The vampire diaries are a supernatural teen drama television series that premiered on September 10, 2009, on The CW and concluded on March 10, 2017.
The series aired eight seasons in 171 episodes. Additionally, the series got numerous award nominations, winning many Teen Choice Awards and four People’s Choice Awards.
L. J Smith wrote the book, The Vampire Diaries, on which the series was based on. Vampire diaries were set in the fictional town of Mystic Falls, Virginia.
Besides, the series follows the life of Elena Gilbert, a teenage girl who falls in love with a century-old Vampire, Stefan Salvatore.
However, their relationship becomes increasingly complicated when Damon Salvatore, Stefan’s older brother, returned to the town.
Damon planned on bringing back to life their old love, Katherine Pierce, a vampire who looks exactly like Elena.
Although Damon had a grudge against Stefan for forcing him into becoming a vampire, he forgave Stefan, fell in love with Elena, thereby creating a love triangle.
Throughout the series, the brothers fight to protect Elena as they face different villains and threats. This article will give a preview of the cast of the vampire diaries and their roles.
1. Nina Dobrev
Nina is one of the casts of vampire diaries. In the series, she played Elena Gilbert, a teenage orphan girl who falls in love with Stefan and later his older brother, Damon, thus creating a love triangle.
In one of the episodes, when Klaus blackmailed Stefan to shut off his humanity, Elena grew closer to Damon.
This led to her being further drawn into the supernatural world in the town. At the same time, she was struggling to survive the supernatural events in the city.
Nina also played other roles in the series, one of which was Katherine Pierce, the love interest of Damon and Stefan Salvatore, who turned the brothers into vampires.
Another role she played was Amara, the true love of Silas. Silas is the world’s first immortal being.
He sought after Amara in the afterlife for two thousand years. Elena’s life was tied to Bonnie’s, and she could not wake up unless Bonnie dies.
However, after 60 years, the curse is broken, Elena reunites with Damon, and they live a long and happy life together with her becoming a doctor.
2. Paul Wesley
Paul is another primary cast of the vampire diaries. His major role was Stefan Salvatore, a good-hearted and affectionate vampire who is the complete opposite of his older brother, Damon Salvatore.
However, Stefan went back to becoming a Ripper in the series to save Damon from a werewolf bite and was also blackmailed into turning off his humanity.
Eventually, he returned to his good-hearted and caring self. In season 8, he becomes human, marries Caroline, and later sacrificed himself to save Mystic Falls.
Paul Wesley also played the roles of Silas, the world’s first immortal, and other doppelgangers, Ambrose and Tom Avery.
3. Ian Somerhalder
Ian is also part of the main cast of the vampire diaries. He played the role of Damon Salvatore, Stefan’s malevolent and mysterious older brother.
Before being seen as caring, he was mostly thought to be selfish and manipulative.
Initially, he had a one-sided feeling for Elena, but later, Elena reciprocated his feelings, and they started dating. He and Elena reunite after she wakes from her sleeping spell.
Throughout the series, Damon repaired his relationship with Stefan and became best friends with Alaric and Bonnie.
4. Candice King
Candice is another main cast of the vampire diaries. She played the role of Caroline Forbes, who was Elena and Bonnie’s best friend.
She is a perfectionist who was initially insecure and jealous of Elena.
However, she became more sympathetic and caring for becoming a vampire in season 2. She hates Damon for making her his plaything in season 1.
Throughout the series, she had a relationship with Matt, Tyler, Stefan, and Alaric and was the subject of Klaus’s adoration.
5. Steven R. McQueen
Steven is another cast of the vampire diaries. He played the role of Jeremy Gilbert, Elena’s younger brother. It was later revealed that he was Elena’s cousin.
He became a member of The Five, a vampire hunting group, and was killed in Season 4 when Katherine threw him onto Silas, who drained his blood.
However, Bonnie resurrected him in the Season 4 finale.
6. Kat Graham
Kat is part of the main cast of the vampire diaries. She played the role of Bonnie Bennett, a powerful witch and the best friend of Elena and Caroline.
She died various times throughout the series but always found a way to return to life.
Her grandmother, who was also another witch in her family, helped her develop and control her power. Most times, she uses her magic to help the group.
Even though she hated vampires on the on-set, she warmed up to them and even became best friends with Damon after spending four months in a prison world with him.
