Ian Somerhalder
Actor
USA
Biography:
Ian Joseph Somerhalder (born December 8, 1978) is an American actor, model and director. He is known for playing Boone Carlyle in the TV drama Lost and Damon Salvatore in The CW's supernatural drama The Vampire Diaries.
Somerhalder was born and raised in Covington, Louisiana, the son of Edna, a massage therapist, and Robert Somerhalder, an independent building contractor. He is the second of three children, with an older brother, Robert, and younger sister, Robyn. He attended St. Paul's, a private Catholic school in Covington. He embarked on a modeling career from age 10 to 13, and by the age of 17 he decided to go into acting.
In the summer of 2000, Somerhalder starred in the short-lived WB series Young Americans, a spin-off of Dawson's Creek. He played Hamilton Fleming, the son of the dean of a prestigious boarding school. In 2002, Somerhalder played bisexual character Paul Denton in Roger Avary's adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis' novel, The Rules of Attraction, alongside James Van Der Beek, Shannyn Sossamon, and Jessica Biel.
In 2004, Somerhalder scored his breakthrough role when he played Boone Carlyle in the hit TV show Lost. Despite his character's death in the twentieth episode of the first season, Somerhalder returned to the role of Boone for seven more episodes between 2005 and 2010, including the series finale. Somerhalder was one of the first actors to be cast in a role for the series and the first major character to die.
In 2009, Somerhalder appeared in the movie The Tournament where he played the role of an assassin participating in a lethal competition with other assassins. He appears in the coffee table book About Face by celebrity photographer John Russo.
In June 2009, Somerhalder was cast in the role of Vampire Damon Salvatore as a series regular in The CW television drama series The Vampire Diaries. The series premiere attracted The CW's highest premiere ratings of any season premiere since the network began in 2006. The series has continued to be the highest rated series on its channel with both Somerhalder's performance and the show receiving a positive response from critics. Somerhalder has received several Teen Choice Award's and a People's Choice Award for his participation on the series.
In October 2012 it was reported that Somerhalder had been cast in the film Time Framed, which had begun filming in Los Angeles
Somerhalder at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival. Somerhalder was involved in the cleanup after the Deepwater Horizon oil drilling disaster on April 22, 2010. His efforts included cleaning of oiled wildlife and taping public service announcements to let the public know how they could help. Somerhalder also supports the St. Tammany Humane Society, an organization for animal shelter and welfare. On November 13, 2010, he hosted a Bash on the Bayou charity fundraiser for the Society. During the event, Somerhalder was presented with a donation of $11,100 by The Vampire Diaries fandom for his birthday project.
Together with his The Vampire Diaries co-stars Candice Accola and Michael Trevino, Somerhalder supports the It Gets Better Project, which makes it a goal to prevent suicide among LGBT youth associated with The Trevor Project. Somerhalder announced, via Twitter and in various interviews that he was setting up "Ian Somerhalder Foundation" (launched on December 8, 2010, Somerhalder's 32nd birthday), which he hopes will educate people on the importance of protecting the environment and animals: "Instead of gifts this year, my birthday wish is that we come together and raise funds to support projects that protect our habitat and nurture our furry friends. He opposes GMO foods and factory farming, and supports visionary ecologist Allan Savory in his crusade to let cows graze in sync with nature to enrich soil, enhance biodiversity, and reverse climate change. In 2011 Somerhalder visited Savory in Africa and announced he was making a documentary about him with the goal of winning him a Nobel Prize.
Somerhalder is also a celebrity campaigner for RYOT, a Los Angeles-based media company known for RYOT.org, its cause-based, take action online news source.
