Justin Baldoni

Justin Louis Baldoni is an American actor, director, and producer. He is best known for portraying Rafael Solano on the CW telenovela Jane the Virgin from 2014 to 2019 and for directing and starring in the 2024 romantic drama film It Ends with Us. In addition to his screen roles, he co-founded the production company Wayfarer Studios and has engaged in various digital media and publishing projects.

Baldoni was born in Los Angeles, California, and grew up in Medford, Oregon. His mother comes from an Ashkenazi Jewish background and his father from an Italian Catholic family; both converted to the Baháʼí Faith before he was born. While attending South Medford High School, Baldoni competed in soccer and track and worked as a radio disc jockey. He later attended California State University, Long Beach on a partial athletic scholarship before choosing to pursue acting.

Baldoni made his screen debut in 2004 on the soap opera The Young and the Restless. In 2012, he created the popular YouTube digital documentary series My Last Days, which later aired on television. His breakout role came in 2014 when he was cast as Rafael Solano on Jane the Virgin, starring opposite Gina Rodriguez across five seasons. During this period, he also appeared in the 2018 crime drama Con Man as a young Barry Minkow.

Expanding into film directing and producing, Baldoni made his feature directorial debut with the 2019 romantic drama Five Feet Apart, followed by the 2020 biographical drama Clouds. Through his company Wayfarer Studios, co-founded with Steve Sarowitz, he served as an executive producer for Eleanor the Great and produced films including A Nice Indian Boy and Code 3. Through the studio's philanthropic arm, he led the annual Skid Row Carnival of Love in Los Angeles to serve local homeless residents.

Beyond film, Baldoni delivered a 2017 TED talk titled "Why I’m Done Trying to Be 'Man Enough,'" which spurred a broader media initiative exploring positive masculinity. He produced and co-hosted The Man Enough Podcast alongside Liz Plank and Jamey Heath, authored a book based on the concept, and wrote the children's book Boys Will Be Human.

In 2024, Baldoni directed and starred alongside Blake Lively in It Ends with Us, an adaptation of Colleen Hoover's novel that grossed over $350 million worldwide. The film's release was accompanied by high-profile legal filings and media disputes involving Lively, The New York Times, and the agency WME. Court proceedings over allegations and countersuits concluded between 2025 and 2026 through claim dismissals, settlements, and a legal fee award.

In his personal life, Baldoni married Swedish actress Emily Foxler in July 2013, and the couple has two children. A practicing member of the Baháʼí Faith, he serves on the Board of Ambassadors of the Tahirih Justice Center, a non-profit organization advocating for immigrant survivors of gender-based violence. He has also publicly addressed his experiences with ADHD and body dysmorphic disorder.