Ian Joseph Somerhalder (born December 8, 1978) is an American retired actor. He is known for playing Boone Carlyle in ABC's science fiction adventure drama television series Lost (2004–2010) and Damon Salvatore in the CW supernatural teen drama series The Vampire Diaries (2009–2017).

Early life

Ian Joseph Somerhalder was born on December 8, 1978, in Covington, Louisiana, United States. His mother, Edna (Israel), is a massage therapist of half Choctaw and half Irish descent originally from Mississippi, while his father, Robert Somerhalder Sr., is an independent building contractor with Cajun ancestry. Somerhalder is the second of three children, with an older brother and a younger sister. Somerhalder graduated from Saint Paul's School, a private school in Covington. He embarked on a modeling career from age 10 to 13. Somerhalder's parents divorced when he was 14, and he subsequently lived with his mother. At age 17, Somerhalder decided to refocus on acting and began studying with acting teacher William Esper.

Career

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 Lost. Despite his character's death in the twentieth episode of the first season, he returned to the role of Boone for seven more episodes between 2005 and 2010, including the series finale. He was the first major character to die. Following his departure from the show, ABC signed him to another one-year contract. In 2005, he stated that being a part of Lost was "the greatest experience" of "the greatest year of his life". 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. Also in 2009, Somerhalder began playing 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 his performance and the show receiving a positive response from critics. He began directing The Vampire Diaries in its third season and produced the series at the start of season 8. He received several Teen Choice Award's and a People's Choice Award for his participation on the series. Somerhalder acted in the short subject Time Framed (2013). He played Dr. Luther Swann as a series regular in the Netflix science fiction horror series V Wars, which ran from 2019 to 2020. In 2020, Somerhalder shot footage for and served as an executive producer on the film Kiss the Ground, a documentary centered on regenerative agriculture. He returned as an executive producer on its follow-up documentary, Common Ground, in 2023. In a 2024 interview, Somerhalder revealed that he had retired from acting a while back after relocating outside of Los Angeles, though he would still be involved in producing and environmental activism.

Foundations and causes

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. For his second campaign, Somerhalder teamed up with The Vampire Diaries co-star Paul Wesley to release a limited edition shirt designed by a fan, with the words "Blood Brothers Since 1864." This campaign sold almost 10,000 shirts. On December 8, 2010, Somerhalder's 32nd birthday, he launched the "Ian Somerhalder Foundation" 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. To spread awareness for his foundation, Somerhalder sponsors and often walks in Mardi Paws, a parade and organization held in his hometown of Covington. He opposes GMO foods and factory farming, and supports 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.

Personal life

Somerhalder dated his Vampire Diaries co-star Nina Dobrev from 2010 to 2013. In 2014, he began dating actress Nikki Reed. They married on April 26, 2015, in Malibu, California. They had a daughter in 2017 and a son in 2023. While working on Lost, Somerhalder and Maggie Grace adopted a feral cat named Roo which they found "literally dying" in the jungle on the set, which later became Grace's "travel buddy." Somerhalder had stated that being a part of Lost was "the greatest experience" of "the greatest year of his life". Somerhalder has remained close friends with his former Vampire Diaries co-star Paul Wesley, and in 2020, they announced the launch of a straight bourbon whiskey named Brother's Bond Bourbon.

Filmography

Film

Television

Web

As director

Awards and nominations