In mid-2010, Somerhalder began dating his co-star from The Vampire Diaries Nina Dobrev. The couple split in May 2013. In mid-2014, Somerhalder began dating actress Nikki Reed. They confirmed their engagement in February 2015, and married on April 26, 2015, in Malibu, California
Convention Guest Appearances
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2025
- Comic, Film & Manga Fest 2025 - March 15-16, 2025 in Rotterdam, Netherlands 2024
- Vampire Fan Weekend 2024 - November 15-17, 2024 in Orlando, FL, USA
- Vampire Fan Weekend 2024 - September 27-29, 2024 in New Orleans, LA, USA
- Vampire Fan Weekend 2024 - September 13-15, 2024 in Arlington, VA, USA
- Vampire Fan Weekend 2024 - September 6-8, 2024 in Aurora, CO, USA
- Vampire Fan Weekend 2024 - February 16-18, 2024 in Burlingame, CA, USA
- Vampire Fan Weekend 2024 - January 26-28, 2024 in Allen, TX, USA 2023
- Comic Con Scotland 2023 - October 7-8, 2023 in Newbridge
- Comic Con Northern Ireland 2023 - September 9-10, 2023 in Lisburn
- GalaxyCon Raleigh 2023 - July 27-30, 2023 in Raleigh, NC, USA
- Comicpalooza 2023 - May 26-28, 2023 in Houston, TX, USA
- Comic Con Liverpool 2023 - April 1-2, 2023 in Liverpool 2022
- German Comic Con Dortmund Winter 2022 - December 3-4, 2022 in Dortmund, Germany
- Comic Con Liverpool 2022 - November 19-20, 2022 in Liverpool
- The Vampire Diaries and The Originals Official Convention 2022 - September 23-25, 2022 in Schaumburg, IL, USA
- The Vampire Diaries and The Originals Official Convention 2022 - July 29-31, 2022 in Whippany, NJ, USA
- Comic Con Liverpool 2022 - May 21-22, 2022 in Liverpool
- The Vampire Diaries and The Originals Official Convention 2022 - May 13-15, 2022 in Nashville, TN, USA
German Comic Con Dortmund Spring 2022 - April 23-24, 2022 in Dortmund, GermanyCancelled Appearance 2021- German Comic Con Dortmund Winter Edition 2021 - December 3-5, 2021 in Dortmund, Germany
- Comic Con Liverpool 2021 - November 13-14, 2021 in Liverpool
- For the Love of Fantasy 2021 - October 9-10, 2021 in Edinburgh
Comic Con Scotland 2021 - October 9-10, 2021 in NewbridgeConvention Cancelled 2020- Armageddon Auckland 2020 - October 23-26, 2020 in Auckland, New Zealand Live via Video Feed
The Vampire Diaries and The Originals Official Convention 2020 - October 2-4, 2020 in Whippany, NJ, USAConvention CancelledThe Vampire Diaries and The Originals Official Convention 2020 - June 5-7, 2020 in Rosemont, IL, USAConvention CancelledCalgary Expo 2020 - April 23-26, 2020 in Calgary, AB, CanadaConvention PostponedFACTS 2020 - April 4-5, 2020 in Ghent, BelgiumConvention Cancelled 2019- German Comic Con Dortmund 2019 - December 7-8, 2019 in Dortmund, Germany
- Tokyo Comic Con 2019 - November 22-24, 2019 in Tokyo, Japan
- The Vampire Diaries and The Originals Official Convention 2019 - November 9-10, 2019 in Burbank, CA, USA
- The Vampire Diaries and The Originals Official Convention 2019 - September 6-8, 2019 in Whippany, NJ, USA
- London Film & Comic Con 2019 - July 26-28, 2019 in London
- The Vampire Diaries and The Originals Official Convention 2019 - June 28-29, 2019 in Rosemont, IL, USA
- Wizard World Comic Con Philadelphia 2019 - June 13-16, 2019 in Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Warsaw Comic Con 2019 - May 31 - June 2, 2019 in Nadarzyn, Poland
- Calgary Expo 2019 - April 25-28, 2019 in Calgary, AB, Canada
- Emerald City Comic Con 2019 - March 14-17, 2019 in Seattle, WA, USA
- The Vampire Diaries and The Originals Official Convention 2019 - February 8-10, 2019 in Nashville, TN, USA
- Wizard World Comic Con New Orleans 2019 - January 4-6, 2019 in New Orleans, LA, USA 2018
- Supanova Pop Culture Expo - Brisbane 2018 - November 9-11, 2018 in South Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
- Supanova Pop Culture Expo - Adelaide 2018 - November 2-4, 2018 in Wayville, South Australia, Australia
Wizard World Comic Con Austin 2018 - September 21-23, 2018 in Austin, TX, USACancelled Appearance- FanExpo Canada 2018 - August 30 - September 2, 2018 in Toronto, ON, Canada
- Wizard World Comic Con Chicago 2018 - August 23-26, 2018 in Rosemont, IL, USA
London Film & Comic Con 2018 - July 27-29, 2018 in LondonCancelled Appearance- Wizard World Comic Con Portland 2018 - April 13-15, 2018 in Portland, OR, USA
- The Vampire Diaries and The Originals Official Convention 2018 - February 9-11, 2018 in Nashville, TN, USA
- Wizard World Comic Con New Orleans 2018 - January 5-7, 2018 in New Orleans, LA, USA 2017
- MegaCon Tampa Bay 2017 - September 29 - October 1, 2017 in Tampa, FL, USA
- Boston Comic Con 2017 - August 11-13, 2017 in Boston, MA, USA
- MegaCon Orlando 2017 - May 25-28, 2017 in Orlando, FL, USA
- Wizard World Comic Con St. Louis 2017 - April 7-9, 2017 in St. Louis, MO, USA
- Fan Expo Dallas 2017 - March 31 - April 2, 2017 in Dallas, TX, USA 2016
- Salt Lake Comic Con 2016 - September 1-3, 2016 in Salt Lake City, UT, USA
- Denver Comic Con 2016 - June 17-19, 2016 in Denver, CO, USA 2015
- Salt Lake Comic Con 2015 - September 24-26, 2015 in Salt Lake City, UT, USA
- Wizard World Comic Con New Orleans 2015 - January 9-11, 2015 in New Orleans, LA, USA
49 confirmed guest appearances