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 as well as the films New York Minute (2004) Flight of the Phoenix (2004) and House of Wax (2005), later starring in Friday the 13th (2009).

Samuel "Sam" Winchester is a fictional character and one of the two protagonists of the American drama television series Supernatural along with his older brother, Dean. He is portrayed primarily by Jared Padalecki. Other versions of the character have been portrayed by Alex Ferris and Dylan Kingwell (child), Colin Ford (teenager), and Colton James.