“The Vampire Diaries ”cast: Here's where Nina Dobrev, Paul Wesley, and their costars are now

Catch up with your favorite stars from the hit CW series.

Based on L.J. Smith’s book series and developed by Kevin Williamson of Scream fame, The Vampire Diaries became the CW’s most popular program after its debut in 2009. In classic CW fashion, the series fused twisty young adult melodrama with supernatural elements to create a story with multifaceted characters who are almost as complicated as the story’s lore.

Set in the mysterious small town of Mystic Falls, Va., The Vampire Diaries hinges on the passion and tension between vampires, werewolves, hybrids, witches, and humans as they battle for power and romantic connection. The primary conflict stems from the thorny love triangle between teenage orphan Elena (Nina Dobrev) and vampire brothers Stefan (Paul Wesley) and Damon (Ian Somerhalder).

Though many characters are over 100 years old, they’re frozen in their physical primes, which means the cast consisted almost entirely of young actors — and launched the careers of many recognizable faces.

Here’s what The Vampire Diaries cast has been up to since the series wrapped in 2017.

Nina Dobrev (Elena Gilbert / Katerina Petrova)

The actress behind the show’s primary protagonist already had considerable TV experience before she arrived, died, and was resurrected in Mystic Falls, spending three seasons on Degrassi: The Next Generation as Mia (2006–2009). Dobrev played supporting roles in several movies during her time on The Vampire Diaries, including the coming-of-age drama The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012), the buddy romp Let’s Be Cops (2014), and the horror comedy The Final Girls (2015). The Canadian actress left The Vampire Diaries after season 6, with her character written into a deep, decades-long sleep until she reunited with Damon in the 2017 series finale.

“I always knew I wanted Elena's story to be a six-season adventure, and within those six years I got the journey of a lifetime,” Dobrev said in an Instagram post announcing her departure. “Elena fell in love not once, but twice, with two epic soulmates, and I myself made some of the best friends I'll ever know and built an extended family I will love forever.”

After leaving her most iconic role, Dobrev acted in several films, including the Vin Diesel vehicle XXX: The Return of Xander Cage (2017), the sci-fi/horror remake Flatliners (2017), Christian Western Redeeming Love (2022), and the romantic comedies Crash Pad (2017) and Love Hard (2021). She also played the lead role in the CBS sitcom Fam, which only ran for one season in 2019 before being canceled. Her recent work includes the crime caper The Out-Laws (2023) with Adam Devine and Pierce Brosnan, as well as the spy thriller The Bricklayer (2023).

Dobrev notably dated her Vampire Diaries costar Ian Somerhalder from 2010 to 2013. She’s been in a relationship with Olympic snowboarder Shaun White since 2020.

Paul Wesley (Stefan Salvatore / Silas)

The actor who played Elena’s original love interest was no stranger to teen dramas when he enlisted as the series’ main bloodsucker — he’d already appeared on shows like The O.C. (2003) and Smallville (2003). While playing Stefan, the kind-hearted "Ripper of Monterey" who struggles to reconcile with his bloodlust, Wesley acted in smaller films like Beneath the Blue (2010), Amira & Sam (2014), and Before I Disappear (2014). The actor also directed five episodes of TVD beginning in the fifth season, later helming episodes of Shadowhunters, Batwoman, and other TV shows since the series came to a close.

After The Vampire Diaries, Wesley played two separate roles in Kevin Williamson’s thriller series Tell Me a Story, which aired on CBS from 2018 to 2020. He currently appears as a young version of James T. Kirk on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds on Paramount+, and produced and starred in the horror film History of Evil (2024). And though it’s been six years since he bid Stefan goodbye, Wesley has a new collaboration with costar and on-screen brother Ian Somerhalder through their alcohol brand Brother’s Bond Bourbon.

Wesley was previously married to One Tree Hill actress Torrey DeVitto from 2011 to 2013 and to Ines de Ramon from 2019 to 2024.

Ian Somerhalder (Damon Salvatore)

Ian Somerhalder, who expertly transitioned from antagonist to romantic rival on The Vampire Diaries, first made waves on Lost as the surprisingly noble rich kid Boone Carlyle, one of season 1’s main survivors. He was also a primary cast member of the short-lived Dawson’s Creek spinoff Young Americans (2000) and had a supporting role in Pulse (2006), an American remake of the Japanese horror classic. While appearing in TVD as Damon, the aloof vampire with a dark side who eventually wins Elena’s heart, Somerhalder appeared in a handful of smaller-scale films, including The Anomaly (2014).

