FePt nanorods and nanowires have been synthesized by the reduction of Pt(acac)(2) and the thermal decomposition of Fe(CO)(5) in the presence of solvents/surfactants by simply controlling the sequence of addition of surfactants. The as-synthesized FePt nanorods and nanowires have a face centered cubic structure with average diameter of 3 nm. Length of nanorods and nanowires can be adjusted in the range of 15-150 nm by varying reaction parameters. Nanocrystalline L1(0) FePt phase with coercivity up to 24 kOe was obtained after heat treatments.