It has been over 12 years since The Vampire Diaries first hit our screens in 2009 and is still one of the most popular teen TV shows. Eight seasons, 171 episodes and two spin-off series later, here is what the cast of Vampire Diaries is doing now.
Nina Dobrev – Elena Gilbert
Main character Elena only appeared on the show until 2015 but returned for the season finale in 2017. Since then, Dobrev has appeared in films such as Crash Pad, Flatliners and Run This Town. She also appeared as Clem in the TV series Fam. More recently, Dobrev appeared as the lead in the Netflix original Christmas movie Love Hard and is currently filming for several movies and TV series.
Outside of acting, Dobrev launched Fresh Vine Wine, a collection of low-calorie wines, in May 2021, and has been dating snowboarder Shaun White since 2020.
Paul Wesley – Stefan Salvatore
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Since The Vampire Diaries ended, Wesley has starred in multiple TV series. His biggest role has been playing Tucker Reed in Tell Me a Story from 2018-2020, but he has also starred as Josh in Fabled and took on multiple roles in a short TV series Robot Chicken. Wesley has also been credited as a director for episodes of big-name series such as Batwoman, Legacies and Shadowhunters: The Mortal Instruments.
Ian Somerhalder – Damon Salvatore
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Somerhalder has taken on less acting work since the end of the series than both his on-screen brother and love interest. His only role since the end of The Vampire Diaries has been Luther Swann in TV series V-Wars, which he played in 2019. Outside of acting, Somerhalder collaborated with Wesley in 2020 to create their own brand of whiskey, Brother’s Bond Bourbon.
Candice King– Caroline Forbes
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Candice King (previously Candice Accola) continued to play her character Caroline Forbes after the season finale of The Vampire Diaries, in the shows spin off series The Originals. King also appeared in TV show The Orville and in the 2020 hit film, After We Collided.
The star also teamed up with her Vampire Diaries co-star Kayla Ewell in 2018 to begin ‘Directionally Challenged’, a podcast about life as a woman in your 30s.
Kat Graham – Bonnie Bennet
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Graham has kept busy since the finale of The Vampire Diaries, starring in 11 films and 3 TV shows, including well known productions such as The Holiday Calendar, Operation Christmas Drop and Trolls:Trollstopia. Her acting career has certainly not slowed down as she is also in production for 3 new movies, all set to come out in the next couple of years.
Her music career has also continued since the show and has released 3 singles since the shows end, including her 2021 hit ‘SWIM’.
Joseph Morgan – Klaus Mikaelson
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Joining the show in season 2, Morgan played Klaus Mikaelson until the shows finale in 2017, and went on to be the lead character in The Originals for 5 seasons. Outside of the show, Morgan also starred in TV series such as Brave New World and Animal Kingdom, and like his co-star Paul Wesley, went on to direct and produce a couple of short films such as Carousel and Revelation.
Matthew Davis – Alaric Saltzman
The well known Legally Blonde actor played his role as Alaric Saltzman for all 8 seasons of The Vampire Diaries and much like many of his co-stars, continued his role in both The Originals and Legacies up until 2021. Outside of The Vampire Diaries, Saltzman played Nick in the TV movie Christmas Wishes and Mistletoe Kisses.
Outside of acting, Saltzman married Kiley Casciano in 2018 and the couple welcomed their first child, Ripley, in March 2020.
Steven R. McQueen – Jeremy Gilbert
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After 6 seasons of playing Elena’s Brother, Jeremy, McQueen left the show to play Jimmy Borelli in Chicago P.D. and Chicago Fire. He then returned for The Vampire Diaries season finale. He then continued his role as Jeremy Gilbert in Legacies, a spin off series to The Originals.
Aside from his acting career, McQueen is well known for his charity work and has volunteered for charities such a Smile Train, TECHO and Thirst Project.