Somerhalder directed one episode in each of The Vampire Diaries’ final three seasons. And he didn’t stray too far from the monster that made him a household name, as his next big project — the short-lived sci-fi Netflix series V Wars (2019) — featured him as a scientist who battles an outbreak that transforms people into vampires.

Somerhalder dated his on-screen love interest Nina Dobrev from 2010 to 2013 before settling down with his now-wife Nikki Reed, who is also best known for playing a vampire: Rosalie in the Twilight franchise.

Kat Graham (Bonnie Bennett)

Kat Graham played Elena’s best friend and crafty witch, Bonnie. After Nina Dobrev’s departure in 2015, she became one of the female leads for the final two seasons. Graham got her start as a child star in some of the most popular kid and teen programs from the late ’90s and early 2000s, appearing in The Parent Trap (1998) with Lindsay Lohan, Lizzie McGuire (2002), Malcolm in the Middle (2003), The O.C. (2006), and Hannah Montana (2008–2009). She’s also been recording and performing music since 2002, with her most recent work being an NFT visual album of songs and short films under the pseudonym Toro Gato.

Since her time on The Vampire Diaries came to an end, Graham has continued to work in films, most notably as Jada Pinkett in the Tupac biopic All Eyez on Me (2017) and action movies How It Ends (2018) and Cut Throat City (2020). She also had more lighthearted starring roles in the Netflix original comedies The Holiday Calendar (2018) and Operation Christmas Drop (2020), along with voice work as April O’Neil in Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2018–2020) and as Rhythm & Blues in the animated series Trolls: TrollsTopia (2020–2021). Fans of The Masked Singer (2022) may recognize her as the voice of “Robo Girl” in season 8.

Graham married Bryant Wood in 2023.

Candice King (Caroline Forbes)

Candice King played Elena’s close friend, Caroline. She goes through one of the most dramatic arcs in the show, a once-timid girl who’s later a full-fledged confident vampire at the center of many love triangles.

Before becoming an actress, King was focused on her music career, joining Miley Cyrus’s Best of Both Worlds Tour as a backup singer and appearing in the 2008 concert film. She later pivoted to acting with stints on How I Met Your Mother (2007), Supernatural (2009), and in the Oscar-winning movie Juno (2007) before landing her big break with The Vampire Diaries.

King didn’t put her character to rest once the show ended in 2017, reprising the role in a few episodes of spinoffs The Originals (2018) and Legacies (2021–2022). King has since appeared in After We Collided (2020), the second film in the steamy After series, as Reba McEntire’s daughter in Christmas in Tune (2021), and in the title role in Suitcase Killer: The Melanie McGuire Story (2022).

King was married to The Fray’s Joe King from 2014 to 2022. She’s currently dating actor Steven Krueger, who played Joshua Rosza on The Originals.

Zach Roerig (Matt Donovan)

Zach Roerig played Matt Donovan, the show’s most prominent human (and later the sheriff of Mystic Falls). Before The Vampire Diaries, Roerig did a long-standing stint on the soap opera As the World Turns as Casey Hughes (2005–2009), along with multiple episodes of One Life to Live (2007) and Friday Night Lights (2008–2009). Just before TVD ended, he also popped up in the horror sequel Rings (2017).

But fans hadn’t seen the last of Elena’s childhood best friend and one-time lover; Roerig returned as Matt in an episode of The Originals and two episodes of Legacies. From there, his career officially moved on; he played a young version of Ed Harris’ character in the war drama The Last Full Measure (2019) and was in the core cast of USA’s short-lived teen drama Dare Me (2019–2020).

Michael Trevino (Tyler Lockwood)

Michael Trevino played the series’ troubled bully and foremost werewolf, Tyler, a character who endured curses, possession, and transformation into a hybrid. The actor’s first major role came in the Disney Channel Original Movie Cow Belles, starring the pop duo Aly & AJ, followed by appearances in CSI (2009), CSI: Miami (2006), CSI: NY (2009), The Mentalist (2009), and Bones (2006), plus multi-episode arcs on 90210 (2008) and Cane (2007). During his tenure as Tyler on The Vampire Diaries, he also played a supporting role in The Factory (2012), a crime thriller starring John Cusack.

