Ian Joseph Somerhalder (born December 8, 1978) is an American actor. He is known for playing
Boone Carlyle
Boone Carlyle is a fictional character who was played by Ian Somerhalder on the ABC drama television series ''Lost'', which chronicles the lives of the survivors of a plane crash in the south Pacific. Boone is introduced in the pilot episode a ...
in the TV drama ''
Lost
Lost may refer to getting lost, or to:
Geography
* Lost, Aberdeenshire, a hamlet in Scotland
*Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail, or LOST, a hiking and cycling trail in Florida, US
History
*Abbreviation of lost work, any work which is known to have bee ...
'',
Damon Salvatore in
The CW
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...
's supernatural drama ''
The Vampire Diaries
''The Vampire Diaries'' is an American supernatural teen drama television series developed by Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec, based on the book series of the same name written by L. J. Smith. The series premiered on The CW on September 10, ...
'', and Dr. Luther Swann in
Netflix
Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a ...
's
sci-fi horror series ''
V Wars''.
Early life
Ian Joseph Somerhalder
was born on December 8, 1978, in
Covington, Louisiana
Covington is a city in, and the parish seat of, St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 11,564 at the 2020 United States census. It is located at a fork of the Bogue Falaya and the Tchefuncte River. Covington is part o ...
, the second of three children of Edna, a massage therapist from
Mississippi
Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...
,
and Robert Somerhalder Sr., an independent
building contractor
A general contractor, main contractor or prime contractor is responsible for the day-to-day oversight of a construction site, management of vendors and trades, and the communication of information to all involved parties throughout the course of ...
.
He has an older brother, Robert, and a younger sister, Robyn.
His paternal grandfather's biological father, a landowner in England, whose mistress became pregnant, paid off one of his immigrant workers, whose surname was Somerhalder, to marry her and take the newborn baby far away.
His paternal grandmother was French.
His mother has Irish ancestry; her maternal grandfather was
Choctaw.
He lived with his mother after his parents divorced
when he was 14.
Somerhalder attended
Saint Paul's School, a private school in Covington. He embarked on a modeling career from age 10 to 13, and by the age of 17 he decided to go into acting.
Career
In the summer of 2000, Somerhalder starred in the short-lived WB series ''
Young Americans
''Young Americans'' is the ninth studio album by English musician David Bowie, released on 7March 1975 through RCA Records. The album marked a departure from the glam rock style of Bowie's previous albums, showcasing his interest in soul ...
'', a
spin-off
Spin-off may refer to:
*Spin-off (media), a media work derived from an existing work
*Corporate spin-off, a type of corporate action that forms a new company or entity
* Government spin-off, civilian goods which are the result of military or gov ...
of ''
Dawson's Creek''. He played Hamilton Fleming, the son of the dean of a prestigious boarding school. In 2002, Somerhalder played
bisexual character Paul Denton in
Roger Avary's
adaptation
In biology, adaptation has three related meanings. Firstly, it is the dynamic evolutionary process of natural selection that fits organisms to their environment, enhancing their evolutionary fitness. Secondly, it is a state reached by the po ...
of
Bret Easton Ellis' novel, ''
The Rules of Attraction'', alongside
James Van Der Beek
James William Van Der Beek (; born March 8, 1977) is an American actor best known for his portrayal of Dawson Leery in the WB series ''Dawson's Creek'' and Johnny "Mox" Moxon in '' Varsity Blues'' (1999). He played a fictionalized version of h ...
,
Shannyn Sossamon, and
Jessica Biel
Jessica Claire Timberlake (née Biel ; born March 3, 1982) is an American actress and model. She has received various accolades, including a Young Artist Award, and nominations for a Primetime Emmy Award and two Golden Globe Awards.
Biel b ...
.
In 2004, Somerhalder scored his breakthrough role when he played
Boone Carlyle
Boone Carlyle is a fictional character who was played by Ian Somerhalder on the ABC drama television series ''Lost'', which chronicles the lives of the survivors of a plane crash in the south Pacific. Boone is introduced in the pilot episode a ...
in ''
Lost
Lost may refer to getting lost, or to:
Geography
* Lost, Aberdeenshire, a hamlet in Scotland
*Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail, or LOST, a hiking and cycling trail in Florida, US
History
*Abbreviation of lost work, any work which is known to have bee ...
''. Despite his character's death in the
twentieth episode of the first season, he returned to the role of Boone for seven more episodes between 2005 and 2010, including the
series finale. He was the first major character to die.
Following his departure from the show, ABC signed him to another one-year contract. In 2005, he stated that being a part of ''Lost'' was "the greatest experience" of "the greatest year of his life".
In 2009, Somerhalder appeared in the movie ''
The Tournament'' where he played the role of an assassin participating in a lethal competition with other assassins. He appears in the coffee table book ''About Face'' by celebrity photographer John Russo.
In June 2009, Somerhalder was cast in the role of Vampire
Damon Salvatore as a series regular in
The CW
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...
television drama series ''
The Vampire Diaries
''The Vampire Diaries'' is an American supernatural teen drama television series developed by Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec, based on the book series of the same name written by L. J. Smith. The series premiered on The CW on September 10, ...
