Paul Wesley Biography

Paul Wesley was born on July 23, 1982, in New Brunswick, New Jersey, the United States. His parents Tomasz Wasilewski, and Agnieszka Wasilewski are of Polish origin. He also has three sisters, Monika Emara, Leah Wasilewski, and Julia Wasilewski.

Until he reached the age of sixteen, he used to spend four months every year in Poland. Therefore, along with English, he can also speak Polish.

He attended several schools, such as Christian Brothers Academy and Lakewood Prep School. During these years, he was also actively involved with theatre studies. As a high school student, he was cast in the television soap operas, ‘Another World’ and ‘Guiding Light.’ He played the role of Max Nickerson in the latter.

After completing his graduation in the year 2000, he went to Rutgers University for higher studies. However, he was offered many roles, which made him realize his acting potential. Thus he decided to quit his studies to pursue a full-time career in acting instead.

Paul Wesley’s first significant role was in the TV series, ‘Wolf Lake’. The show, which originally aired on CBS, was about a guy whose fiancée is supposedly murdered, and the guy, seeking answers, finds himself in a town filled with werewolves. Though the story looked promising, it was canceled after a few episodes.

In 2002, he appeared in the TV series ‘American Dreams’ in a supporting role. The show aired on the NBC network for three years. Starring actors such as Brittany Snow, Tom Verica, and Gail O’Grady, it also won a ‘TV Land Award’ in 2003.

Throughout the years, he appeared in significant as well as supporting roles in several television shows, including ‘CSI: Miami’ (2004), ‘Fallen’ (2007), ‘Shark’ (2007), ‘Cold Case’ (2008), and ‘Army Wives’ (2009).

His film career began in 2004, with the movie ‘The Last Run’. Since then, he has appeared in several other popular movies such as ‘Peaceful Warrior’ (2006), a drama film directed by Victor Salva, where he played a supporting role, and ‘Beneath the Blue’ (2010), directed by Michael D. Sellers, where he played the lead role. He was also seen in the 2016 comedy-drama ‘The Late Bloomer’, directed by Kevin Pollak, where he played a supporting role.

The most significant work in his career is his role in ‘The Vampire Dairies’ an American supernatural drama TV series, where he appears in the lead role of a good-hearted vampire. The show, which premiered on the CW TV network, ran from September 2009 to March 2017, covering a total of eight seasons. It became one of the most-watched shows on the Network, and won several awards such as the ‘People’s Choice Award’, and the ‘Teen Choice Awards’, several times. He also starred in television series like ‘The Originals’ (2016), ‘Medal of Honor’ (2018), and ‘Tell Me a Story’ (2018-2020). In 2022, he became a part of the television series, ‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ as ‘James T. Kirk.’

As a director, Wesley first directed the episode ‘Resident Evil’ of the series ’The Vampire Diaries’ in 2014. Since then, he has directed several more episodes of the series. In 2019, he led the direction of the Episode: "The Boy Who Still Has a Lot of Good to Do" of the series ‘Legacies.’ The same year, he also directed an episode of ‘Roswell, New Mexico.’ In 2020, he came to direct the Episode: "A Narrow Escape" of the superhero television series, ‘Batwoman.’ He was also a producer for a few movies, such as ‘Before I Disappear’ (2014), ‘Anna’ (2019), and ‘Aliya’ (2021). He will be next seen in the upcoming horror film ‘History of Evil.’

’The Vampire Diaries’ (2009-17) was the most significant work in Paul Wesley’s career. Developed by Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec, the show aired on the CW network for almost eight years, covering a total of eight seasons. Along with Wesley, it starred actors Nina Dobrev, Ian Somerhalder, Steven R. McQueen, and Sara Canning. The story was about a young girl, played by Dobrev, who falls in love with a good-hearted vampire, played by Wesley. The rest of the story followed the problems and complications that arose because of their relationship.

In 2009, Wesley played a supporting role in the American thriller TV series ‘24’, which aired on the Fox Network. Created by Joel Surnow and Robert Cochran, the show was about a counter-terrorist organization in America that works to protect the country from terrorists. Not only did the show manage to gain immense popularity, but it also received several significant awards such as the ‘Golden Globe Awards’ in 2003, and ‘Primetime Emmy Award’ in 2006.

He played a lead role in the 2010 American drama film ‘Beneath the Blue’, which was directed by Michael D Sellers. Other actors included Caitlin Wachs, David Keith, and Christine Adams. The story follows a group of dolphin researchers, who think that dolphins were dying because of the sonar programs of the US Navy.

Wesley played a supporting role in the 2012 action comedy film ‘The Baytown Outlaws’. The film served as the directorial debut of Barry Battles. Also starring actors Andre Braugher, Clayne Crawford, Daniel Cudmore, and Travis Fimmel, the film followed a team of vigilantes who accept a job to rescue a young boy from his godfather, while at the same time being pursued by a group of assassins. It received mostly mixed reviews.

Paul Wesley, for his brilliant role in ‘The Vampire Diaries,’ was nominated for numerous awards, out of which he won four, including Teen Choice Award for Breakout Star Male and Teen Choice Award for Actor Fantasy/Sci-Fi, both in 2010.

His role in the 2014 American drama ‘Before I Disappear’, earned him a nomination for the ‘Northeast Film Festival Award’ for Best Supporting Actor.

In 2007, Paul Wesley began dating Torrey DeVitto, an American actress. They got married in 2011, but the marriage ended in a divorce, which was finalized in December 2013.

In September 2013, he began dating American actress and model Phoebe Tonkin. Their relationship lasted till March 2017.

Paul Wesley married health coach and social media influencer Ines de Ramon, in 2019. The couple announced their separation in September 2022.

Wesley is also known for his philanthropic activities. He has hosted two fundraising campaigns to raise funds for ‘The Humane Society of the United States’.

The actor started using the name ‘Paul Wesley’ as he felt his birth name was too hard to pronounce, especially for people living in America.

He loves playing ice hockey as well as snowboarding.

As stated by Wesley himself, if not an actor, he would have probably become an investigative journalist.

He is a vegan and a staunch advocate of animal rights.