Peter Facinelli

Peter Facinelli was born in New York City on November 26, 1973. He attended New York University before moving to Los Angeles to pursue acting. Facinelli has worked in both the television and film industries. In 2008, he began playing his most iconic role, vampire Dr. Carlisle Cullen in the "Twilight" film franchise.

Facinelli's parents were Italian immigrants who worked as a waiter and a homemaker, respectively. The youngest of four and the only boy, Facinelli grew up in the Ozone Park neighborhood of Queens. In third grade, he became fascinated with a picture book about Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. A few years later, he saw the Robert Redford and Paul Newman film version of Butch Cassidy and decided that he wanted to be an actor.

Shortly after moving to Los Angeles, Facilnelli began landing small television roles. In 1996, he was cast in the TV movie "An Unfinished Affair." That same year, he appeared in the Angelina Jolie film "Foxfire." He soon began landing roles alongside some of the industry's top stars. He appeared in "Can’t Hardly Wait" with Jennifer Love Hewitt, in "Supernova" alongside James Spader and in Penny Marshall's "Riding in Cars with Boys" opposite Drew Barrymore.

Facinelli went on to star in "Finding Amanda" with Matthew Broderick in 2008, and then he appeared as vampire Dr. Carlisle Cullen in "Twilight," a film adaptation of the first installment of Stephenie Meyer's best-selling book series. A box-office phenomenon, "Twilight" earned Facinelli wide recognition in Hollywood. The film series encompassed five installments, all of which he has appeared.

Facinelli's previous TV credits include roles on FX's "Damages" and HBO's "Six Feet Under." Additionally, since 2009, he has played Dr. Fitch Cooper on Showtime's "Nurse Jackie" alongside Edie Falco, the show's star.

In 2010, Facinelli started his own production company, Facinelli Films. The company's first film, "Loosies," was released in 2012. In 2011 he also wrote and produced the Hallmark Channel telefilm "Accidentally In Love," which starred his then-wife Jennie Garth.