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Milo Anthony Ventimiglia (, ; born July 8, 1977) is an American actor. Making his screen acting debut on '' The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air'' in 1995, he portrayed the lead role on the short-lived series '' Opposite Sex'' in 2000 before landing his breakthrough role the following year as
Jess Mariano This is a list of characters for the comedy-drama television series ''Gilmore Girls''. Main characters Lorelai Gilmore Lorelai Gilmore, played by Lauren Graham, is the only daughter of Richard and Emily Gilmore. She is the mother of Lorel ...
on ''
Gilmore Girls ''Gilmore Girls'' is an American comedy-drama television series created by Amy Sherman-Palladino and starring Lauren Graham (Lorelai Gilmore) and Alexis Bledel ( Rory Gilmore). The show debuted on October 5, 2000, on The WB and became a flag ...
'' (2001–2007). Thereafter, he appeared as Chris Pierce on '' American Dreams'' (2004–2005) and Richard Thorne on ''
The Bedford Diaries ''The Bedford Diaries'' is an American drama television series that premiered on March 29, 2006, on The WB and concluded its first season on May 10, 2006. The series was created by Tom Fontana and Julie Martin. This series was canceled on May 18, ...
'' (2006) before starring as
Peter Petrelli Peter Petrelli, portrayed by Milo Ventimiglia, is a fictional superhero on the NBC superhero drama series Heroes. He is a hospice nurse-turned- paramedic in his mid-20s with the power to absorb and mimic the powers of other people with spec ...
on '' Heroes'' (2006–2010), for which he received nominations for
Teen Choice The Teen Choice Awards is an annual awards show that airs on the Fox television network. The awards honor the year's biggest achievements in music, film, sports, television, fashion, social media, and more, voted by viewers living in the United S ...
, Saturn and
People's Choice Awards The People's Choice Awards is an American awards show, recognizing people in entertainment, voted online by the general public and fans. The show has been held annually since 1975, with the winners originally determined using Gallup Polls until ...
. After appearing in main roles on the series '' Mob City'' (2013), '' Chosen'' (2013), and '' The Whispers'' (2015), Ventimiglia began starring as Jack Pearson on '' This Is Us'' (2016–2022), for which he has received three nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series and twice received the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series as a cast member. In film, Ventimiglia made his breakthrough as Rocky Balboa's son in the sixth installment of the ''
Rocky ''Rocky'' is a 1976 American sports drama film directed by John G. Avildsen and written by and starring Sylvester Stallone. It is the first installment in the ''Rocky'' franchise and stars Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weathers, and Burges ...
'' film series, '' Rocky Balboa'' (2006), going on to reprise the role in the eighth installment ''
Creed II ''Creed II'' is a 2018 American sports drama film directed by Steven Caple Jr. from a screenplay by Juel Taylor and Sylvester Stallone. The sequel to '' Creed'' (2015) and the eighth installment in the ''Rocky'' franchise, the film stars Mi ...
'' (2018). He has also appeared in ''
Pathology Pathology is the study of the causes and effects of disease or injury. The word ''pathology'' also refers to the study of disease in general, incorporating a wide range of biology research fields and medical practices. However, when used in ...
'' (2008), '' That's My Boy'' (2012), '' Kiss of the Damned'' (2013), '' Grace of Monaco'' (2014), '' Devil's Gate'' (2017), and '' The Art of Racing in the Rain'' (2019).


