is an American actor best known for his role in HBO's hit dark fantasy horror series True Blood, the comedy-drama Magic Mike (2012), its sequel Magic Mike XXL (2015), and numerous other projects. Net worth: $20 million.

Childhood and adolescence

Joseph Michael Manganiello was born on December 28, 1976, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His father, Charles John Manganiello, is of Sicilian origin and was raised just outside Boston. His mother, Susan Bračanov, passed on her Armenian, Austrian, and Croatian genes to her son.

Joe was one of the best students in his school. Not only did he excel in academics, but he also accomplished a lot in sports, serving as captain of three teams: football, basketball, and volleyball.

It's hard to imagine how he found spare time for anything else, yet Joe attended drama club and landed the leading part in his school's senior year production of Oklahoma!. Manganiello was also involved with the school's TV studio—he often borrowed filming equipment and tried his hand at directing.

However, there was no need to choose between athletics and arts—due to a series of injuries, Manganiello quit sports and auditioned for the Carnegie Mellon School of Drama, the oldest degree-granting drama program in the United States. Joe didn't pass his exams, so he enrolled at the University of Pittsburgh and took a part-time job at the local theater. He reapplied to Carnegie Mellon a year later, and the professors were more receptive to the aspiring actor. Thus Manganiello became one of the 17 students accepted into the acting program that year.

Manganiello was over the moon—he found immense joy performing in various productions and writing screenplays, while also producing and acting in student films. Joe graduated in 2000 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and went off to Los Angeles to succeed in Hollywood.

Acting career

Hollywood welcomed Joe with open arms – he quickly signed with a talent agent and just three days later auditioned for the role of Peter Parker in Sam Raimi's superhero film Spider-Man (2002). Although he didn't get the title role, Manganiello landed the role of Peter Parker's (played by Tobey Maguire) nemesis, Eugene Flash Thompson. Joe reprised his role in 2007, appearing at the end of Spider-Man 3.

In 2006, Manganiello made his move to television. While he didn't land any leading roles initially, he appeared in episodes of beloved hit series, including police procedural CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and medical comedy-drama Scrubs. He also guest-starred in a couple of episodes of sitcom How I Met Your Mother, where he portrayed Marshall's (played by Jason Segel) old friend, with whom they rekindle their friendship after discovering they're both single.

Joe Manganiello in How I Met Your Mother

In May 2017, Joe Manganiello returned to his roots – the theater stage – and also tried his hand at comedy. However, his departure from film was temporary. Two years later, the actor was cast as werewolf Alcide Herveaux in the third season of dark fantasy horror series True Blood. He immediately gained a legion of devoted fans who appreciated his outstanding acting just as much as his impressive physique. Even in his supporting role, Joe's character managed to insert himself into the love triangle between Bill, Sookie, and Eric (played by Stephen Moyer, Anna Paquin, and Alexander Skarsgård respectively) and by the next season made the complicated relationship even more unpredictable.

True Blood – trailer (2014)

Joe was part of the highly successful show for five full years, and the role of the sexy werewolf brought him various prestigious award nominations. A little-known fact: True Blood was Joe's favorite TV show even before he was cast in it. Initially, Joe was called in to audition for the part of Coot, the leader of the biker gang F*ck You Crew, which eventually went to New Zealand's Grant Bowler.

Manganiello was incredibly diligent about preparing for his role as Alcide – he grew out his hair and beard and began a strenuous daily exercise routine to match the character's description in the books. He also carefully studied even the smallest wolf behaviors and got a suntan to distinguish himself from the vampires in the show.

Manganiello's True Blood contract was the reason he was forced out of the running for the role of Superman in Zack Snyder and Christopher Nolan's superhero film Man of Steel (2013). Eventually, it was Henry Cavill who got the main role. Joe concluded: It would have taken up 11 weeks out of my True Blood schedule. At the end of the day, we couldn't get the schedule to work... so, regrettably, I never got to screen test, I never got to put the suit on.

But the role of Alcide Herveaux wasn't Joe Manganiello's breakthrough, and most audiences know him primarily from Steven Soderbergh's Magic Mike. The plot of this comedy-drama centers on a young stripper played by actor Channing Tatum. The film showcased the perfect combination of brawn and brains, surprisingly becoming both a cultural and box office phenomenon. Its sequel, Magic Mike XXL, came out in 2015.

Joe Manganiello during the filming of Magic Mike

Between filming Magic Mike and True Blood's final two seasons, the actor tackled various challenging projects. One was the action thriller Sabotage, starring Manganiello's childhood hero Arnold Schwarzenegger. The two actors eventually formed a friendship, with Arnold becoming something of a mentor to Joe.

In April 2018, Manganiello appeared in a science fiction monster film titled Rampage, based on a video game series of the same name by Midway Games. Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson received the leading role in the movie.

Joe Manganiello's personal life

Joe dated actress Audra Mari from 2010 to 2011, and they even got engaged. But the couple never made it to the altar, partly due to Joe's fiery temper. The actor has repeatedly said his Sicilian blood makes him especially passionate, hot-tempered, and volatile.

In 2012, Joe had a fling with a relatively unknown actress Tenley Dene and later dated a model Bridget Peters for two years.

Despite long claiming he was against marriage in general—believing that after tying the knot, love becomes nothing but habit—he began dating Colombian actress Sofía Vergara, star of the hit mockumentary sitcom Modern Family. The lovebirds got engaged on Christmas Day that same year and tied the knot next November in Palm Beach, Florida.

Joe Manganiello with his wife Sofía Vergara

Joe Manganiello Now

It was announced that Joe Manganiello and his wife Sofía were filming the sports drama Stano, where he plays a gifted baseball player imprisoned for 17 years.

He's also set to appear in Kevin Smith's upcoming comedy Jay and Silent Bob Reboot, about two stoner best friends who always find themselves in the weirdest situations. Kevin will play Bob as usual, while 44-year-old Jason Mewes portrays Jay.

Joe Manganiello was reportedly cast in a rumored Justice League sequel, set to premiere in 2021. He will resume his role as a supervillain Deathstroke. The character may get his own solo project, but the plot, cast, and release date have yet to be announced.

Joe Manganiello will portray Deathstroke

Chad Roberts

The movie «True Blood» amazed me. There is enough of everything, but really everything. Joe is handsome!

2021-04-09 16:14:13
Eileen Bryant

Strange, but I don`t remember Joe Manganiello in the «Clinic», either I am inattentive, or he is not very bright...

2021-04-04 19:08:15
Tiffany Terry

It’s bad to say that, but I’m glad that Manganiello gave up sports due to injuries and went to the cinema. So at least you can see him more often :)

2021-04-03 19:22:41
Robert Nicholas Perry

Another actor with a lot of blood mixing. Well, right, it`s better for genes!

2021-03-12 20:34:36
Linda Adams

I, like almost any girl, really fell in love with the films «Magic Mike», Channing Tattum and his fellow guys are just a bomb, including Joe

2021-03-06 23:49:46