Peter Facinelli
American actor and producer (born 1973)
title: "Peter Facinelli" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1973-births", "20th-century-american-male-actors", "21st-century-american-male-actors", "american-male-film-actors", "american-male-television-actors", "american-people-of-italian-descent", "living-people", "male-actors-from-queens,-new-york", "participants-in-american-reality-television-series", "people-from-ozone-park,-queens", "st.-francis-preparatory-school-alumni", "new-york-university-gallatin-school-of-individualized-study-alumni", "tisch-school-of-the-arts-alumni", "catholics-from-new-york-(state)"] description: "American actor and producer (born 1973)" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Facinelli" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary American actor and producer (born 1973) ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox person"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Peter Facinelli |
| image | Peter Facinelli at Galaxy Con Columbus.jpg |
| caption | Peter Facinelli in 2025 |
| birth_date | |
| birth_place | New York City, U.S. |
| citizenship | |
| alma_mater | Tisch School of Arts |
| occupation | Actor, film producer |
| years_active | 1995–present |
| spouse | |
| partner | Lily Anne Harrison (2016–present; engaged) |
| children | 4 |
| relatives | Letizia Paternoster (niece) |
| :: |
| name = Peter Facinelli | image = Peter Facinelli at Galaxy Con Columbus.jpg | caption = Peter Facinelli in 2025 | birth_name = | birth_date = | birth_place = New York City, U.S. | citizenship = | alma_mater = Tisch School of Arts | occupation = Actor, film producer | years_active = 1995–present | spouse = | partner = Lily Anne Harrison (2016–present; engaged) | children = 4 | relatives = Letizia Paternoster (niece)
Peter Facinelli ( ; born November 26, 1973) is an American-Italian actor. He starred as Donovan "Van" Ray on the Fox series Fastlane from 2002 to 2003. He played Dr. Carlisle Cullen in the film adaptations of the Twilight novel series, and is also known for his role as Mike Dexter in the 1998 film Can't Hardly Wait. Facinelli was a regular on the Showtime comedy-drama series Nurse Jackie, portraying the role of Dr. Fitch "Coop" Cooper. He portrayed Maxwell Lord on the first season of the TV series Supergirl.
Early life
Facinelli grew up in Ozone Park, Queens, the son of Italian immigrants Bruna (née Reich), a homemaker, and Pierino Facinelli, a waiter. His parents are from the Val di Non valley in Trentino, northern Italy. His father is from Revò, while his mother is from Spormaggiore. His father worked multiple jobs to make ends meet and was often absent from the home. He was "around a lot of feminine energy" living with his mother, grandmother, and three sisters. He was raised Catholic
Facinelli studied acting at New York University,{{cite news |title = Peter Facinelli Talks Producing His First Indie Film, Loosies, Nurse Jackie, & Almost Passing on Twilight. |first = Allison |last = Kugel |author-link = Allison Kugel |url = http://www.pr.com/article/1194 |publisher = PR.com |date = December 12, 2011 |access-date = March 12, 2012 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120315105621/http://www.pr.com/article/1194 |archive-date = March 15, 2012
Career
Facinelli made his feature film debut in Rebecca Miller's Angela in 1995 and came to the attention of critics in the TV-movie The Price of Love later that year. In 1996, Facinelli played opposite his then-future wife Jennie Garth in An Unfinished Affair. Other TV roles followed, including a part in After Jimmy (1996) and a college dropout in Calm at Sunset. Facinelli co-starred with Amanda Peet and Michael Vartan in the 1997 AIDS-themed drama Touch Me (1997) and co-starred as a high school student in two 1998 features with Ethan Embry and Breckin Meyer, Dancer, Texas Pop. 81, and Can't Hardly Wait, which also starred Jennifer Love Hewitt.
Facinelli appeared in the sci-fi film Supernova starring James Spader in 2000. He made appearances in Riding in Cars with Boys in 2001 and The Scorpion King in 2002, followed by a leading role in the Fox drama Fastlane. Facinelli had a recurring role in the HBO series Six Feet Under in 2004 and a role in the FX original series Damages beginning in 2007. Facinelli starred in Hollow Man 2 with Christian Slater. It was released direct-to-video in May 2006.
In 2006, he was cast in Touch the Top of the World, a true story of Erik Weihenmayer, the first blind person to climb Mount Everest. The film is based on his best selling autobiography.
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cc/PeterFacinelliJun10.jpg" caption="Facinelli with his daughters at the ''[[World of Color]]'' premiere at [[Disney California Adventure]] on June 10, 2010"] ::
After wrapping up Finding Amanda with Matthew Broderick, Facinelli played Carlisle Cullen in the film adaptation of Twilight, based on the book by Stephenie Meyer. According to an interview, "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 continued his portrayal in the sequels of the film, The Twilight Saga: New Moon, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1, and The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2.
He played Dr. Fitch Cooper for seven seasons on the Showtime dark comedy series Nurse Jackie.
