Peter Facinelli began his acting training studying at NYU Tisch School of the Arts under David Mamet’s Atlantic Theater Company. Since then he has created a strong foothold in Hollywood over the last two and a half decades, both as a leading man in front of the camera, and as an exciting voice behind the scenes, as a writer, producer, and director.
Facinelli’s second directorial feature THE VANISHED, a psychological thriller (which he also wrote and appeared in), starring Anne Heche, Thomas Jane, and Jason Patric topped the charts as one of Netflix’s most watched features, and continues to remain a top choice on-demand. Facinelli made his debut as a director in 2018 with the indie sensation “Breaking and Exiting,” starring Jordan Danger and Milo Gibson.
Recent projects for Facinelli include13 Minutes opposite Thora Birch, Amy Smart and Trace Adkins, as well as thriller “On Fire,” in which he toplines.
Facinelli will soon complete his third directorial feature HEADHUNTER (distributed by The Exchange). He produced “The Unbreakable Boy,” and co-stars in the film opposite Zachary Levi and Patricia Heaton, which is headed to theatres in 2022. Facinelli optioned the book and brought it to Kingdom Story Company, with Lionsgate signed on to distribute.
With a myriad of film credits under his belt, Facinelli is likely most recognized for his starring role as Doctor Carlisle Cullen in the blockbuster TWILIGHT franchise, (based on Stephenie Meyer’s #1 New York Times best-selling literary series), as well as the unforgettable Mike Dexter in the cult-classic “Can’t Hardly Wait,” opposite Jennifer Love Hewitt.
Additional film credits include STX’s thriller COUNTDOWN (opposite Elizabeth Lail), RUNNING WITH THE DEVIL (with Nicolas Cage and Laurence Fishburne), GANGSTER LAND, ASHER (opposite Famke Janssen, Ron Perlman and Richard Dreyfuss), Damian Harris’ indie feature THE WILDE WEDDING (opposite John Malkovich and Glenn Close), Penny Marshall’s RIDING IN CARS WITH BOYS (opposite Drew Barrymore), THE SCORPION KING (opposite Dwayne Johnson), SUPERNOVA (with James Spader and Angela Bassett), THE BIG KAHUNA (opposite Kevin Spacey and Danny DeVito), and FOXFIRE (opposite Angelina Jolie), amongst numerous others.
On the small screen Facinelli has made his mark with such roles as the loveable Dr. Fitch Cooper on the full seven season run of Showtime’s hit dramedy NURSE JACKIE. Among its numerous accolades, the series earned Emmy, SAG, Golden Globe, and Writers Guild Award nominations, as well as being named one of AFI’s Top Ten Television Shows of 2009.
Other credits include CBS’ S.W.A.T., villain “Maxwell Lord” in the first season of the hit CBS show SUPERGIRL, the NBC drama AMERICAN ODYSSEY (opposite Anna Friel), Ryan Murphy’s GLEE, DAMAGES, and HBO’s SIX FEET UNDER, for which he shared the cast’s 2005 nomination for the SAG Award for Best Ensemble in a Drama; as well as a starring role in FASTLANE in 2003.
In 2010 Facinelli started the production company A7sle Films. Its first feature, LOOSIES, was a fast-paced dramatic comedy that Facinelli wrote and starred in about a clever and romantic pickpocket in the New York City subways. It co-starred Michael Madsen, Jaimie Alexander, Vincent Gallo, and Joe Pantoliano. The company later partnered with FilmDistrict to produce the true story horror picture THELAST WORD, based on a documentary of the same name about Johnny Frank Garrett, which premiered
at the Austin Film Festival in 2016, and was directed by acclaimed indie director Simon Rumley. The company has additionally produced projects across film, TV, and digital platforms with Electus, 5×5, Boom Comics, College Humor, YouTube, ISH, and ARC Productions.
A man of many trades, Facinelli augmented his writing repertoire in 2015 when he co-wrote After the Red Rain, a YA novel with New York Times best-selling author Barry Lyga, which was distributed by Little Brown Company. It is a dystopian novel set in a future world of environmental collapse and mass poverty, where a mysterious boy named Rose discovers that he possesses inhuman powers that can irrevocably change the lives of everyone on the planet.
Facinelli splits his time between New York and Los Angeles.