''. The series premiere attracted
The CW
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...
's highest premiere ratings of any season premiere since the network began in 2006. The series has continued to be the highest-rated series on its channel with both his performance and the show receiving a positive response from critics. He began directing ''The Vampire Diaries'' in its third season and produced the series at the start of season 8. He has received several
Teen Choice Award's and a
People's Choice Award for his participation on the series.
In October 2012, Somerhalder was cast in the film ''Time Framed'', which had begun filming in Los Angeles. In April 2018, he was cast in the role of Dr. Luther Swann as a series regular in the
Netflix
Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a ...
science fiction
Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel uni ...
horror series ''
V Wars''. The series premiered on Netflix on December 5, 2019 and was cancelled in March 2020.
Foundations and causes
Somerhalder was involved in the cleanup after the ''
Deepwater Horizon'' oil drilling disaster on April 22, 2010. His efforts included cleaning of oiled wildlife and taping public service announcements to let the public know how they could help. Somerhalder also supports the
St. Tammany Humane Society, an organization for animal shelter and welfare. On November 13, 2010, he hosted a Bash on the Bayou charity fundraiser for the Society. During the event, Somerhalder was presented with a donation of $11,100 by ''The Vampire Diaries''
fandom
A fandom is a subculture composed of fans characterized by a feeling of empathy and camaraderie with others who share a common interest. Fans typically are interested in even minor details of the objects of their fandom and spend a significant ...
for his birthday project.
Together with his ''The Vampire Diaries'' co-stars
Candice Accola and
Michael Trevino, Somerhalder supports the
It Gets Better Project, which makes it a goal to prevent
suicide among LGBT youth associated with
The Trevor Project. For his second campaign, Somerhalder teamed up with ''The Vampire Diaries'' co-star
Paul Wesley to release a limited edition shirt designed by a fan, with the words "Blood Brothers Since 1864." This campaign sold almost 10,000 shirts.
On December 8, 2010, Somerhalder's 32nd birthday, he launched the "Ian Somerhalder Foundation" which he hopes will educate people on the importance of protecting the environment and animals: "Instead of gifts this year, my birthday wish is that we come together and raise funds to support projects that protect our habitat and nurture our furry friends. To spread awareness for his foundation, Somerhalder sponsors and often walks in
Mardi Paws, a parade and organization held in his hometown of Covington. He opposes
GMO
A genetically modified organism (GMO) is any organism whose genetic material has been altered using genetic engineering techniques. The exact definition of a genetically modified organism and what constitutes genetic engineering varies, with ...
foods and
factory farming
Intensive animal farming or industrial livestock production, also known by its opponents as factory farming and macro-farms, is a type of intensive agriculture, specifically an approach to animal husbandry designed to maximize production, while ...
, and supports
ecologist
Ecology () is the study of the relationships between living organisms, including humans, and their physical environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community, ecosystem, and biosphere level. Ecology overlaps wi ...
Allan Savory
Clifford Allan Redin Savory (born 15 September 1935) is a Zimbabwean livestock farmer and president and co-founder of the Savory Institute. He originated holistic management, a systems thinking approach to managing resources.
Savory advocate ...
in his crusade to let cows graze in sync with nature to enrich soil, enhance
biodiversity
Biodiversity or biological diversity is the variety and variability of life on Earth. Biodiversity is a measure of variation at the genetic ('' genetic variability''), species ('' species diversity''), and ecosystem ('' ecosystem diversity'') ...
, and reverse
climate change
In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to ...
. In 2011, Somerhalder visited Savory in Africa and announced he was making a documentary about him with the goal of winning him a
Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes ( ; sv, Nobelpriset ; no, Nobelprisen ) are five separate prizes that, according to Alfred Nobel's will of 1895, are awarded to "those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind." Alfr ...
.
Somerhalder is also a celebrity campaigner for
RYOT, a Los Angeles-based media company known for RYOT.org, its cause-based, take action online news source.
Personal life
Somerhalder had a relationship with his ''The Vampire Diaries'' co-star
Nina Dobrev from 2010 to 2013. In mid-2014, he began dating actress
Nikki Reed. They confirmed their engagement in February 2015 and married on April 26, 2015, in
Malibu, California. Their daughter was born on July 25, 2017.
Somerhalder has remained close friends with his former ''The Vampire Diaries'' co-star
Paul Wesley, and in 2020, they announced the launch of a straight
bourbon whiskey named Brother's Bond Bourbon.
Filmography
Film
Television
Web
As director
Awards and nominations
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Somerhalder, Ian
1978 births
Living people
20th-century American male actors
21st-century American male actors
American child models
American environmentalists
American male film actors
American male television actors
American people of Choctaw descent
American people of English descent
American people of French descent
American people of Irish descent
American people who self-identify as being of Native American descent
American philanthropists
LGBT rights activists from the United States
Male actors from Louisiana
People from Covington, Louisiana