Throughout the series, Bonnie lost and regained her magical powers.
She had an on-and-off romantic relationship with Elena’s younger brother, Jeremy. However, she became involved with Enzo.
Later on in season 7, Bonnie received Rayna Cruz’s hunter’s curse, which placed all her vampire friends at risk.
7. Zach Roerig
Zach is another cast of the vampire diaries. He played the role of Matt Donovan, who was Vicki’s younger brother, Elena’s childhood friend, an ex-boyfriend.
In season 1, Matt had a romantic relationship with Caroline. However, they broke up and remained good friends. Matt does not want to be involved in the supernatural world.
However, he was later at odds with the vampires in the town as he becomes a police officer and tries to protect the people of Mystic Falls from the supernatural.
In season 8, Matt became the sheriff in the city and planned to run for mayor.
8. Michael Trevino
Michael is another cast of the vampire diaries, who played the role of Tyler Lockwood in the series. Tyler was the mayor’s son and also the best friend of Jeremy and Matt.
He carried a family trait, which made him a werewolf. However, Klaus turned him into a half-vampire and half-werewolf hybrid, making him the first successful hybrid.
Although he later became a human, he reactivated his werewolf gene in season 6 and left Mystic Falls. However, in season 7, he reappeared, protecting the coffin Elena was sleeping in during the curse.
In season 8, a possessed Damon killed him.
9. Matt Davis
Matt Davis is one of the casts of the vampire diaries. He played the role of Alaric Saltzman, who was a history teacher, vampire hunter, and boyfriend of Jenna.
In season 3, Alaric was killed but was resurrected in season 5. He became a vampire, but his powers were stripped using magic. After Josette Laughlin saved him, they began dating, and Jo became pregnant with twins.
However, she was killed by her brother at their wedding. Jo’s family, made up of witches, transferred the babies to Caroline, who gave birth to them.
Throughout the series, Alaric and Damon developed a relationship, later becoming best friends. Later, Caroline and Alaric moved to Dallas to start a relationship and train the twins.
However, it ended with Caroline moving back to Mystic Falls to be with Stefan after his return. At the end of the series, Alaric and Caroline established a boarding school for supernatural teens.
10. Joseph Morgan
Joseph is another cast of the vampire diaries. He played Klaus Mikaelson, who was an original vampire.
Joseph is also a werewolf making him half vampire and half werewolf. He attempts to create an army of hybrids, half-vampire, and half-werewolf, in Mystic Falls.
In season 3, Klaus fell in love with Caroline and had to leave Mystic Falls for New Orleans to be with his family.
11. Daniel Gillies
Daniel Gillies is another cast of the vampire diaries. He played Elijah Mikaelson, Klaus’s older brother and the third child of their parents.
Elijah is an original vampire who is the most sophisticated and peaceful member of the original family.
Initially, he came to Mystic Falls to protect Elena from his brother, Klaus but developed good relationships with other people in the town.
Elijah saved Klaus when everyone plotted to killed him upon the promise that Klaus would reunite their family.
However, Klaus went back on his promise. When Elijah failed to kill Klaus, he left Mystic Falls for New Orleans.
12. Claire Holt
Claire Holt, an Australian actress, is also a cast of the vampire diaries. She played the role of Rebekah Mikaelson, the only female in the original family of vampires.
Immediately Rebekah got to Mystic Falls, she enrolled in high school and joined the cheerleading squad. This was an attempt to get the high school experience she never had.
Rebekah was very close to her brother, Klaus, and joined him to take Elena from Mystic Falls.
However, when she found out that Klaus killed their mother, she switched sides and tries to kill him.
Furthermore, the plan to kill Klaus failed, and she left Mystic Falls, later joining her family in New Orleans.
13. Michael Malarkey
Michael is another cast of the vampire diaries. He plays Enzo St. John, a vampire formerly under imprisonment with Damon of the Augustine society in the 1950s.
He and Damon revived their friendship when he came to Mystic Falls, searching for his lost lover, Maggie. When he discovered Maggie’s death, he turned off his humanity, and Stefan killed him.
However, he was resurrected and became the love interest Bonnie. In season 7, he was under the control of the monster in the vault, and a possessed Stefan killed him again.
Though, in season 8, he watches over Bonnie in the afterlife.
