Peter Facinelli (born November 26, 1973) is an
American actor, best-known as the star of
FOX's 2002 television series
Fastlane. He played
Carlisle Cullen in
the film adaptation of
Twilight.
Early life
Facinelli grew up in
Ozone Park, Queens, the son of
Italian immigrants Bruna, a homemaker, and Pierino Facinelli, a waiter.
He attended
St. Francis Preparatory School in Fresh Meadows NY. He studied acting at the
Atlantic Theater Company Acting School in
New York City; his teachers there included
William H. Macy,
Felicity Huffman,
Giancarlo Esposito, and
Camryn Manheim.
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 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
Melissa Joan Hart,
Jennifer Love Hewitt and
Jerry O'Connell.