Like many of his costars, Trevino revived his TVD character in two episodes of The Originals (2018). His most prominent post-Vampire Diaries project was another CW production, Roswell, New Mexico (2019–2022), a sci-fi series where he was a main cast member for all four seasons.

Trevino got engaged to model Bregje Heinen in December 2023.

Steven R. McQueen (Jeremy Gilbert)

The grandson of legendary star Steve McQueen, Steven R. McQueen played Elena’s brother and vampire hunter Jeremy before departing with Dobrev at the end of season 6. (Like her, he returned for the series finale.) Before The Vampire Diaries, his first recurring role was in Everwood (2005–2006) as a queer teen coming to terms with his sexuality, followed by episodes of Numb3rs (2008), Without a Trace (2008), and CSI: Miami (2008). McQueen also appeared in the Disney Channel Original Movie Minutemen (2008).

After leaving TVD, McQueen joined the primary cast of Chicago Fire (2015–2016) as Jimmy Borrelli, while also appearing in a few crossover episodes of Chicago P.D. (2016). He reprised his role as Jeremy in one episode of Legacies (2018) and played the romantic lead in the Hallmark movie Home by Spring (2018). As of now, McQueen’s sole theatrical film credit remains the remake Piranha 3D (2010), a Jaws-inspired horror satire with Adam Scott and Elisabeth Shue.

Sara Canning (Jenna Sommers)

The Gilberts’ aunt and guardian only lasted two full seasons on The Vampire Diaries, though she returned for three more episodes later on. Given that actress Sara Canning isn’t significantly older than the characters in her care, the show relied on makeup and her acting chops to convince audiences of the age gap.

After leaving her full-time role in the series in 2011, the actress got a fresh start by playing a dinosaur hunter in Primeval: New World (2012–2013) for one season and, through motion capture, portrayed a chimpanzee in War for the Planet of the Apes (2017). Canning has kept herself busy after TVD — including roles in TV movies like The Christmas Yule Blog (2020) on Lifetime and Love Amongst the Stars (2022) on Hallmark — but she’s best known for playing a doctor in the short-lived medical drama Remedy and as Jacquelyn Scieszka in Netflix’s recent adaptation of A Series of Unfortunate Events (2017–2018). She’s since gone on to appear in Once Upon a Time (2018), 9-1-1 (2021), and numerous other TV series.

Kayla Ewell (Vicki Donovan)

Kayla Ewell had a short but vital tenure on the first season of The Vampire Diaries as Vicki, the first human we see transform into a vampire after Damon attacks her in the pilot. Before her brief stint on the series, Ewell had already appeared in over 100 episodes of the soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful (2004–2005), had a recurring role in Freaks and Geeks as Sam’s crush Maureen, plus credits in The O.C., Veronica Mars (2006), Entourage (2007–2008), and the Lindsay Lohan movie Just My Luck (2006).

Since leaving The Vampire Diaries, Ewell’s career has mostly consisted of one-off TV episodes and made-for-TV movies on Lifetime. You may recognize her from House (2010–2011), Lucifer (2016), The Rookie (2022), Franklin & Bash (2012), Batwoman (2020), and Grandfathered (2015). Her most prominent recent project has been Roswell, New Mexico (2019–2022), acting alongside fellow Vampire Diaries star Michael Trevino.

In 2015, Ewell married actor Tanner Novlan, who also starred in Roswell, New Mexico.

Joseph Morgan (Klaus Mikaelson)

As Klaus Mikaelson, Joseph Morgan was the original hybrid (both vampire and werewolf) who wreaked havoc on the citizens of Mystic Falls and grew to be the primary villain of The Vampire Diaries. Before joining the series in season 2, the actor had appeared in several period action films, including Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003), Alexander (2004), and Immortals (2011).

Soon after getting cast as Klaus in 2011, Morgan began dating costar Persia White, who played a nature-loving and humble vampire named Abby. The couple married in 2014 while still acting in the show.

