Ternary FePt-Au nanorods are synthesized as magnetic-plasmonic 1D nanostructures. Besides their widely tunable magnetic properties, their unique plasmonic response to the illumination polarization provides a powerful tool to optically image these sub-wavelength single nanorods. These nanoparticles also show the potential as a novel nanobioprobe based on the demonstration of simultaneous magnetic manipulation and optical imaging of single particles inside live cells.