14. Marguerite MacIntyre
Marguerite is a recurring cast of the vampire diaries. She played the role of Elizabeth “Liz” Forbes, Caroline’s mother and the sheriff of Mystic Falls.
Caroline’s father, Bill Forbes, a town council member, left her for another man after revealing that he was gay. She has a strained relationship with her daughter, and even though she cares about Caroline.
Liz is part of the town’s Founders’ Council, a secret organization dedicated to protecting Mystic Falls from vampires.
However, she became friends with Damon without knowing he was a vampire and told him about the council’s plans.
Throughout the series, Liz improves her relationship with her daughter, assisting Caroline and her friends. She even became close friends with Damon after finding out that he was a vampire.
In season six, Liz revealed that she was dying from cancer and watched Caroline in the afterlife.
15. Robert Pralgo
Robert is also a cast of the vampire diaries. He played Richard Lockwood, Tyler’s dad, head of the Founders’ Council, and mayor of Mystic Falls.
Although seen as kind and amicable to outsiders, he is very selfish, has an unhappy marriage with his wife Carol Lockwood, and has a bad relationship with Tyler.
In the finale of Season 1, he helps John Gilbert executes his plan to kill the tomb vampires.
However, it backfired on him due to the werewolf traits in him. In addition, the deputies thought of him as a vampire, he was locked in the same basement with the tomb vampires, and the tomb vampires killed him.
16. Kayla Ewell
Kayla is another cast of the vampire diaries. She played the role of Vicki Donovan, who is Matt’s drug-addicted older sister. She dated Tyler but was also interested in Jeremy.
Damon turned her into a vampire.
However, Stefan killed her shortly after. Although she died, she kept making appearances throughout the series.
17. Sara Canning
Sara is one of the casts of the vampire diaries. She played the role of Jenna Sommers, Elena and Jeremy’s aunt, and legal guardian.
Jenna was killed after being turned into a vampire and used for Klaus’ ritual.
18. Susan Walters
Susan Walters is another cast of the vampire diaries. She played the role of Carol Lockwood, the wife of Mayor Lockwood and the mother of Tyler.
She is a member of the Founders’ Council and took over as mayor after the death of her husband.
Although she knew of the existence of vampires, she did not know about werewolves. Her snobbish behavior and emotional outbursts had a negative influence on her son, Tyler.
However, in season 4, Klaus killed her as payback for Tyler’s plan to kill him.
19. Jasmine Guy
Jasmine is part of the cast of the vampire diaries. She played the role of Sheila Bennett, a powerful witch, and Bonnie’s grandmother.
She died after overusing her magic to seal way the tomb vampires.
However, she occasionally appears throughout the series to guide Bonnie with her powers and ensures Bonnie and Damon’s survival.
In the series finale, she made an appearance with the rest of the Bennett witches to help Bonnie save Mystic Falls.
20. Bianca Lawson
As part of the cast of the vampire diaries, Bianca Lawson played the role of Emily Bennett, a powerful witch and handmaiden of Katherine Pierce in 1864.
Emily was a direct descendant of one of the women accused of witchcraft during the Salem Witch Trials of 1692.
Also, she was an ancestor of Bonnie Bennett. Emily created the jewelry that enabled Katherine, Pearl, Anna, Damon, Stefan, and Harper to walk in the sun.
She made bargained with Damon for him to protect her descendants.
Additionally, the Founding families burned Emily and her possessions on a stake. However, Damon rescued Emily’s children when they came for her.
21. Arielle Kebbel
Arielle Kebbel is part of the cast of the vampire diaries. She played the role of Lexi Branson, a vampire and Stefan’s best friend.
She had known Stefan and Damon for over a century. Damon killed her to convince the town council that she was the vampire terrorizing Mystic Falls.
However, Lexi returned to the series as a ghost to help save Stefan.
22. Malese Jow
Malese Jow is part of the cast of the vampire diaries. She played the role of Anna, a vampire who came to Mystic Falls to free her mother, Pearl, from the tomb.
Later on, John Gilbert killed both Anna and her mother, Pearl.
23. David Anders
David Anders is part of the cast of the vampire diaries. He played the role of John Gilbert. John is Elena’s biological father and Jeremy’s uncle.
He is a member of the Founders’ council. However, a spell that would prevent Elena from turning into a vampire killed him.