He is the founder of the production company Facinelli Films. Their first feature film, Loosies, which was written entirely by Facinelli, was filmed in 2011. He starred in the film, which is a story of a New York pickpocket, directed by Michael Corrente. In 2011 he also wrote and produced the Hallmark Channel telefilm Accidentally in Love which starred his then-wife Jennie Garth.
In 2015, he played Maxwell Lord in Supergirl. The same year, he co-wrote the novel After the Red Rain with Barry Lyga and Robert DeFranco. It is set on a future Earth whose population is grappling with dwindling resources.
Personal life
Facinelli met actress Jennie Garth on the set of An Unfinished Affair in 1995. Their first child, a daughter named Luca, was born in 1997. Facinelli and Garth married on January 20, 2001, in Montecito, California in a Catholic wedding where their 3-year-old daughter served as flower girl. They had two more daughters, born 2002 and 2006. In March 2012, Facinelli filed for divorce from Garth, which was finalized in June 2013. He later said he felt they had "an arranged marriage" and admitted, "I think if we didn't have children, I wouldn't have stayed."
Facinelli began dating actress Jaimie Alexander in 2012 after meeting on the set of Loosies. They became engaged in March 2015, and announced they had ended their engagement in February 2016.
On January 1, 2020, Facinelli became engaged to Lily Anne Harrison, whom he met on the Raya dating app. They have one child.
Facinelli is Catholic and is a supporter of LGBT rights. In 2009, Facinelli acquired Italian citizenship through jus sanguinis to shoot a film in Europe that required that all actors be European citizens. Cyclist Letizia Paternoster is Facinelli's niece.
Filmography
Film
::data[format=table]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Angela | Lucifer | |
| 1996 | Foxfire | Ethan Bixby | |
| 1997 | Touch Me | Bail | |
| 1998 | Dancer, Texas Pop. 81 | Terrell Lee Lusk | |
| 1998 | Can't Hardly Wait | Mike Dexter | |
| 1998 | Telling You | Phil Fazzulo | |
| 1998 | Welcome to Hollywood | Actor | |
| 1999 | ** | Bob Walker | |
| 1999 | Blue Ridge Fall | Danny Shepherd | |
| 2000 | Supernova | Karl Larson | |
| 2000 | Ropewalk | Charlie | |
| 2000 | Honest | Daniel Wheaton | |
| 2001 | Stealing Time | Alec Nichols | |
| 2001 | Tempted | Jimmy Mulate | |
| 2001 | Riding in Cars with Boys | Tommy Butcher | |
| 2002 | ** | Takmet | |
| 2005 | Chloe | The boyfriend | Short film |
| 2005 | Enfants terribles | Curtis | |
| 2006 | The Lather Effect | Danny | |
| 2006 | Hollow Man 2 | Detective Frank Turner | |
| 2006 | Arc | Paris Pritchert | |
| 2007 | Battle Olympia | Possessed office high jumper | Short film |
| 2007 | That Guy | Jack | Short film |
| 2007 | Lily | The man | Short film |
| 2008 | Finding Amanda | Greg | |
| 2008 | Twilight | Dr. Carlisle Cullen | |
| 2008 | Reaper | Jesus | Short film |
| 2009 | ** | Dr. Carlisle Cullen | |
| 2010 | ** | Dr. Carlisle Cullen | |
| 2011 | ** | Dr. Carlisle Cullen | |
| 2012 | Loosies | Bobby Corelli | Also producer and writer |
| 2012 | ** | Dr. Carlisle Cullen | |
| 2013 | The Damned | David Reynolds | |
| 2014 | Freezer | Detective Sam Gurov | |
| 2015 | Walter | Jim | |
| 2017 | Heartthrob | Mr. Rickett | |
| 2017 | The Wilde Wedding | Ethan Darling | |
| 2017 | Gangster Land | George "Bugs" Moran | |
| 2018 | Asher | Uziel | |
| 2019 | Running with the Devil | Number One | |
| 2019 | Countdown | Dr. Sullivan | |
| 2019 | *Famous Adjacent * | Flanny | Short film,completed |
| 2020 | The Vanished – Hour of Lead | Deputy Rakes | Also director, producer, and writer |
| 2020 | The F**k-It List | Barry Brooks | |
| 2021 | The Ravine | Danny Turner | |
| 2021 | Catch the Bullet | Sheriff Drew Wilkins | |
| 2021 | 13 Minutes | Brad | |
| 2023 | On Fire | Dave Laughlin | |
| 2025 | The Unbreakable Boy | Preacher Rick | |
| :: |
Television
::data[format=table]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Law & Order | Shane Sutter | Episode: "Performance" |
| 1995 | The Wright Verdicts | Vincent Costanza | Episode: "Sins of the Father" |
| 1995 | The Price of Love | Brett | Television film |
| 1996 | An Unfinished Affair | Rick Connor | Television film |
