Trivia

Former bodyguard for singer/actor Tyrese Gibson.

Received his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Drama from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (2000).

He trained for several months, with a former Navy SEAL, to prepare for his role as Lt. Sean Macklin in Behind Enemy Lines: Colombia (2009). Upon finding out that the studio did not provide a Navy SEAL to consult on the film, Joe flew his SEAL trainer to the set in Puerto Rico and put him up in the cast's hotel, out of his own pocket, in hopes of adding authenticity to the production.

He trained for five months to play the character Alcide Herveaux on True Blood (2008), since the character is described as "having arms like tree trunks" in Charlaine Harris' novels. Manganiello said that, even considering the grueling training, the most difficult aspect of the role was getting Alcide's Southern accent right.

Serves on the Board of Trustees for Pittsburgh Children's Hospital.

Friends with Matt Bomer, they attended the same drama school together.

Used to get paid to dress up like Captain Morgan at bars in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Has been skydiving with the Army's parachute team the "Golden Knights".

Sang backup vocals for the rock band, The Used, on their song "Hospital" from their album "Lies for the Liars" (2007), and for the rock band, Goldfinger, on their song "Wasted" for their album "Disconnection Notice" (2005).

He campaigned for the coveted role of Superman in director Zack Snyder's and producer Christopher Nolan's adaptation Man of Steel (2013). Snyder stated that Manganiello was down to the last two considered for the role and said that Manganiello is "a great guy". British actor Henry Cavill ultimately won the role.

He trained as a boxer and was a former sparring partner of NHL player Brantt Myhres.

Used to shovel sand and gravel off of a truck and do demolitions for a construction company.

He was rumored for months to be the front runner for the title role of Superman in Zach Snyder and Christopher Nolan's reboot. When asked what happened, in an interview with Access Hollywood (1996), Joe cited that scheduling problems with True Blood (2008) forced him out of the running in the final stage, "They wanted me to screen test and they actually asked for my measurements for the suit and everything. Their shoot date switched and it would have taken up 11 weeks out of my True Blood (2008) schedule. At the end of the day, we couldn't get the schedule to work so that I could go off and screen test. So, regrettably, I never got to screen test, I never got to put the suit on." British actor Henry Cavill was eventually cast in the role.

Self-financed, directed and produced (with his brother/producing partner Nick Manganiello) the independent documentary, La Bare (2014), about a male strip club in Dallas, Texas. The film was released theatrically on June 27, 2014 and went on to crack the top ten iTunes documentary downloads in its first 24 hours of release on VOD.

Joe hired some violinists and cellists to play an interpretation of Metallica's "Nothing Else Matters" as he walked his bride Sofía Vergara down the aisle at their wedding in Palm Beach, Florida.

Wrote, directed and starred in a movie made for extra credit in his Chemistry class in which most of his friends starred.

Honored by the Human Rights Campaign with their "Ally for Equality" award for his philanthropic work on behalf of marriage equality (2014).

Avid fan of the tabletop RPG Dungeons and Dragons. Host a semi-regular game for his close friends at his house and has appeared on Critical Role (a weekly internet stream where "nerdy ass voice actors" play Dungeons and Dragons) as Arkhan The Cruel; a red dragonborn follower of Tiamat.

Travelled the world as a roadie for the rock band Goldfinger.

Simon & Schuster published his first book "Evolution" to rave reviews. A second printing was forced after only five days of release. (December 2013)

Manganiello returned to the stage (2013) as Stanley Kowalski in "A Streetcar Named Desire" for the Yale Repertory Theatre, directed by the late Mark Rucker. It marked the third time Manganiello had played the role. The first was in college at CMU (Carnegie Mellon University), and the second was for the West Virginia Public Theatre (2008).

His paternal grandmother's ancestry is from Messina, Sicily. Joe's maternal grandfather was of Dalmatian Croatian ancestry, and Joe's maternal grandmother was of German and Armenian descent. Joe discovered on Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. (2012) that his biological paternal grandfather was an African-American of mixed race, with deep African-American roots in Massachusetts.

Named one of Men's Health magazine's 100 Fittest Men of All Time, alongside Michael Jordan, Bo Jackson, Michael Phelps and Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Engaged to Sofía Vergara on Christmas Eve after six and a half months together. (December 2014)

Named one of People magazine's Sexiest Men Alive (2010).

He was brought onto Pittsburgh's Heinz Field right before kickoff to lead the crowd of 62,000+ in the ceremonial "Terrible Towel Wave" before the Steelers played the New York Jets on December 19, 2010.

Originally cast in the role of the spiritual exorcist, Friar Lazaro Mate, in the film Sublime (2007), but was recast when he had to cut his long hair and shave his beard to reprise his role as Flash Thompson in Spider-Man 3 (2007). He did shoot a day on the film and appears briefly in the hallway scene, performing a breast augmentation.

In 2011, Manganiello was voted "Favorite Pop-Culture Werewolf of All Time" by the readers of Entertainment Weekly.

Winner of the 2011 Saturn Award for "Best Guest Starring Role on Television" for his role as Alcide Herveaux on True Blood (2008).

Joe Manganiello has appeared in all three of the CSI franchises.

The I in his last name is silent.

Was a great athlete for the Blue Devils. He played Varsity football until a knee injury sidelined him in tenth grade in a game against Ringgold (Monongahela, Pennsylvania) before recovering and lettering in both basketball and volleyball.

Attended Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and graduated the same year as fellow Magic Mike (2012) co-star Matt Bomer.

Used to spend his summers on Peaks Island, Maine.

One of the world's 25 Fittest Guys of 2011 according to Men's Fitness Magazine.

Named People.com's Sexiest Man on Television (2012).

Winner of two 2011 Scream Awards for "Breakout Performance - Male" and a shared award for "Best Ensemble" (True Blood (2008)).

Was engaged to Audra Marie from October 2010 to October 2011.

Honored as the Grand Marshall of the 2010 Pittsburgh Macy's Celebrate the Season Parade.

Named one of Paper magazine's Beautiful People of 2011.

Was about to make a screen test with a Superman suit for Man of Steel (2013) when HBO stepped in and prohibited him from auditioning due to contractual obligations to True Blood (2008). Zack Snyder is reportedly a huge fan of the series and "noticed" Manganiello even before signing in for the film.

Has recorded some spoken word for the band "D.R.U.G.S." that appears at the very end of their 2011 self titled debut album.

Buzzfeed named him the #1 "Hottest Male Butt in Hollywood" (2014).

Attended and graduated from Mt. Lebanon High School in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (1995). He played the role of Jud Fry in the high school production of the musical "Oklahoma!" in his senior year.

Older brother of Nick Manganiello.

Ranked #1 on Men's Health Magazine's best Summer Bodies of 2011.

Named People magazine's Hottest Bachelor Alive (2014).

Stepfather of Manolo Gonzalez Vergara.

In a tournament, including 63 other stars, Manganiello was voted Popsugar.com's #1 Shirtless Celebrity of 2012.

Awarded the "Triple Threat Award" by the Maui International Film Festival for his work as the producer and director of his documentary film, La Bare (2014).