Early life

Ventimiglia was born on July 8, 1977 in
Anaheim, California Anaheim ( ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orange County, the 10th-most ...
, the youngest child of Carol (''née'' Wilson) and Peter Ventimiglia, a Vietnam War veteran. He has two sisters, Leslie and Laurel. His father is of Italian- Sicilian descent and his mother is of English and Scottish ancestry. Ventimiglia has a self-described "crooked mouth," having been born with damaged facial nerves causing the left side of his mouth to remain immobile – much like actor
Sylvester Stallone Sylvester Enzio Stallone (; born Michael Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone, ) is an American actor and filmmaker. After his beginnings as a struggling actor for a number of years upon arriving to New York City in 1969 and later Hollywood in 1974, h ...
, with whom he worked in '' Rocky Balboa''. Ventimiglia attended
El Modena High School El Modena High School, colloquially called El Mo or ElMo, is a traditional four-year public high school located in the El Modena neighborhood of the City of Orange in Orange County, California. The school celebrated its 50th anniversary during t ...
in
Orange, California Orange is a city located in North Orange County, California. It is approximately north of the county seat, Santa Ana. Orange is unusual in this region because many of the homes in its Old Town District were built before 1920. While many oth ...
. During high school, Ventimiglia wrestled, acted in drama productions and served as student government president, graduating in 1995. At eighteen, Ventimiglia studied at the American Conservatory Theater for their summer program, subsequently attending the
University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the Californ ...
as a theatre major.


Career


Early roles and breakthrough

At eighteen, Ventimiglia pursued an acting career, first starring as a gay teenager in ''
Must Be the Music ''Must Be the Music'' is a British television musical talent competition contested by aspiring singers and musicians drawn from public auditions. The show is a music competition and reality show that was broadcast in the United Kingdom and Irela ...
'', a short film released as part of Strand Releasing's ''
Boys Life 2 ''Boys Life 2'' is a compilation of four short films about being gay in America, released in 1997. *''Must Be the Music'' (directed by Nickolas Perry) offers a frank depiction of urban gay youth. *''Nunzio's Second Cousin'' (directed by Tom DeC ...
''. He enrolled at UCLA before landing a role on '' The Fresh Prince of Bel Air,'' guest starring on television series including ''
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation ''CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'', also referred to as ''CSI'' and ''CSI: Las Vegas'', is an American procedural forensics crime drama television series that ran on CBS from October 6, 2000, to September 27, 2015, spanning 15 seasons. This wa ...
'', '' Sabrina, the Teenage Witch'', '' Law and Order: Special Victims Unit'' and '' Boston Public.'' He played Jed Perry, in the short-lived Fox TV series, '' Opposite Sex'', which originally aired in 2000. From 2001 to 2006, Ventimiglia played brooding teen
Jess Mariano This is a list of characters for the comedy-drama television series ''Gilmore Girls''. Main characters Lorelai Gilmore Lorelai Gilmore, played by Lauren Graham, is the only daughter of Richard and Emily Gilmore. She is the mother of Lorel ...
on ''
Gilmore Girls ''Gilmore Girls'' is an American comedy-drama television series created by Amy Sherman-Palladino and starring Lauren Graham (Lorelai Gilmore) and Alexis Bledel ( Rory Gilmore). The show debuted on October 5, 2000, on The WB and became a flag ...
''; he was introduced in the second season as a leading cast member. He signed on for a spin-off of ''Gilmore Girls'' called ''Windward Circle'' which was to be focused on the relationship between Jess and his estranged father (played by
Rob Estes Robert Estes (born July 22, 1963) is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Harry Wilson on the teen drama series '' 90210'', as Sgt. Chris Lorenzo on the crime drama series ''Silk Stalkings'', and as Kyle McBride on the primetime soap ...
), but the proposed series never made it to air. Afterward, he dropped down to a guest star/recurring cast member, and he came back for four episodes in season four and two episodes in season six. In the third and final season of '' American Dreams'', Ventimiglia played Chris Pierce, the rebellious boyfriend of Meg Pryor ( Brittany Snow); Pierce and his single mother, Shelly ( Daphne Zuniga), a Playboy bunny, move into the house next to the Pryors. In 2005, he starred in the mid-season replacement series ''
The Bedford Diaries ''The Bedford Diaries'' is an American drama television series that premiered on March 29, 2006, on The WB and concluded its first season on May 10, 2006. The series was created by Tom Fontana and Julie Martin. This series was canceled on May 18, ...
''. The producers had only Ventimiglia in mind, but the show lasted only eight episodes and was one of several shows not picked up by the newly formed network
The CW ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...
.


