JD Pardo

Former model J.D. Pardo may have landed his early roles thanks to his chiseled good looks, but with his affecting portrayal of a transgender teen in Lifetime's telefilm "A Girl Like Me" (2006), he proved to be an actor worthy of closer consideration and a breakout star on the hit series "Revolution" (NBC, 2012-14).

Jorge Daniel Pardo was born on Sept. 7, 1980 in Panorama City, CA. He began his professional life as a teen model in campaigns for Tommy Hilfiger and Gucci. Pardo made his acting debut in a guest role on Aaron Spelling's "Titans" (NBC, 2000-01) but would hit his stride in 2004 with recurring roles on "American Dreams" (NBC, 2002-05) and the baseball drama "Clubhouse" (CBS, 2004-05).

After another recurring role as a surfer on "The O.C." (Fox, 2003-07), Pardo welcomed the challenge of playing the leading role of a transgender teen in the TV movie "A Girl Like Me" (Lifetime, 2006). His physically transformative performance brought Pardo a new level of exposure, leading to a regular role on Kevin Williamson's "Hidden Palms" (The CW, 2007), a supporting role in the miniseries "Drive" (Fox, 2007), and a small role in the feature film "The Burning Plain" (2008).

His growing recognition, however, could not have prepared him for his breakout year of 2012, which saw him playing the vampire Nahuel in the blockbuster "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2," as well as the duplicitous Nate Walker on J.J. Abrams' hit adventure series "Revolution."

By John Crye