24. Torrey Devitto
Torrey Devitto is part of the cast of the vampire diaries. She played the role of Meredith Fell, a medical doctor in Mystic Falls and a member of the Founders’ council.
However, it was revealed that she uses vampire blood to cure her patients, and she started dating Alaric. In season 6, it was revealed that Meredith moved to Alaska and is married.
25. Penelope Mitchell
Penelope is another cast of the vampire diaries. She played the role of Oliva “Liv” Parker, who is a powerful and talented witch.
She was part of the Gemini Coven and the twin sister of Luke Parker.
Her other siblings are Josette, Malachai, Joey Parker, and three unnamed dead witches. Additionally, she is the youngest daughter of Joshua Parker’s family.
26. Chris Brochu
Chris Brochu is among the cast of the vampire diaries. He played the role of Luke Parker, who is a powerful warlock.
He was part of the Gemini Coven and the twin brother of Olivia.
His other siblings are Josette, Joey, Malachai Parker, and three unnamed dead witches. Furthermore, he is the youngest son of Joshua Parker.
27. Chris Wood
Chris Wood is a cast of the vampire diaries. He played the role of Malachai “Kai” Parker. Chris was part of the Gemini cover.
He was also the main villain in season 6 and secondary villain in season 8.
Additionally, Kai did not have any magical abilities. He was a siphoner. This means he could only perform magic when he steals it from someone else.
However, when his coven did not allow him to merge with his sibling, Josette, he butchered his siblings.
Due to this, his family used their powers to imprison him where he has to live the same day repeatedly without aging.
28. Nathalie Kelly
Nathalie is a cast of the vampire diaries. She played the role of Sybil, a siren and a servant of Arcadius, commonly known as the Devil.
Initially, she was an innocent girl who was banished because of her psychic abilities. She was cast into the ocean but survived and washed up on a deserted island.
On the island, Seline tricked her into being a cannibal and was forcibly turned into a siren.
To maintain her immortality, youth, and beauty, she must feed on the flesh of the wicked and deliver the souls of the damned to Arcadius.
29. Kristen Gutoskie
Kristen is another cast of the vampire diaries. She played the role of Seline, another lady that was banished because of her psychic abilities.
Seline washed up on a deserted island and started practicing cannibalism to avoid starvation.
Later on, she accepted to be a siren and accepted Arcadius’s offer on herself and Sybil.
She and Sybil have to feast on the wicked flesh and give their souls to Arcadius to maintain their youth, beauty, and immortality.
30. Sterling Sulieman
Sterling Sulieman is a cast of the vampire diaries. He played the role of Harper. Harper was a kind-hearted vampire who escaped from the tomb.
However, later on, John Gilbert killed him.
31. Melinda Clarke
Melinda Clarke is another cast of the vampire diaries who played the role of Kelly Donovan. Kelly was the mother of Matt and Vicki Donovan.
She died and went to hell. However, Katherine opened the door of hell for her and Vicki to help destroy Mystic Falls.
32. Gino Anthony Pesi
Gino Anthony is another cast of the vampire diaries who played the role of Maddox. Maddox is a warlock who works for Klaus.
However, Matt shot Maddox and Damon killed him.
33. Rick Worthy
Rick is a cast of the vampire diaries. He played Rudy Hopkins, Bonnie’s father and the town’s mayor after Carol Lockwood.
However, Silas killed him in season 5.
34. Charlie Bewley
Charlies is another cast of the vampire diaries. He played Galen Vaughn, a vampire hunter and one of the “The Five.”
He gets stuck in a well and starved to death when he attacked the group trying to wake Silas.
However, he returned as a ghost trying to cure and kill Silas, but Alaric’s ghost stopped him.
35. Annie Wersching
Annie is another cast of the vampire diaries. She played the role of Lily Salvatore, Stefan and Damon’s mother and the wife of the late Giuseppe Salvatore.
Lily became a vampire in 1858 when an unknown nurse fed her vampire blood when she died from tuberculosis.
However, when she found out that she was a vampire, she faked her death and left her family to protect them from the threat she posed.
Additionally, the Gemini Coven trapped Lily in the prison world for over a century for going on a killing spree.
These are some of the cast of the vampire diaries and their roles. This article gives you a preview of these characters.
Also, you can easily use this article as a guide when watching the series so that you won’t get confused with the names and their roles in the series.