''Heroes''; film and production work

In between television work, Ventimiglia had supporting roles in the horror films '' Cursed'' (2005), directed by Wes Craven, and '' Stay Alive'' (2006), as well as starring roles in the short film ''Intelligence'' and the full-length feature '' Dirty Deeds'' (2005). The same year, he was cast as Robert "Rocky Jr." Balboa, the son of Rocky Balboa, in the sixth ''
Rocky ''Rocky'' is a 1976 American sports drama film directed by John G. Avildsen and written by and starring Sylvester Stallone. It is the first installment in the ''Rocky'' franchise and stars Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weathers, and Burges ...
'' installment '' Rocky Balboa'' which was released in December 2006. He starred as
Peter Petrelli Peter Petrelli, portrayed by Milo Ventimiglia, is a fictional superhero on the NBC superhero drama series Heroes. He is a hospice nurse-turned- paramedic in his mid-20s with the power to absorb and mimic the powers of other people with spec ...
in the NBC series '' Heroes'', a show about "ordinary" people discovering they have superpowers, and portrayed the character until the series' conclusion in 2010. Ventimiglia also produced and developed a mini web-series called ''
It's a Mall World ''It's a Mall World'' is an original short comedy series made exclusively for American Eagle Outfitters. Plot The series explores the lives and relationships of two record store employees, an "object of perfection" greeter at the American Eagle st ...
'' as part of a marketing campaign for American Eagle Outfitters in 2007. In mid-2007 he starred as the love interest of pop/R&B singer Fergie in the music video for "
Big Girls Don't Cry Big Girls Don't Cry may refer to: Music * ''Big Girls Don't Cry'' (Lynn Anderson album), 1968 * ''Big Girls Don't Cry'' (The Weather Girls album), 1986 * "Big Girls Don't Cry" (Fergie song), 2007 * "Big Girls Don't Cry" (The Four Seasons song), ...
". In 2008, he starred as a medical student in the horror film ''
Pathology Pathology is the study of the causes and effects of disease or injury. The word ''pathology'' also refers to the study of disease in general, incorporating a wide range of biology research fields and medical practices. However, when used in ...
''. The movie co-starred ''
Charmed ''Charmed'' is an American fantasy drama television series created by Constance M. Burge and produced by Aaron Spelling and his production company Spelling Television, with Brad Kern serving as showrunner. The series was originally broadcas ...
'' actress Alyssa Milano and was directed by Marc Schölermann for MGM. In 2005, Divide Pictures created the DSC, or Divide Social Club, an online and global social network for like-minded people co-founded by Ventimiglia with his best friends Russ Cundiff and Dino DeMilio, a radio producer for ''The Tom Leykis Show''. Ventimiglia, Cundiff, and Divide Pictures partnered with Top Cow to produce the comic series REST which will be a monthly limited series. The comic is about John Barrett, a white-collar New Yorker whose life changes when he becomes addicted to a drug that prevents him from falling asleep. Divide also has a comic book called Berserker written by Rick Loverd.


Film and television; ''This Is Us''