| 1996 | After Jimmy | James "Jimmy" Stapp | Television film |
| 1996 | Calm at Sunset | James Pfeiffer | Television film |
| 2002–2003 | Fastlane | Donovan "Van" Ray | Main role; 22 episodes |
| 2002 | I Love the '80s | Himself | Commentator |
| 2004–2005 | Six Feet Under | Jimmy | Recurring role; 9 episodes |
| 2006 | American Dad! | Miles | Episode: "Roger 'n' Me"; voice role |
| 2006 | Touch The Top of the World | Eric Weihenmayer | Television film |
| 2007 | Damages | Gregory Malina | Recurring role; 10 episodes |
| Hannah Montana | Snowball | Episode: "Get Down Study-udy-udy"; voice role | |
| 2009–2015 | Nurse Jackie | Dr. Fitch "Coop" Cooper | Main role (seasons 1–7); 73 episodes |
| 2011 | Accidentally in Love | Television film; producer and writer | |
| 2013–2014 | Glee | Rupert Campion | Recurring role; 4 episodes |
| 2015 | American Odyssey | Peter Decker | Main role; 13 episodes |
| 2015–2016 | Supergirl | Maxwell Lord | Recurring role; 14 episodes |
| 2017–2018 | S.W.A.T. | Michael Plank | Recurring role; 7 episodes |
| 2019 | FBI | Michael Venutti | Episode: "Most Wanted" |
| 2019 | Escaping the NXIVM Cult: A Mother's Fight to Save Her Daughter | Keith Raniere | Television film |
| 2019 | Magnum P.I. | Gene Curtis / Ivan | Episode: "Day I Met the Devil" |
| 2022 | Roar | Second Husband | Episode: "The Woman Who Returned Her Husband" |
| :: |
References
References
- (November 26, 2019). "UPI Almanac for Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2019". United Press International.
- Tauber, Michelle. (November 11, 2002). "Vroom, Vroom!". [[People (magazine).
- "PETER FACINELLI: Un vampiro dalla val di Non". Mondotrentino.net.
- (December 19, 2008). "Dalla Val di Non a Hollywood".
- "PETER FACINELLI ACTOR, DIRECTOR, WRITER AND PRODUCER ON HIS NEW FEATURE FILM THE RAVINE".
- Roleke, John. (December 24, 2009). "Twilight Star Home for the Holidays in Queens". [[About.com]].
- Carroll, Larry. (February 19, 2008). "'Twilight' Film's First Family Revealed: Peter Facinelli, Elizabeth Reaser Lead Cullen Clan". MTV.
- Carroll, Larry. (November 26, 2008). "Peter Facinelli Excited To Play Carlisle Cullen Again In 'New Moon'". MTV.
- (May 19, 2010). "Cullen Family Stars Sign on For 'Breaking Dawn' – Yahoo! Movies". Movies.yahoo.com.
- "''Nurse Jackie'': Official Site". Sho.com.
- Fernandez, Jay A.. (June 17, 2010). "Vincent Gallo, Michael Madsen join 'Loosies'". Hollywoodreporter.com.
- (August 2015). "After the Red Rain". Little, Brown and Company.
- (January 10, 2025). "Jennie Garth and Ex Peter Facinelli’s Ups and Downs Through the Years: From Falling in Love on Set to Coparenting".
- (June 13, 2025). "Jennie Garth Reveals Her Daughter Luca Came Across Her Dad Peter Facinelli's Dating App Profile".
- (March 14, 2012). "Jennie Garth & Peter Facinelli: Romance Rewind".
- (March 28, 2012). "Peter Facinelli Files for Divorce from Jennie Garth".
- (June 12, 2013). "Jennie Garth & Peter Facinelli: Divorce Final – Nicest Divorce Ever". [[TMZ]].
- (June 6, 2024). "Peter Facinelli Says Marriage to Jennie Garth Felt 'Arranged' in First Joint Discussion 12 Years After Divorce".
- (November 30, 2012). "Peter Facinelli Finds Love with Costar Jaimie Alexander". [[People (magazine).
- (August 25, 2014). "Inside the Emmy Parties: MPTF's Evening Before, Showtime, NBC, ICM Partners Cap Emmy Eve". Chicago Tribune.
- Andriakos, Jacqueline. (March 18, 2015). "Peter Facinelli was engaged to Jaimie Alexander". People.
- "Jaimie Alexander and Peter Facinelli End Their Engagement".
- (January 2, 2020). "Peter Facinelli Is Engaged to Girlfriend Lily Anne Harrison After Mexico Vacation Proposal".
- (September 11, 2022). "Twilight's Peter Facinelli welcomes first son".
- Pop, Faith Goes. (April 29, 2012). "Jennie Garth's Divorce Is Making Her an Ex-Catholic".
- "Take the pledge to go purple on #SpiritDay 10/20 to support LGBT youth & stand against bullying: http://glaad.org/spiritday".
- June 2009, Helen Earnshaw {{!}} 5. (June 5, 2009). "Peter Facinelli Becomes Italian Citizen".
- [https://www.gnewsonline.it/nuovo-biciclette-medaglie-e-la-solitudine-della-montagna/ ''Un mondo di Letizia: medaglie, pizza e la solitudine della montagna'']. gnewsonline.it.
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