Peter Facinelli is a well-known American actor, recognized for his roles as Donovan “Van” Ray in the TV show Fastlane and as Dr. Carlisle Cullen in the movie adaptations of the Twilight books. He also gained fame for his portrayal of Mike Dexter in the 1998 film Can’t Hardly Wait.
Peter Facinelli Bio Summary
Full name: Peter Facinelli
Date of birth: November 26, 1973
Age: 51 years (2024)
Gender: Male
Zodiac: Sagittarius
Place of birth: New York City, U.S.
Nationality: American
Alma mater: Tisch School of Arts
Marital status: Divorced
Ex-wife: Jennie Garth
Children: 4
Father: Pierino Facinelli
Mother: Bruna Facinelli
Occupation: Actor and film producer
Early Life & Education
Peter Facinelli was born on November 26, 1973, in Ozone Park, Queens, New York. Facinelli’s parents were Italian immigrants named Bruna and Pierino. While his father worked as a waiter, his mother took care of the home.
They came from the Val di Non valley in Trentino, Northern Italy, and were devoted Catholics who also raised their son in the faith.
Facinelli went to St. Francis Preparatory School in Fresh Meadows, New York, and became interested in acting during his adolescence.
He then pursued his passion by enrolling in New York University and the Atlantic Theater Company Acting School in New York City, where he was taught by esteemed actors such as William H. Macy, Felicity Huffman, Giancarlo Esposito, and Camryn Manheim.
Career
Peter Facinelli made his film debut in “Angela” in 1995. Later that year, he starred in the TV movie “The Price of Love.” In 1996, he co-starred with his future wife, Jennie Garth, in “An Unfinished Affair.”
He had roles in TV shows like “After Jimmy” and “Calm at Sunset.” He also co-starred in the 1997 AIDS-themed drama “Touch Me” and two 1998 features with Ethan Embry and Breckin Meyer, “Dancer, Texas Pop. 81” and “Can’t Hardly Wait.”
In 2000, Peter Facinelli was featured in the science fiction movie Supernova alongside James Spader. He also had small roles in Riding in Cars with Boys (2001) and The Scorpion King (2002), before landing a main role on the Fox show Fastlane.
Peter Facinelli also had a recurring part on the HBO series Six Feet Under in 2004 and joined the cast of the FX series Damages in 2007. He played a lead role in the direct-to-video release of Hollow Man 2 with Christian Slater in May 2006.
He landed a role in Touch the Top of the World, a film adaptation of Erik Weihenmayer’s best-selling autobiography about his remarkable feat of becoming the first blind individual to scale Mount Everest, in 2006.
Following the completion of Finding Amanda alongside Matthew Broderick, Facinelli portrayed the role of Carlisle Cullen in the movie rendition of Twilight. The movie series was based on hit novels written by Stephenie Meyer.
According to an interview, he said,
“I almost didn’t read for Twilight. My agent said, ‘Do you want to do a vampire movie?’ And I was like, ‘No.’ I was totally thinking blood and guts and bats in caves, like some kind of horror movie. They literally talked me into reading the book and I actually enjoyed the book a lot.”
Facinelli reprised his role in the subsequent installments of The Twilight Saga, including New Moon, Eclipse, Breaking Dawn – Part 1, and Breaking Dawn – Part 2. Additionally, he portrayed Dr. Fitch Cooper for seven seasons on the Showtime dark comedy series Nurse Jackie.
He founded a production company called Facinelli Films. Their first movie, Loosies, which he wrote, was filmed in 2011. He starred in it. The movie is about a pickpocket in New York.
It was produced by Verdi Corrente Productions. In the same year, he wrote and produced a TV movie Accidentally in Love for Hallmark Channel. His then-wife, Jennie Garth, starred in it. In 2015, he played Maxwell Lord in Supergirl.
In 2015, Facinelli co-wrote the novel After the Red Rain with Lyga and DeFranco. It’s set on a future Earth where people are dealing with fewer resources.
Personal Life
In 1995, Peter Facinelli met actress Jennie Garth on the set of “An Unfinished Affair.” They started dating and married in 2001. They had three daughters together. But their marriage didn’t last. Facinelli filed for divorce in 2012, and it was finalized in 2013.
Facinelli dated actress Jaimie Alexander, whom he met on the set of “Loosies.” After three years, they got engaged in March 2015 but ended it in February 2016. In 2019, he started dating Lily Anne Harrison, who’s 16 years younger, and they got engaged in January 2020.
Net Worth
With a net worth of $8 million, Peter Facinelli is both an actor and producer known for his roles in popular films and television series like the “Twilight” franchise, “Can’t Hardly Wait,” and “Nurse Jackie.”