After working with writers Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor on ''Pathology'', Ventimiglia appeared in the pair's next film, '' Gamer''. Ventimiglia also starred in the Xavier Gens apocalypse thriller film, '' The Divide''. Ventimiglia was the voice of
Wolverine The wolverine (), (''Gulo gulo''; ''Gulo'' is Latin for " glutton"), also referred to as the glutton, carcajou, or quickhatch (from East Cree, ''kwiihkwahaacheew''), is the largest land-dwelling species of the family Mustelidae. It is a musc ...
in the English dub of the '' Marvel Anime: Wolverine'' anime series and reprised his role in an episode of the '' Marvel Anime: Iron Man'' and an episode of '' Marvel Anime: Blade''. He did not return to voice Wolverine in '' Marvel Anime: X-Men'', due to that series portraying an older Wolverine, instead Wolverine was voiced by Steven Blum. He played Ned Stax, a former marine, in
Frank Darabont Frank Árpád Darabont (born Ferenc Árpád Darabont, January 28, 1959) is an American film director, screenwriter and producer. He has been nominated for three Academy Awards and a Golden Globe Award. In his early career, he was primarily a ...
's short-lived neo-noir crime drama ''Mob City'' for TNT. He also reprised his role as
Jess Mariano This is a list of characters for the comedy-drama television series ''Gilmore Girls''. Main characters Lorelai Gilmore Lorelai Gilmore, played by Lauren Graham, is the only daughter of Richard and Emily Gilmore. She is the mother of Lorel ...
in '' Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life'' in November 2016. After this, he reportedly told
USA Today ''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgini ...
that, "I hear rumors that they're bringing back everything that I've ever been a part of... I think it's exciting. At times, though, I think it's too much. There are more stories to tell with a lot of these characters, but at the same time some of these characters for some of us actors are more than a decade in the past. It was exciting going back to Gilmore Girls for the four Netflix movies, but I'm satisfied with it. I think the stories were told. I think it was great for the audience and fans to get just one small taste of that world again. But, at the same time, I think people should not get so greedy." Beginning in the fall of 2016, Ventimiglia starred opposite
Mandy Moore Amanda Leigh Moore (born April 10, 1984) is an American singer, songwriter and actress. She rose to fame with her debut single, "Candy", which peaked at number 41 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Her debut studio album, '' So Real'' (1999), recei ...
in the critically acclaimed NBC period drama series '' This Is Us'' playing Jack Pearson, the patriarch of a middle-class family in late 1980s/early 1990s America. Ventimiglia stars in the upcoming suspense thriller ''Devil's Gate'', alongside
Amanda Schull Amanda Schull is an American actress and former professional ballet dancer. She is known for her lead role in the 2000 film '' Center Stage'', and for her recurring roles on the American television series '' One Tree Hill'' and ''Pretty Little L ...
. For his role as Jack Pearson, Ventimiglia received his first Emmy nomination in the category Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series. In 2019, Ventimiglia starred opposite Amanda Seyfried in the film adaptation of '' The Art of Racing in the Rain'', based on the novel by Garth Stein.


Personal life

Ventimiglia and fellow former ''
Gilmore Girls ''Gilmore Girls'' is an American comedy-drama television series created by Amy Sherman-Palladino and starring Lauren Graham (Lorelai Gilmore) and Alexis Bledel ( Rory Gilmore). The show debuted on October 5, 2000, on The WB and became a flag ...
'' co-star
Alexis Bledel Kimberly Alexis Bledel ( ; born September 16, 1981) is an American actress and model. She is known for her role as Rory Gilmore on the television series ''Gilmore Girls'' (2000–2007), and Emily Malek in '' The Handmaid's Tale'' (2017–2021) ...
were in a relationship from 2002 to July 2006. Ventimiglia also dated his ''Heroes'' co-star Hayden Panettiere from December 2007 to February 2009. Ventimiglia and his sisters were raised as lacto-vegetarians, and he has maintained the diet as an adult. He was named People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals' Sexiest Vegetarian in 2009. He also does not smoke cigarettes or drink alcohol. He is a fan of
The Clash The Clash were an English rock band formed in London in 1976 who were key players in the original wave of British punk rock. Billed as "The Only Band That Matters", they also contributed to the and new wave movements that emerged in the w ...
as well as The Smiths and Morrissey. Ventimiglia took a
United Service Organization The United Service Organizations Inc. (USO) is an American nonprofit-charitable corporation that provides live entertainment, such as comedians, actors and musicians, social facilities, and other programs to members of the United States Armed F ...
tour in July 2008, in support of American troops in Kuwait, Iraq and Afghanistan.Milo Ventimiglia's USO tour


Filmography


Film


Television


Music videos


Video games


As director


As producer


Writer


Awards and nominations


References


External links

*
Milo Ventimiglia
at the
American Film Institute The American Film Institute (AFI) is an American nonprofit film organization that educates filmmakers and honors the heritage of the motion picture arts in the United States. AFI is supported by private funding and public membership fees. Lead ...
catalog * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ventimiglia, Milo 1977 births 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors American male film actors American male television actors People of Sicilian descent American people of English descent American people of Scottish descent American people of Italian descent Living people Male actors from Anaheim, California UCLA Film School alumni