From vampires turning off their humanity switch to discovering the enigma of doppelgängers, The Vampire Diaries quickly became a fan-favorite after its launch in 2009. The CW drama aired for eight seasons until 2017 in the imaginary town of Mystic Falls, Virginia, home to supernatural animals and humans alike. Keep reading to find out everything about the actresses and actors in the film and the characters they portray.
What movie is “The Vampire Diaries?
The American supernatural teen drama The Vampire Diaries, created by Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec, is based on the book series by L. J. Smith. The CW series broadcast 171 episodes over eight seasons, premiering on September 10, 2009, and ending on March 10, 2017.
The inaugural episode of The CW had the highest viewership since its 2006 launch, with an average of 3.60 million viewers in the first season. It was the most-watched series on the network until Arrow replaced it. The show has won four People’s Choice Awards and multiple Teen Choice Awards, among other nominations.
In April 2015, Nina Dobrev, who played Elena Gilbert, announced her departure from the program after the sixth season. Dobrev reprised her role as a guest actress and voiceover artist in the seventh-season finale. The CW renewed the series for an eighth season in March 2016 but confirmed in July that the 16-episode eighth season will be the last.
The finale aired from October 21, 2016, through March 10, 2017. The series launched a media franchise with further television, web, novel, and comic book series based on its concepts and characters. The Originals (2013–2018) and its spin-off, Legacies (2018–2022), were the first major installments in this connected series on The CW.
Main Cast and characters
Nina Dobrev as Elena Gilbert: Nina Dobrev portrayed Elena Gilbert, an adolescent orphan and student who becomes entangled in supernatural chaos and a love triangle involving two centuries-old vampire brothers who left The Vampire Diaries at the conclusion of season six to pursue “adult roles.” In 2017, she told Harper’s Bazaar, “I needed to feel the fear of ‘Oh my God, what if I never get another job?’”
Paul Wesley as Stefan Salvatore: Paul Wesley portrayed Stefan Salvatore as a kind-hearted and affectionate vampire who opposed his older sibling, Damon. Later in the series, to save Damon from a werewolf bite, Stefan reverts to his old methods as a Ripper. His role becomes more antagonistic when he is compelled to switch off his humanity.
Ian Somerhalder as Damon Salvatore: Somerhalder took some time away from the screen to concentrate on his family once his days as the bad boy and bloodthirsty Damon Salvatore were over. On the 2019 series V-Wars, which he also executive produced, the actor returned to the domain of vampires as Dr. Luther Swann.
Kat Graham as Bonnie Bennett: Elena’s and Caroline’s dearest friend and a powerful witch. She died several times but always found a way to come back. Sheila or “Grams”, another witch in the Bennet family, helps her develop and control her talents. She can frequently utilize her magic to assist the group, and while she initially despises vampires, particularly Damon, she eventually comes to like them; after being trapped in a prison realm with him for four months during season six, she and Damon become great friends.
Steven R. McQueen as Jeremy Gilbert:Elena’s younger brother and biological cousin. He later joins The Five, a vampire-hunting group that grants him extraordinary abilities. In the fourth season, Jeremy is killed after Katherine throws him at Silas, who takes his blood. In the fourth season finale, his love interest, Bonnie Bennett, resurrects him. He leaves Mystic Falls to hunt vampires in the sixth season, unbeknownst to everyone save Alaric. Jeremy moved back to Mystic Falls after Elena’s curse was lifted in the finale to take a teaching position at the Salvatore Boarding School for Young and Gifted, which Alaric and Stefan ran.
Candice King as Caroline Forbes: After becoming a vampire in the second season, Elena and Bonnie’s closest friend, who was initially insecure and often envious of Elena for the attention she received over her, becomes more caring and sympathetic.
Joseph Morgan as Klaus Mikaelson: The Original Hybrid, proceeds to construct an army of new “hybrids” that are half vampire and half werewolf. Klaus begins to grow in love with Caroline during the third season. Klaus eventually relocates to New Orleans, where his character is the protagonist of The Originals, a spin-off series.
Michael Malarkey as Lorenzo “Enzo” St. John: A vampire who was formerly incarcerated by the Augustine Society. He was his cellmate when the Augustines kidnapped Damon Salvatore in the 1950s. As he sought his lost lover, Maggie, he and Damon renewed their friendship. In the fifth-season episode “Man on Fire,” Enzo loses his humanity after discovering the truth about Maggie’s demise. He is then murdered by Stefan, who rips out his heart.
Matthew Davis as Alaric Saltzman: A history professor, vampire hunter, and Jenna’s romantic interest during the first two seasons. Davis left the show after Alaric’s death at the conclusion of the third season. After his character’s resurrection in the fifth season, he reappeared as a regular in the sixth season and beyond.
Zach Roerig as Matt Donovan: Vicki’s younger sibling, Elena’s childhood friend, and ex-boyfriend, who developed romantic feelings for Caroline in the first and second seasons. Even after breaking up in the second season, they remain close friends. Later, as a police officer attempting to defend the town from the vampires, Matt comes into conflict with the vampires because he refuses to participate in the supernatural occurrences in his town. He intends to run for mayor after becoming sheriff in the eighth season.
Michael Trevino as Tyler Lockwood: a werewolf later transformed into a hybrid by Klaus, Matt’s closest friend and the son of Mystic Falls’ mayor. Being related to a legendary werewolf family, his ancestors have lycanthropic characteristics. Even though his mayor’s father carried the gene, he was not cursed. In the second season, Damon killed his uncle Mason, a triggered werewolf also related to him. Klaus succeeded in creating the first successful hybrid out of him. He reverts to being a regular human in the fifth season finale. At the end of the sixth season, he turns his werewolf gene back on and departs the city. He protects Elena’s coffin in a few episodes of the seventh season.
Recurring characters
Following is a list of characters who are or have been recurring guests on the series (but have never held the lead role). They are enumerated in the order in which they debuted on the program.