Jared Padalecki

About

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 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…