Ian Somerhalder Biography

Ian started modeling when he was ten years old and continued that until he was seventeen. He earned name and fame as a supermodel and walked the ramp for some of the best designers working at that time.

His glorious run as a model continued until he bagged the role of Hamilton Fleming in a spin-off series of ‘Dawson’s Creek’ titled ‘Young Americans.’ The series was short-lived and was largely unsuccessful. But Ian’s talent didn’t go unnoticed and soon after it was over, he appeared as a bisexual character Paul Denton in Roger Avary’s ‘The Rules of Attraction’.

Ian got the necessary exposure to the industry and bagged the most important role of his lifetime that turned around his professional career. In 2004, he played Boon Carlyle in the cult TV series ‘Lost’. Although he only appeared in the first twenty episodes of ‘Lost’ before he was killed off, he gathered a massive following. Several polls stated that he was the most loved character on the show and was killed off too early. On popular demand, the producers made him a reappearing character and Ian kept showing up in several episodes here and there. After that Ian kept making appearances in several big and small roles in films and TV shows such as Fearless, Smallville, Marco Polo, Lost City Raider, etc.

In 2009, Ian appeared in the role of an assassin in the American film ‘The Tournament’. He became a household name when he was finally cast for the show ‘The Vampire Diaries’ and that changed his life forever. He played a lovable anti-heroic vampire named Damon Salvatore as one of the two main characters in the show. The show garnered the CW network the highest-ever rating for a TV show and continues to be the most popular show for the network. Somerhalder’s performance was praised and he won numerous awards for it such as Teen’s Choice Awards and People’s Choice Awards.

Ian has also shown interest in directing and has even directed a few episodes of Vampire Diaries, which were quite well-received. He has also indicated that he may direct a full-length feature quite soon.

Ian played the role of ‘Harkin Langham’ in the 2014 Noel Clarke-directed British science fiction action thriller film ‘The Anomaly.’ The film failed to impress critics and received a 0% score on Rotten Tomatoes. In 2019, he made a return to television as ‘Dr. Luther Swann’ in the American science fiction horror television series, ‘V Wars.’ The series lasted 10 episodes and was canceled after one season. He also directed the episode: "The Junkie Run of the Predator Gene" of the series. In 2020, he starred in the documentary series, ‘Kiss the Ground.’

Ian Somerhalder was born on December 8, 1978, in Louisiana, USA. His mother, Edna, used to be a massage therapist, and his father, Robert Somerhalder, was a building contractor. Ian is the second of three children. His father was of French descent and his mother Irish.

Not much is known about his childhood but Ian has mentioned that he had quite a troublesome childhood as his parents constantly fought with each other. They divorced when Ian was thirteen years old, and this had a deep impact on him. He was then taken into custody by his mother, who was an avid follower of eastern medicine and pushed him from early childhood to lead a healthy life. Ian heeded her advice and stuck to a healthy clean diet and regular workout, which eventually prepared him for a modeling career.

Being an active and athletic kid, Ian loved outdoor sports like horse riding and soccer.

He has stated in many of his interviews that he was always fascinated with the world of show business. The modeling offers started pouring in as soon as he turned ten. Eventually, he got tired of modeling and expressed his desire to be seen as more than just a perfect face.

Ian didn’t finish his high school education and left for Europe midway to pursue modeling. Prior to that, he was an above-average kid in academics and he also actively participated in almost all the extracurricular activities in school.

He also showed a keen interest in writing and said that if he wasn’t an actor or model, he would have made a career in writing or advertising.

Strangely though, he regrets his modeling days stating that he was taken as just a pretty face back in the days and he would love to never talk about that time.

Apart from acting and modeling, Ian is actively engaged in philanthropic work. He has expressed his concern quite a lot of times about global warming and the depletion of natural resources. He initiated the Ian Somerhalder foundation in 2008, for the purpose of environment preservation and spreading social awareness about protecting the planet.

Ian is also connected to several other charitable organizations and constantly appears at their events. He is a constant supporter of the charity ‘Love Letter to the South’, which works towards renovating the Katrina hurricane-affected areas across the USA.

Ian also happens to be the owner of a pizza parlor co-owned by his brothers back in Idaho.

His dating life was quite public. He dated his Vampire Diaries co-star, Nina Dobrev, from 2011 to 2013. They separated citing some mundane problems. In mid-2014, Ian started appearing with the actress, Nikki Reed and expressed his desire to marry her, which eventually came to life when he married her on April 26, 2015. On May 2, 2017, the couple shared the good news with the world that they were expecting a child. The same year the couple welcomed their daughter named Bodhi. In January 2023, the couple announced that they were expecting their second child together.