Jensen Ackles: Behind the Scenes

Now famous for his starring role as Dean Winchester in the hit series Supernatural, Jensen Ackles has been around for many years. This 29 year old actor began his career back in 1996 after a childhood of assorted modeling gigs. Long before he started hunting ghosts and other strange creatures in Supernatural, this handsome actor was a heartthrob on Days of Our Lives, as well as many other series.

Born Jensen Ross Ackles in 1978, he grew up in Texas as a relatively normal child, playing lacrosse and baseball and fighting with his siblings, an older brother and younger sister. His future plans were originally to study sports medicine and to be a physical therapist before the acting bug bit him.

With a history of childhood modeling, Ackles headed for Los Angeles and really got into his acting at the age of 18. He appeared as a guest on several popular TV shows of the time, including Sweet Valley High and Cybill before getting a part Days of Our Lives where he played Eric Brady and won a Daytime Emmy Award for his performance.

Not satisfied with his success as a soap opera star, Ackles didn't stop there. In subsequent years, he landed parts in Dawson's Creek, the canceled Still Life, and was cast to play a lead role in Tru Calling, but he turned the job down to appear on the hit series Smallville, as Lana Lang's boyfriend, Jason Teague, in 2004.

Now best known for his character, Dean, on Supernatural, who fights dark creatures such as demons, vampires and werewolves among others, Ackles has had his brushes with the paranormal before. Back in 2001, he had a guest role on the supernatural series, Dark Angel, which turned into a recurring part in the second season. On top of this, he was also a main character for a time on Smallville, a series about the early life of Superman.

Jensen Ackles career doesn't end with TV series. He has also appeared in several films, with more to come in the future. In 2004, he was given a small part in The Plight of Clownana, a short film, and he starred in 2005´s Devour, a little known horror flick.

Jensen Ackles has had an eventful and rather successful acting career up until now. One can only speculate that as his fame grows, we will be seeing a lot more of this talented young actor.