Chris Wood

Chris Wood is an American actor best known for playing Malachai “Kai” Parker in the sixth season of hit CW series The Vampire Diaries, a role he reprised in several episodes of spin-off series Legacies. He also appeared as Mon-El in two seasons of Supergirl and, in 2020, began voicing the lead character of Prince Adam/He-Man in the Kevin Smith-directed animated series Masters of the Universe: Revelation. He has received recognition for his acting work, including three Teen Choice Award nominations for The Vampire Diaries and Supergirl.

Wood was born in the city of Dublin, Ohio in 1988. He attended North Carolina’s Elon University, graduating with a degree in Musical Theatre. It was on the stage that he first began making his name as an actor, most notably in a national touring production of the musical Spring Awakening, in which he played Melchior. After dabbling in a few TV and movie roles, he got his first recurring role in The Carrie Diaries, a teen comedy-drama that was a prequel to the hit series Sex & the City. After wrapping on that show, he landed the role of Kai Parker in The Vampire Diaries, the CWs biggest hit until that point and one of the most essential teen dramas of the 2010s. He followed this with a leading role in another CW drama, Containment, which aired in 2016.

Away from acting, Wood actively works to help break the taboos surrounding mental health, helping to launch campaigns and sitting on the Board of Directors for Mental Health America.