Jensen Ackles

JENSEN ACKLES

Date of Birth: March 1, 1978

Jensen Ackels is best known for his role as Dean Winchester in the paranormal thriller show Supernatural. He was born in Dallas, Texas and is the middle child of actor Alan Ackles and his wife, Donna Joan Ackles. Jensen modelled on and off as a child and appeared in print and television ads for several high profile companies. After high school, he intended to go to Texas Tech University to study sports medicine but changed his mind after attending an acting workshop at which he was picked up by an agency.

In 1995, he made his television debut on the childrens’ show Wishbone and shortly after, moved to Los Angeles to continue his acting career. He landed guest appearances on several TV series and eventually became a regular on the soap opera Days of Our Lives. He was nominated for Daytime Emmy awards in 1998, 1999, and 2000 for his role as Eric Brady but quit the show when he became dissatisfied with his character’s plotline.

Following his success as a soap opera star, he appeared on Dark Angel, Dawson’s Creek and Smallville before landing a role as elder brother Dean Winchester in CW’s Supernatural. Although Supernatural’s ratings weren’t the best, it developed a loyal fan following, which has ushered in an unprecedented eight seasons (so far) of monster fighting for Jensen and his best friend and co-star, Jared Padalecki. While his role as Dean is mainly dramatic, it has also offered Jensen the chance to test his comedic timing and he is well known for creating many of the humorous moments in the series. Over the last few seasons, he has stepped into the director’s chair for numerous successful episodes and has even brought his father Alan in as a guest star.

Jensen hasn’t had as much success on the stage and big screen as he has in television. In 2005, he was in the small, direct-to-video horror film Devour, which also starred his father. In 2007 he took on a comedic role in Ten Inch Hero, where met his future wife, Danneel Harris, on set. That year, he also took to the stage for the first time professionally in A Few Good Men at the Mañana Theatre in Texas alongside Lou Diamond Phillips. Most recently, he played the main character, Tom Hanniger, in the horror remake My Bloody Valentine 3D. He has also done voice work for video games and the animated Batman feature Batman: Under the Red Hood.

Filmography

My Bloody Valentine 3D (2009)
Ten Inch Hero (2007)
Devour (2005)