After The Vampire Diaries ended, Morgan continued his perilous reign as the central antagonist of the spinoff series The Originals (2013–2018) and guest-starred in season 4 of Legacies (2022). He’s since enjoyed a steady stream of small-screen projects, with roles in Animal Kingdom (2019), Peacock’s sci-fi series Brave New World (2020), and the DC superhero show Titans (2022–2023), before joining the cast of Halo (2024–present) in season 2.

Daniel Gillies (Elijah Mikaelson)

The kindest and most honorable of the Mikaelson trio, Daniel Gillies’ Elijah was a recurring character in seasons 2 through 5 of The Vampire Diaries before leading the spinoff The Originals (2013–2018). While starring in TVD, he also was a regular on the supernatural medical drama Saving Hope (2012–2015). The actor’s most prominent pre-Vampire credit is playing John Jameson — hero astronaut and, yes, son of the famed J. Jonah Jameson — in Spider-Man 2 (2004), followed by appearances in NCIS (2010) and the bloodsucking HBO drama True Blood (2010).

Gillies directed two episodes of The Originals in seasons 4 and 5. He then took on a recurring role on Netflix’s Virgin River (2019–2022) before starring in the Australian journalism drama The Newsreader (2023–present) and Canadian crime thriller Sight Unseen (2024–present). On the big screen, Gillies appeared in the Australian sci-fi film Occupation: Rainfall (2020) and led the 2021 thriller Coming Home in the Dark in his native New Zealand.

He was married to actress Rachael Leigh Cook from 2004 to 2021.

Claire Holt (Rebekah Mikaelson)

A vital force in the third and fourth seasons of The Vampire Diaries, Claire Holt’s Rebekah Mikaelson was one of the original vampires in the show’s universe before leading the aptly titled spinoff The Originals. Holt was previously a regular for teen programming, playing the young mermaid Emma in H2O: Just Add Water (2006–2008), along with roles in Pretty Little Liars (2011) and Mean Girls 2 (2011).

After season 1 of The Originals, Holt switched from a main role to a frequent special guest for the remaining four seasons from 2014 to 2018. During that time, she was also a core cast member of NBC’s period crime series Aquarius (2015–2016) and helmed the 2017 shark thriller 47 Meters Down opposite Mandy Moore. Since then, the Australian actress has kept a relatively low profile, though she did appear as Rebekah in two episodes of Legacies during season 4.

Holt was married to producer Matt Kaplan from 2016 to 2017. She later wed Andrew Joblon in 2018.

Matthew Davis (Alaric Saltzman)

A vampire hunter initially disguised as a history teacher, Matthew Davis’ Alaric came to Mystic Falls to avenge the death of his wife and quickly became entangled in the town’s supernatural shenanigans. Alaric appeared throughout The Vampire Diaries and guest-starred in the final two seasons of The Originals (2017–2018) before becoming a regular on the spinoff Legacies (2018–2022).

Before he was tracking down bloodsuckers, Davis rose to stardom as Elle Woods’ ex-boyfriend Warner in the smash-hit Legally Blonde (2001), along with an appearance in Pearl Harbor (2001) and a major role in the ABC dramedy What About Brian (2006–2007). He followed his time on TVD with another CW project, the single-season mystery series Cult (2013), and was featured in three episodes of CSI (2013–2014). Since then, his only major screen credit outside the Vampire Diaries universe is the Hallmark movie Christmas Wishes & Mistletoe Kisses (2019).

Davis married actress Kiley Casciano in 2018.

Michael Malarkey (Enzo St. John)

Damon and fellow vampire Enzo go back… way back. Audiences first met Michael Malarkey’s Enzo St. John — who shared a cell with Damon during his imprisonment by the Augustine Society — in season 5, and he soon became a series regular. Prior to playing the "Augustine Vampire," Malarkey’s most significant projects were English theater productions, playing Elvis Presley in Million Dollar Quartet and the titular character in The Great Gatsby.

After the conclusion of The Vampire Diaries in 2017, Malarkey became a main cast member of the History Channel’s drama Project Blue Book (2019–2020) based on the U.S. Air Force’s UFO investigation, along with a recurring role on the Crackle crime series The Oath (2018–2019). The actor has also appeared in episodes of Westworld (2022), Quantum Leap (2022), Big Sky (2021), and Law & Order: Organized Crime (2023) while pursuing a career in music, having released two albums in recent years.

Malarkey married actress Nadine Lewington in 2009.

Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly.