Ackles was born on March 1, 1978, in Dallas, Texas, to Allan Roger Ackles and Donna Joan Shaffer. His father was also an actor. Ackles has one older brother named Joshua and a younger sister named Mackenzie. His parents decided to name him Jensen simply because it was unique.
Ackles began working as a child model intermittently throughout his youth beginning at age four. Throughout high school, Ackles played sports like baseball and lacrosse and was interested in studying sports medicine at Texas Tech University after his graduation from L.V. Berkner High School in Richardson, Texas, in 1996. Instead, he decided to move to Los Angeles and try to make it as an actor.
His acting career began with numerous guest roles on shows like Sweet Valley High and Mr. Rhodes. His first regular role on a show was with the soap opera Days of our Lives on NBC where he played Eric Brady in 1997. His work on the show led to him being nominated for several Daytime Emmy Awards between 1998 and 2000.
Ackles left the cast of Days of Our Lives in 2000 to pursue other acting opportunities. At the time he auditioned for the part of Clark on Smallville, but did not get the part. Instead he was cast in a guest role on the Fox show Dark Angel in 2001. His guest appearance as the brother to Jessica Alba’s character led to a regular recurring role until the series cancellation in 2002. Throughout the 2003 season, Ackles worked on the WB show, Dawson’s Creek for its final season. In 2004, Ackles was given a regular part in Smallville playing Jason Teague, the love interest to Kristin Kreuk’s character, Lana Lang.
Ackles made the switch into films in 2005 when he was given a starring role in Devour. His father also received a role in the film. Currently he has joined the cast of Supernatural in 2005, which airs on The CW. His co-stars include Jared Padalecki and Jeffrey Dean Morgan. The show was picked up for its second season in 2006. His next film will be Ten Inch Hero, scheduled to be released in 2007.
In his free time, Ackles likes to go horseback riding. He also enjoys playing the guitar and singing along. Some of Ackles good friends include LeAnn Rimes and Christian Kane.
YUDDY
