Jensen Ackles

Charismatic actor Jensen Ackles rose to television prominence as the star of a popular primetime series prior to branching out to feature films. Shortly after moving to Los Angeles, the Dallas native landed several TV guest spots before taking on a recurring role on the daytime soap "Days of Our Lives" (NBC, 1965- ) in 1997. Dissatisfied with his character's storylines, Ackles left "Days" for primetime and regular roles on such programs as "Dark Angel" (Fox, 2000-02), "Dawson's Creek" (The WB, 1998-2003) and "Smallville" (The WB/The CW, 2001-2011). One of many handsome young faces seen on the small screen every season, the actor broke away from the pack when he landed the role of the roguish Dean Winchester on the aptly-titled adventure-drama series, "Supernatural" (The WB/The CW, 2005- ). Though never a ratings juggernaut, the well-crafted genre show developed a fiercely loyal fan base that managed to keep it on the air for many seasons. As he enjoyed his "Supernatural" success, Ackles extended his résumé to include a turn as the hero of the 3-D horror feature, "My Bloody Valentine" (2009) and voice work as one of the Caped Crusader's more complex adversaries in the animated feature "Batman: Under the Red Hood" (2010). Blessed with classic leading man looks, but also possessing the skill to play multi-dimensional characters, Ackles remained a fan favorite for good reason.