Celebrate Milo Ventimiglia's Birthday By Voting for His Best TV Role of All Time

By Johnni Macke Jul 08, 2018 11:00 AMTags
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Milo Ventimiglia, Alexis Biedel, Gilmore GirlsThe WB

Happy birthday Milo!

Today is Milo Ventimiglia's 41st birthday and we couldn't be happier about it.

Over the years the California native has given life to some of the greatest characters on TV and therefore every year he is celebrating a birthday and making more TV magic is a good year for us.

From his days on American Dreams to playing everyone's favorite bad boy on Gilmore Girls, Ventimiglia has continually won us over and made our TV-watching experience that much better.

He's played complex characters like Peter Petrelli on Heroes and made us cry regularly on This Is Us as Jack Pearson and frankly we wouldn't want it any other way.

In honor of the Emmy-nominated actor's birthday we want to celebrate by figuring out which of his memorable TV roles is actually the best.

Vote for your favorite role from Ventimiglia below and perhaps show him a little love on social media too.

Happy birthday again to our high school crush and the man we wish was our dad.

That might sound weird, but that's how good of an actor this guy really is...trust us.

Watch
Mandy Moore & Milo Ventimiglia Talk "Life Lessons" From "This Is Us"
Opposite Sex

Opposite Sex was the Emmy-nominated actor's first real TV role (that wasn't just one episode) back in 2000. He played Jed Perry, who was a teenager who moved to a Northern California town with his father after his mom's death. When he starts at his new school he quickly learns that he is only one of three boys who go there...since it was traditionally an all-girls institution. The show also starred Chris Evans.

American Dreams

American Dreams was set in the '60s and followed the lives of a Philadelphia family as the times began to change. The main character was Meg, played by Brittany Snow and Ventimiglia played her boyfriend Chris Pierce. Although the two road off into the sunset together when the series ended fans wanted another season, which sadly never came. 

Gilmore Girls

Gilmore Girls (and the eventual revival Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life) is easily one of Ventimiglia's top three roles of all time...in both TV and film. On the WB series he played Jess Mariano, one of Rory Gilmore's (Alexis Bledel) love interests. Jess was the bad boy who was actually super well-read and just misunderstood. Even though he left town and broke Rory's heart, we will always love him as the leather-jacket wearing bookworm that shook Stars Hollow.

The Bedford Diaries

The Bedford Diaries was the college drama series you might've forgotten about, but should definitely re-watch. It aired in 2006 and only had one season. The show focused on six students taking a human-sexuality class at a New York City liberal arts college. At the time, the 41-year-old actor played Richard Thorne III, who was a Park Avenue bad boy who turned his life around after his ex-girlfriend attempted suicide. Even with his new outlook on life, and being sober and focused on school, his past demons just wouldn't go away.

Heroes

For five years Ventimiglia played Peter Petrelli on Heroes and what a whirlwind it was following this series, which focused on ordinary people who discovered they had super powers. Peter was a complex character who began as a hospice nurse and eventually became a paramedic who had the power to absorb and mimic the powers of other people. While it sounds cool there were a lot of issues with this power and Ventimiglia managed to perfectly portray each and every complication that his character faced. It was such an intense series!

Mob City

The California native played Ned Stax on the short-lived TNT series Mob City back in 2013. Ned was an attorney who represented criminals in Los Angeles in 1947 and although he might've looked clean he definitely got his hands dirty within the criminal enterprise.

 

Chosen

For two seasons, Ventimiglia played Ian Mitchell, a father, husband and lawyer, on Crackle's Chosen. After he discovers a mysterious box on his doorstep with a gun and photo of a stranger he must kill within a short time frame (in order to save his own family) he transforms from an ordinary man to an unwilling assassin...all to protect his loved ones.

The Whispers

In 2015, the actor played Sean Bennigan on the ABC show The Whispers. When fans first met his character he was a John Doe waking up three months after a near-death experience. He was in the African desert, but eventually made his way back to Washington D.C. where he thought someone might be waiting for him. Little did he know he was going to become the target of a city-wide manhunt!

This Is Us

Jack Pearson forever! Ventimiglia's current role as Jack on NBC's This Is Us is probably his most heartbreaking, and at the same time, inspiring role to date. As the head of the Pearson household he holds everyone together and even though he dies when his kids are in high school, his life, the lessons he taught them and the man he was made a huge impression on everyone. Oh, and he frequently makes viewers cry and we're oddly OK with that.

Poll

Milo Ventimiglia's Best TV Roles

Which of Milo Ventimiglia's iconic TV roles is your favorite?
Jed Perry on Opposite Sex
0.1%
Chris Pierce on American Dreams
0.7%
Jess Mariano on Gilmore Girls
40.6%
Richard Thorne III on The Bedford Diaries
0.1%
Peter Petrelli on Heroes
7.1%
Ned Stax on Mob City
0.1%
Ian Mitchell on Chosen
0.2%
Sean Bennigan on The Whispers
0.5%
Jack Pearson on This Is Us
50.6%