Peter Facinelli was born in Queens, New York, the youngest child of
Bruna (Reich) and Pierino Facinelli, a waiter. His parents are Italian
immigrants, originally from Trentino, Northern Italy. He has three
sisters. Peter was educated at St. Francis Preparatory School in
Fresh Meadows, New York, and went on to attend St. John's University, but left
after a year to follow his interest in acting at the Atlantic Theater
Company Acting School, also in New York. There Facinelli was taught by
such distinguished actors as Academy Award nominees
William H. Macy and
Felicity Huffman.
He made his screen debut in 1995, appearing in
Rebecca Miller's
Angela und der Engel (1995) and has worked consistently
ever since. Notable projects include
Überleben in L.A. - Zahl für meinen Körper (1995),
Blond ist die Rache (1996)
(where he met his future wife,
Jennie Garth),
Touch Me - Kampf gegen die Zeit (1997) and
The Scorpion King (2002).
Facinelli has also had re-occurring roles in such TV shows such as
Fastlane (2002),
Six Feet Under - Gestorben wird immer (2001),
Damages: Im Netz der Macht (2007) and
Nurse Jackie (2009). In 2008, he
won the role of Dr. Carlisle Cullen in the wildly popular
Twilight - Biss zum Morgengrauen (2008) and its sequels.
