Ian Somerhalder is an American actor and director known worldwide for his starring roles in hit series Lost and The Vampire Diaries. He has won numerous Best Actor awards as well as awards for his work in environmental activism. He is the founder of the Ian Somerhalder Foundation, an organisation that looks to educate people about nature and the environment. He also supports the It Gets Better Project, which works to prevent suicides among LGBT+ youth.

Born in the city of Covington, Louisiana, Somerhalder worked as a model during his teen years, travelling to Europe and modelling in the likes of London and Paris. At 19, he returned to the States and began studying acting in New York. He got his lucky break while working as an extra on Black and White, a crime drama starring Ben Stiller. An agent spotted him in a club scene featuring 400 other extras and signed him up. After cameos in hit series such as CSI and Law and Order, Somerhalder landed the role that made him famous: Boone Carlyle in Lost. He was one of the stars of the first season, returning a guest star in further seasons — even after his character had been killed off.

In 2009, Somerhalder landed his second major role, Damon Salvatore in supernatural drama series The Vampire Diaries. The role won him armfuls of Teen Choice and People’s Choice Awards as The Vampire Diaries became an internationally successful franchise. Somerhalder spread his wings during his time on the show, directing several episodes and directing the final series.