When FOX's Gotham returns from its five-week hiatus this Monday night, it will be with one new very special guest star in tow: Milo Ventimiglia, who you probably recognize from his roles in such hit shows as Gilmore Girls (as Rory's boyfriend Jess) and Heroes (as protagonist Peter Petrelli). His character on the Batman prequel series will be quite different from anything you've seen the 37-year-old actor do before: Ventimiglia will be playing Jason Lennon, aka The Ogre, who tests women to find his perfect mate... and then kills them if they fail. While The Ogre may not have found true love just yet, the same doesn't necessarily apply to his portrayer in real life. Is Ventimiglia single, or is he seeing someone? (I'm totally just asking for a friend, you guys.)
If celebrity relationship site Famous Fix is to be believed, the Heroes star is "currently single." The highlight of the site is obviously its "Six Degrees Of Dating Function," wherein you can input two celebrities' names and find out how closely linked they are by romantic partners. Alas, Ventimiglia has more than the average Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon, being eight steps removed from the Footloose star — although those eight people include Bradley Cooper, Denise Richards, and Michael J. Fox.
But the good news is, there are no other reports of Ventimiglia having a significant other. His most recent public relationship was with Isabella Brewster in 2010, but she married NBA star Baron Davis in 2014. So unless he's keeping things very private, Ventimiglia is available. Let's take a moment to remind ourselves why the Heroes star is so damn dreamy... before our image of him is forever tainted by The Ogre in this Monday's episode of Gotham , "Beasts Of Prey."
1. That Smile
You know how Ventimiglia always seems to have an adorably lopsided grin plastered on his face? There's a reason for that. According to USA Today, the actor actually has some dead nerves in his face that cause his lower lip to sag. Coincidentally, Sylvester Stallone has the same condition, and actually played Ventimiglia's onscreen father in 2006's Rocky Balboa.
2. He's Dated Some Amazing Co-Stars
Ventimiglia has been romantically linked with an awesome co-star on more than one occasion. He dated his onscreen Gilmore Girlfriend Alexis Bledel for three-and-a-half years, before the couple split in 2006. He then dated the cheerleader (and saved the world), going out with his Heroes co-star Hayden Panettiere for a year a half before calling it off in 2009. (Based on this track record, Ventimiglia would probably start dating Jada Pinkett Smith soon if she weren't already married.)
3. He Supports Our Troops
In 2008, Ventimiglia took some time off from his busy Heroes schedule to embark on a week-long USO Tour, visiting troops in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Kuwait. He also works with the nonprofit advocacy group Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), and helped the organization launch a PSA campaign in 2009 titled "Support Your Vet."
4. He's The Sexiest Vegetarian — Literally
Not only does Ventimiglia love our country's heroes... he loves our animals, too. He's a lacto-vegetarian — he also doesn't drink or smoke, a trait practically unheard of in Hollywood — and he was named PETA's Sexiest Vegetarian Alive in 2009.
5. He's An Ultra-Nerd
Not only is Ventimiglia a sexy vegetarian patriot... he's also a huge nerd! In January of 2010, the onscreen superhero co-created a web series for MSN titled Ultradome — and yes, it was just as geektastic as it sounds, according to what Entertainment Weekly quoted from an interview Ventimiglia gave The Hollywood Reporter.
My whole life has been spent engaged with friends in intellectual debate… like whether Captain Kirk is tougher than Spock or if Middle Earth is a more difficult place to live than Tatooine. With Ultradome, we can bring these debates to the public and settle them in the most logical way possible: through armed combat.
So two people on opposite sides of a Great Greek Debate would dress up as the franchise/character they were defending, enter a ring... and fight "to the death." That is the most awesomely nerdy thing I've ever heard. The wars waged in the series' four episodes included Han Solo vs. Indiana Jones, Hulk vs. Wolverine, and Buffy vs. Count Chocula. (Thor's future Lady Sif, Jaimie Alexander, appeared in the second episode to do battle on Han Solo's behalf.)
Ventimiglia himself appeared in the first episode opposite filmmaker Adam Green (Hatchet) in arguably the biggest nerd battle of all time: Lord Of The Rings vs. Star Wars. Which side did Ventimiglia fight for? (Are you sure you want to know? This could be a make-it-or-break-it moment.) Let's just say that The Ogre would probably get along really well with the orcs.
Images: Jessica Miglio/FOX; Getty Images (6)
