Manny Jacinto

Early Life and Education

Manny Jacinto was born in Quezon City, Philippines. When he was three years old, his family immigrated to Canada. The youngest child of Emmy and Lito Jacinto, he was raised mainly in Richmond, BC.

Jacinto graduated from Vancouver College, a private boys’ Catholic school, and also attended the University of British Columbia. Initially, he planned to become a pharmacist but decided to take engineering to follow in his father’s footsteps. While there, he developed an interest in dancing, which led him to participate in hip-hop competitions. He credits the Asian dance crew Jabbawockeez as an early influence.

In 2012, Jacinto earned his bachelor's degree in civil engineering from UBC. Amid his engineering internship, he realized he wanted to pursue performing arts as a career. He took professional acting workshops to improve his stage presence. Soon, he accepted modelling and acting offers.

Career Highlights

Manny Jacinto had several small roles in film and TV before landing his big break. He debuted in the short film Broken Sword (2012). Then, he appeared in the fairytale series Once Upon A Time (2013) and the TV movie The Unauthorized Saved by the Bell Story (2014).

Following his appearances in Hollywood productions in Vancouver — notably Supernatural (2013), The 100 (2014) and iZombie (2015) — he was cast as a series regular in the CBC’s The Romeo Section (2015). His acting in the Canadian spy drama earned him a nomination at the 2016 Leo Awards for Best Supporting Performance by a Male in a Dramatic Series.

After being cast in a small role in Cameron Crowe’s short-lived showtime series Roadies (2016), Jacinto landed a role in the unconventional NBC sitcom The Good Place (2016) — a comedy set in the afterlife that poses moral questions about life on Earth. He played Jason Mendoza, a deceased Florida DJ and breakdancer, who initially is mistaken for a silent Buddhist monk from Taiwan (who wears a Philippine-inspired outfit). By the end of the show’s first season, he starts to speak and reveals his immature but good-natured persona. Jacinto’s portrayal of an adorable dummy went against the stereotypes of how Asian men are often depicted in Hollywood.

Jacinto earned favourable reviews and a significant following for his performance as Jason Mendoza. In 2017, BuzzFeed and IndieWire named him as one of the best breakout TV performances. In 2018, he and the cast of The Good Place received a nomination for Ensemble of the Year from the Gold Derby TV Awards. The hit series also won a Peabody Award “for its originality and deft balance of serious subject matter and broad comedy.” By the end of 2018, Jacinto was named Breakout Actor in TV at the 17th Unforgettable Gala — an annual US event that honours Asian and Pacific Islander talents in entertainment, arts and culture.

Jacinto followed The Good Place with performances opposite such stars as Nicole Kidman in the first season of Nine Perfect Strangers (2021) and Tom Cruise in the film sequel Top Gun: Maverick (2022). Other film and television credits include Bad Times at the El Royale (2018) and the Netflix horror drama Brand New Cherry Flavor (2021).

In 2021, Jacinto lent his voice to the English dubbing of the Japanese fantasy film Belle (2021), the Filipino animated series Trese (2021), Warner Bros animation Mortal Kombat Legends: Snow Blind (2022), and the sci-fi series Hailey’s On It! (2023). He was also cast as Sith master Qimir in Disney’s Star War series The Acolyte (2024–), which was noted for its diverse cast.

Personal Life

Manny Jacinto is engaged to Dianne Doan, his longtime partner and fellow actor, whom he met in their early days as dancers. They have an adopted rescue dog named Henri.

Other Activities

Manny Jacinto has said that his experience on The Good Place influenced his work ethics and life. In a 2020 interview, he said he was inspired “to fight for something whether it be climate change or human rights, refugees, anything other than myself.” Besides his public speech in a climate change protest, he has spoken openly about Asian representation in the entertainment industry.