Justin Baldoni

Justin Louis Baldoni (born January 24, 1984) is an American actor, director and filmmaker

Background

Baldoni was born in Los Angeles, California, and was raised in Medford, Oregon, the son of Sharon and Sam Baldoni. His mother is from a Jewish family and his father is of Italian ancestry. Baldoni's parents joined the Bahá'í Faith, which Baldoni practices. Baldoni played soccer and ran track in high school, and was a radio disc jockey at a local top 40 radio station. Unfortunately, his hopes of playing professional sports were foiled when he tore his hamstring his senior year. Even with his injury, Baldoni was offered a place on the Long Beach State track team his freshman year at California State University. However, he was not able to fully rehabilitate his hamstring in time, and Baldoni left Long Beach for Los Angeles. While moving into a new apartment building, Baldoni met a manager who advised him to pursue a career in acting.

In 2008, Baldoni wrote, produced, and directed his first music video that was selected and showcased at the Dawn Breakers International Film Festival.