This genetically blessed Louisiana native started out as a model for brands such as Versace, Gucci and Calvin Klein. Although he began appearing in print ads at age 10, he took a few years off to be a normal kid before returning to the fashion world in his teens. Despite his success---he was the face of Guess? Jeans for two years running in the late 1990s---Somerhalder longed to be seen as more than a perfect face and took up acting. While appearing as an extra in the movie
Black & White (his scene wound up on the cutting-room floor)
, he was spotted and signed by an agent, and in 2000 he landed a regular role on the short-lived drama
Young Americans as a moody prep-school student. After the series' cancellation, he won guest spots, a recurring role as a romantic rival of Clark Kent's on
Smallville and big-screen supporting roles, notably his turn as a bisexual college student in
The Rules of Attraction. But it wasn't until he got
Lost on an island in 2004 that Somerhalder found stardom, as he played a plane-crash survivor secretly in love with his spoiled brat of a step-sister. Although his character was killed off in the first season, the time-bending nature of the show didn't rule out appearances in future seasons. Film work followed, as well as a racy (and undressed) role on HBO's
Tell Me You Love Me. In 2009, Somerhalder once again landed steady series work, playing a not-so-nice vampire on the CW's hit
Vampire Diaries. Off-screen, he is an animal lover and has even filmed PSAs for Louisiana's Humane Society.
Ian Somerhalder Fast Facts:
- Trained horses as a kid.
- Began modeling at age 10 and had a successful international career that included work with Versace, Gucci and Calvin Klein.
- Made his television debut in CBS's Now and Again in 1999.
- Produced and starred in the 2004 short Recess.
- Appeared in the 2005 off-Broadway comedy Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead.
- Landing a role as a vampire in the CW's Vampire Diaries in 2009, he acknowledged in an MTV News interview that the popularity of the Twilight film franchise likely led to the CW show. "Vampires," he added, "are very hot."
- He is active in animal-rights issues, and also helped efforts to clean up the 2010 oil spill in his native state of Louisiana.
- Ian Somerhalder Relationships:
- Nina Dobrev - Significant Other
- Edna Somerhalder - Mother
- Robert Somerhalder - Father
- Ian Somerhalder Awards:
- 2005 Screen Actors Guild Awards: Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series - Winner