Jesse Eden Metcalfe (born December 9, 1978) is an American actor, most known for his role on
Desperate Housewives as
John Rowland. He is also notable for his portrayal of
Miguel Lopez-Fitzgerald on the
soap opera Passions.
Biography
Personal life
Metcalfe was born in
California,
[Metcalfe was born in California according to the State of California. California Birth Index, 1905-1995. Center for Health Statistics, California Department of Health Services, Sacramento, California. At Ancestry.com] the son of Nancy (née DeMaio) and Scott Metcalfe. His father is of
French and
Italian descent and his mother is of
Portuguese and
Italian ancestry.
[www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-16678372_ITM][www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-11870344_ITM] Metcalfe, who played in several
basketball leagues during his teen years, grew up an only child
[Although Metcalfe was born in California, the fact that he has a brother is unsubstantiated as ancestry.com does not provide that information, Ryan Metcalfe merely shares his last name.] in
Waterford, Connecticut and graduated from
The Williams School, in
New London, CT, but dropped out of
New York University's
Tisch School of the Arts in order to pursue a career as a writer/director.
[BostonHerald.com ~ Far from 'Desperate': Jesse Metcalfe]
Career
[
] on
Passions]]
Metcalfe moved to Los Angeles and attended an open casting call, successfully auditioning for the
NBC soap opera Passions. He played
Miguel Lopez-Fitzgerald, one of five siblings, from the show's debut in July 1999 -July 2004. He left
Passions because he felt that he "wasn't really going to get anything more out of it."
In late 2003 and early 2004, Metcalfe made two guest appearances on the
WB Network TV series
Smallville as vindictive "meteor freak hunter" Van McNulty.
Metcalfe returned to television as the teenage gardener
John Rowland on the popular
ABC TV drama
Desperate Housewives, where his character had a secret relationship with housewife
Gabrielle Solis played by
Eva Longoria, since the series' debut in October 2004. This was the role that made Metcalfe a household name, and he immediately gained attention for his well-toned body, particularly his smooth and muscular
pectorals, emphasised by the fact that he appeared shirtless in almost every scene he was in.
USA Today in November 2004 named him "the
[1] hottest sex symbol".
[Keck, William. "Desperately seeking Metcalfe". USA Today. November 18, 2004.] [[Image:Jessepicture1.jpg|thumb|right|Jesse Metcalfe as
John Rowland on
Desperate Housewives]]
However, his character was reduced to a recurring role because Metcalfe wanted to move on to other projects. He has only appeared in a few episodes of the 2nd season, 1 of the 3rd season, and 1 of the current season. However, he has stated that he will continue to make guest appearances in future seasons. Metcalfe also travels to Metro
Detroit often where his managing agency is based.
Metcalfe is the fifth victim and the fifth star to appear on
Punk'd more than once, after
Ben McKenzie,
Wilmer Valderrama,
Omarion, and
Jesse McCartney. His first appearance was when Metcalfe and
Ashton Kutcher punk'd Eva Longoria for stealing thousands of dollars and fraud (false identity). His second is when Metcalfe was
punk'd by Ashton Kutcher's crew members during the
Spider-Man 3 audition. Metcalfe also appeared in
3 Doors Down "
Let Me Go" video.
Metcalfe's first film role is in
John Tucker Must Die, alongside
Ashanti,
One Tree Hill's
Sophia Bush and
Hairspray's
Brittany Snow, in which he plays a wealthy and insincere teenage playboy
high school basketball player. The film opened on July 28, 2006. Metcalfe hosted
The New Paul O'Grady Show on October 26, 2006, because Paul was taking the week off on doctor's orders. Jesse had previously been interviewed on the show twice before.
Metcalfe sang 'Hey Jude' on the Soap Sessions 3: Beatle songs CD. He appeared in the 2008 movies
American Cowslip as Jay,
The Other End of the Line as Granger Woodriff,
Insanitarium, and
Loaded as Tristan Price. He is also rumoured to be one of the contestants on the upcoming season of the British reality TV series
I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here
Metcalfe recently returned back to the public attention when he hosted the
World Music Awards in
Monaco in November 2008. After "a couple glasses of champagne" at a party after the Awards, Metcalf fell off a second-story balcony and tumbled thirty to forty feet to the ground. He fractured a
fibula, but avoided more serious injury.
[Perry, Simon. Jesse Metcalf Falls from Balcony, Is Briefly Hospitalized. People Magazine. November 11, 2008.]
Filmography
Films
Television
Awards and nominations
Nominations
Soap Opera Digest Award: "Favorite Teen Star" (Passions)
Wins
Actor: "Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series" (Desperate Housewives)
Nominations
Teen Choice Award: "Choice TV Actor: Comedy" (Desperate Housewives)
Wins
Teen Choice Award: "Choice TV Breakout Performance - Male" (Desperate Housewives)
