Joe Manganiello biography

Synopsis

Early Years

Growing up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Joe Manganiello had a passion for scary things and sports. He loved monster movies. Raised Catholic, Manganiello even prayed that he would transform into a werewolf. Instead he became a star athlete, playing basketball, volleyball and football. Manganiello played on the varsity level at Mt. Lebanon High School until he was sidelined by an injury.

Around this time, Manganiello got interested in filmmaking. He worked at the school's television station and borrowed some of the equipment on the weekends. With his friends, Manganiello started making his own movies. "I was kind of an amateur filmmaker, and I figured if I took some acting classes I'd learn what this was all about and it would make my home movies better," he later explained.

His growing interest in acting led to the discovery of musical theater in his senior year of high school. He landed the role of Jud in Oklahoma! Manganiello applied to the theater program at Carnegie Mellon University, but was rejected. Undeterred, he spent a year at University of Pittsburgh practicing his craft. Manganiello became one of 17 students accepted into the Carnegie Mellon program the following year.

Television and Films

Manganiello made a short film called Out of Courage 2: Out for Vengeance while in college. After graduating from Carnegie Mellon in 2000, Manganiello made his way to Los Angeles. He landed his first major film role in 2002's Spider-Man starring Tobey Maguire. In the movie, Manganiello played Flash Thompson, a bully who terrorized Spider-Man's alter ego, Peter Parker, in high school. He reprised the role for 2007's Spider-Man 3.

On the small screen, Manganiello landed recurring roles on ER and How I Met Your Mother. He also played Sophia Bush's love interest on One Tree Hill. When he wasn't acting, Manganiello sometimes served as a roadie for the rock group Goldfinger.

In 2010, Manganiello starred in a sitcom pilot called Livin' on a Prayer, which was set in his native Pittsburgh. The show allowed this diehard Pittsburgh Steelers fan a chance to show off his team pride, but unfortunately the series was not picked up.

Manganiello's career really took off later that year when he became a series regular on True Blood during its third season. Based on the Sookie Stackhouse books by Charlaine Harris, the series has enabled him to fulfill his childhood dream. He plays a werewolf named Alcide Herveaux on the show. The supernatural drama is set in the Louisiana town of Bon Temps, which is also inhabited by vampires, witches and fairies. His character competes with vampires played by Stephen Moyer and Alexander Skarsgard for the affections of waitress Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin).