Daniel Gillies

Daniel Joshua Gillies was born on March 14, 1976, in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, to New Zealand parents. At the age of five, his family relocated to New Zealand, settling first in Invercargill and later in Hamilton. Although he came from a background with a strong medical tradition, with his father being a pediatrician and his mother a nurse, and being a descendant of the pioneering ENT and plastic surgeon Sir Harold Gillies, he developed an early interest in acting. After studying at the Unitec School of Performing Arts, he sought broader opportunities, moving to Sydney, Australia, for six weeks in 2001, and then to Canada for two months, where he worked various jobs before deciding to move to Los Angeles, USA, to pursue his acting career.

Gillies began his career in North American film and television productions in 2002. He gained recognition with roles in major motion pictures such as ‘Spider-Man 2’ in 2004, where he played John Jameson, and ‘Bride & Prejudice’ in the same year, portraying Johnny Wickham. His television career saw guest appearances in shows like ‘Masters of Horror’, ‘NCIS’, and ‘True Blood’. A significant turning point in his career came in 2010 when he was cast as Elijah Mikaelson in The CW’s ‘The Vampire Diaries’. This role evolved into a lead position in the successful spin-off series ‘The Originals’, which ran from 2013 to 2018, where he continued to play Elijah Mikaelson across 92 episodes. During this period, he also maintained a role as Dr. Joel Goran in the series ‘Saving Hope’ from 2012 to 2015, appearing in 47 episodes. His versatility extends to directing and writing, notably with his 2012 film ‘Broken Kingdom’, which he also starred in.

More recently, Gillies has continued to undertake diverse projects. From 2019 to 2022, he played Mark Monroe in the Netflix romantic drama ‘Virgin River’, appearing in 12 episodes. In 2021, he starred as Mandrake in the psychological thriller film ‘Coming Home in the Dark’. His recent television work includes a main role as Charlie Tate in the second season of the ABC series ‘The Newsreader’ in 2022, and currently, he is a main cast member as Jake Campbell in ‘Sight Unseen’ (2024-2025). Gillies has demonstrated a consistent presence in both film and television, adapting to varied roles and also engaging behind the camera as a director and writer.