Milo Anthony Ventimiglia (born July 8, 1977) is an American television actor best known for his role of Peter Petrelli on the TV series Heroes. Ventimiglia was first noticed by fans during his three year stint on the WB series Gilmore Girls, playing Rory Gilmore's love interest Jess Mariano from 2001 until his final guest appearance in 2006.After his own WB series The Bedford Diaries, a recurring role as Meg Pryor's love interest on NBC's American Dreams, and playing Rocky Balboa's son in the sixth and final installment of the Rocky series, Rocky Balboa, Ventimiglia's big break came in 2006 when he received the part of nurse-turned-superhero Peter Petrelli for four seasons on NBC's Heroes.
Ventimiglia was born in Orange County, California, the son of Carol (née Wilson) and Peter Ventimiglia. His father is of Sicilian descent and his mother has English, Irish, Scottish, French, and Cherokee Native American ancestry. His last name, Ventimiglia, is the name of the town of Ventimiglia in Liguria, Italy, which later gave its name to another city, Ventimiglia di Sicilia. 'Venti miglia' also means 'twenty miles' in Italian. The youngest of three children, he has two older sisters, one of whom is named Rose. He has explained in an interview with USA Today that his "crooked mouth" is a result of dead nerves on the left side, which cause that side to remain immobile, much like, incidentally, Sylvester Stallone, with whom he worked in Rocky Balboa.
Ventimiglia attended El Modena High School in Orange, California, where he wrestled, acted in drama productions and held the office of president in student government. He graduated in 1995. At eighteen years of age, Ventimiglia received a scholarship to study at the American Conservatory Theater for their summer program. He attended UCLA as an English major for four years, but did not graduate.
