Jared Padalecki is best known for his roles on Gilmore Girls and Supernatural .
There are lots of things to know about him offscreen, too, like how he’s candid with his struggles with depression and loves to support various charities.
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He also has a super adorable bromance with his Supernatural co-star, Jensen Ackles. Curious to learn more? Check out these 10+ facts.
1. He’s super smart:
Looks and brains? He’s the total package.
When he was in high school, he won the National Forensic League championship in duo interpretation with his debate partner, Chris Cardenas.
He was also a candidate for the Presidential Scholars Program during his senior year.
2. His middle name is Tristan:
This is interesting information for Gilmore Girls fans since his character, Dean, hated Tristan on the show. The character was played by Chad Michael Murray.
There’s even one scene where Dean makes fun of Tristan’s name. Talk about irony!
3. He was once a Disney star:
In 2002, he starred alongside the The O.C.’s Mischa Barton in the Disney Channel original movie, Ring of Endless Light .
It was based on the novel by Madeleine L’Engle. I wonder if he knew he’d go on to be a huge star.
4. He is 6’4″:
Yep, he really is as tall as he looks on screen!
We are not entirely sure where he gets this from, but his father is from Polish descent, while his mother has German, Scottish, French, and English ancestry.
5. He won a Claim to Fame contest in 1999:
This is what kickstarted the actor’s career, as the contest sent him to his first Teen Choice Awards.
It was there that he was noticed by an agent. He would later win awards at that same show!
6. He started his own T-shirt campaign for charity:
The kind-hearted actor has supported several charities throughout his career, such as A Dog’s Life Rescue and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
For his t-shirt campaign, he partnered with Represent.com.
Together, they raised funds for “To Write Love on Her Arms”, which is incredibly helpful for a lot of people.
It’s a nonprofit organization that raises money and support for those struggling with mental health issues, such as depression, addiction, self-injury, and suicide.
7. He’s candid about his struggles with depression:
He told Variety that he was diagnosed with the condition after breaking down during a Season 3 episode of Supernatural .
“A doctor came to set and talked to me for about 30 minutes or 45 minutes and said: ‘Jared, I think you’re clinically depressed. I think I should write you a note and we can shut down production for five days and then we can take it from there.'”
“And it kind of hit me like a sack of bricks,” he continued.
“I mean, I was 25 years old. I had my own TV show. I had dogs that I loved and tons of friends and I was getting adoration from fans and I was happy with my work, but I couldn’t figure out what it was; it doesn’t always make sense is my point.”
8. He once had to abruptly cancel a convention appearance due to his depression:
This is something that made headlines in 2015 after he posted some very cryptic tweets.
“I am in desperate and urgent need of my family,” he wrote, in addition to , “I need all of the love I can get right now.”
He later explained the reason for his hiatus.
“I was 17 years old when I moved to Los Angeles, and I just kind of got into a habit…” he told UsWeekly .
“Everything was like, work, work, work, work, do, do, do, do,” he said, explaining that he was exhausted.
9. He was in *Cheaper by the Dozen*:
He played one of the football jocks that bullied Tom Welling’s character, Charlie Baker. Superman vs. Sam Winchester? I’d like to see that!
He had actually auditioned for Charlie’s role but had to back out to film a pilot for Young MacGyver .
10. He’s super close with his *Supernatural* co-star, Jensen Ackles:
These on-screen brothers have become brothers in real life.
“It’s really special,” he told Showbiz Junkie . “You know, he’s been around for births and deaths in my life and vice versa.”
“Triumphs and losses…and he’s not the only one, obviously.”
He continued: “It’s been he and I for the longest, but I’ve met a lot of people that have changed my life and remain pretty special to me.”
It’s definitely why the chemistry is so good between them onscreen.
11. He met his wife on *Supernatural*:
Jared met Genevieve Cortese in 2008 when she guest-starred as Ruby during Season 4.
“What made it work is that we got to know each other for about four months before we went on a date,” Jared said during a 2012 panel for the show.
The pair got married in 2010 and have welcomed three kids together.
They have their two sons, Thomas and Shepherd, and one daughter, Odette.
The actor is such a proud father who often posts pictures of his kids on social media.
12. He once dated Mary-Kate Olsen:
Well, kinda. He played her on-screen romance in the movie, New York Minute , in 2004.
If you’re unsure whether you should watch it, know this: he’s shirtless in it. And you are so welcome.
13. He uses sign language with his kids:
This interesting factoid was revealed during a fan convention for Supernatural .
Both Jared and his costar Misha Collins said that they teach their kids’ sign language through the PBS show Signing Time! .
14. He skipped college to star in *Gilmore Girls*:
Since he is a brainiac, he had originally planned to attend the University of Texas.
He ended up skipping it to play Dean, Rory’s first love interest on the popular CW show. I’m sure fans aren’t complaining.
