Milo Ventimiglia Biography

Milo Ventimiglia, actor

Birthdate: July 8, 1977

Birthplace: Anaheim, California

Sign: Cancer

Heart-throb and hero Milo Ventimiglia may have flown into prime-time stardom as the handsome "Heroes" star Peter Petrelli, but fans of Ventimiglia will remember he got his start as Rory's rebel boyfriend on "Gilmore Girls."

Ventimiglia starred as Jess Mariano on "Gilmore Girls" from 2001 to 2003 and then returned for several episodes in the show's fourth and sixth season. His portrayal of troubled Jess involving himself in the love life of main character Rory, played by Alexis Bledel, kept viewers watching and the show propelled Ventimiglia into the world of Hot Young Hollywood Star.

Following "Gilmore Girls," he starred in the third season of the NBC drama "American Dreams" and then in 2005 landed a role, for which he didn't even have to audition, in a mid-season replacement series called "The Bedford Diaries." The show only lasted eight episodes.

Before landing his current role as a superhuman, Ventimiglia also played the part of Rocky Balboa's son "Rocky Jr." in the latest Rocky movie "Rocky Balboa."

In September of 2006, fans were reintroduced to Ventimiglia as Peter Petrelli on NBC's science fiction drama "Heroes." The show revolves around characters who discover they have superhuman abilities. The show has become a pop-culture phenomenon.

Ventimiglia was born July 8, 1977 in Anaheim, California. From the time he was 8 years old he knew he wanted to be an actor.

He starred in numerous high school plays and at 18-years-of age received a scholarship to San Francisco's prestigious American Conservatory Theater summer program. He attended UCLA for four years as a Theatre Arts major.

His career began with guest appearances on "The Fresh Prince of Bel Air," "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" and "Sabrina, the Teenage Witch."

The son of Peter and Carol Ventimiglia, he is the youngest of three children. He has told television interviewers that his two older sisters dressed him up as Madonna when he was little.

Ventimiglia's father is of Sicilian Italian descent and his last name is the name of a town in Liguria, Italy. He was born with dead nerve endings in his lower left lip, which leads to his crooked smile. Sylvester Stallone has a similar smile, which led to Ventimiglia being cast as his son.

Ventimiglia is a vegetarian who doesn't smoke or drink. He enjoys skateboarding, snowboarding and wakeboarding but his favorite hobby is restoring muscle cars. He has also told reporters that he is a home-body who would rather cook than spend time in bars.

In his personal life, he dated "Gilmore Girls" co-star Bledel for three and a half years. Lately, he has been linked to "Heroes" star Hayden Panettiere.