Jared Tristan Padalecki is an American actor. He is best known for playing the role of Sam Winchester in the TV series Supernatural. He rose to fame in the early 2000s after appearing on the television series Gilmore Girls (2000–2005) as well as the films Cheaper by the Dozen (2003), Flight of the Phoenix (2004), Cry Wolf (2005) and Friday the 13th (2009).