Joe Manganiello played a variety in sports during his high school years, but also dabbled in acting as he aspired to become a filmmaker. After being sidelined by an injury after a football match, he decided to pursue acting full-time; he entered University of Pittaburgh, before successfully reauditioning for a slot at Carnegie Mellon's drama program.
After graduating in 2000, he moved to Los Angeles, and later took a role opposite Tobey Maguire in the film Spider-Man. He saw bigger success in television, however; he was part of the short-lived primetime soap American heiress, and held recurring roles in So noTORIout, ER and How I Met Your Mother. He joined the cast of the CW's One Tree Hill in 2008, appearing as a love interest to Sophia Bush's character.
Perhaps Manganiello's biggest break came in 2010, when he joined the cast of HBO's hit series True Blood. His portrayal of werewolf Alcide earned attention from fans, and he has signed on for another season.
FILM:
- Out of Courage 2: Out for Vengeance (1999)
- The Ketchup King (2002)
- Spider-Man (2002)
- Spider-Man 3 (2007)
- Impact Point (2008)
- Wounded (2008)
- Not Evelyn Cho (2009)
- Irene in Time (2009)
TELEVISION:
- So noTORIous (recurring, 2006)
- How I Met Your Mother (recurring, 2006-2009)
- American Heiress (regular, 2007)
- ER (recurring, 2007)
- One Tree Hill (recurring, 2008-2010)
- True Blood (regular, 2010-present)