Ian Joseph Somerhalder born December 8, 1978 in Covington, Louisiana, USA. The son of a massage therapist and a building contractor, Somerhalder was born and raised in the small southern town of Covington, LA. Boating, swimming, fishing and training horses filled much of his recreational time growing up, as did the school drama club and performing with the local theater group. With his mother's encouragement, at age 10, he began a modeling career that took him to New York each summer. By junior high, he opted to put modeling on the back burner and focus more on sports and school. A few years later, when the opportunity to model in Europe arose, Somerhalder grabbed it, embarking on an enriching path of work, travel and study that took him to cities, including Paris, Milan and London. At 17, he began studying acting in New York and, by 19, had committed himself to the craft, working with preeminent acting coach William Esper. His fate was sealed while working as an extra in a club scene in the feature film, Black and White (1999). A talent manager visiting a client on the set spotted Somerhalder in a crowd scene of 400 and immediately signed him for representation. Happy to be anchored in New York, Somerhalder spends much of his time studying acting, writing and practicing yoga. His recreational interests include water and snow skiing and horseback riding.
The surname "Somerhalder" originates from his adoptive great-grandfather. His biological great-grandfather, a wealthy English landowner, got one of his mistresses pregnant and paid an immigrant worker of his to marry this woman and give the baby a name, which was Somerhalder. The biological great-grandfather's name was Hull.
Was in a relationship with The Vampire Diaries (2009) co-star, Nina Dobrev (2010 - May 2013).
Ian and his siblings own a pizza parlor in Idaho.
If he hadn't become an actor, he would have chosen a career in marine biology, writing, or advertising.
He lent a helping hand to the disaster-stricken areas of the BP oil spill. He devoted his time off for summer to work in the Gulf region, particularly his home state. Ian also participated in Larry King's special two-hour telethon "Disaster in the Gulf: How You Can Help" on CNN, along with other celebrities.
He didn't graduate high school because he traveled to Europe to pursue his modeling career.
Together with his The Vampire Diaries (2009) 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.
He is Russell on Anatomy of a Hate Crime.
He is Josh on Life as a House.
He is Jason Kelly on Changing Hearts.
He is Paul Denton on The Rules of attraction.
He is Jordan Gracie on Fearless.
He is Dexter on Pulse.
He is Drifter on The Sensation of Sight.
He is Marco Polo on Marco Polo.
He is William Archer on The Lost Samaritan.
He is Jack on Lost City Raiders.
He is Tyler on Wake.
He is Lee Cooper on Fireball.
He is Miles Slade on The Tournament.
He is Daniel Meltzer on How to Mke Love To A Women.
He is Damon Salvatore on The Vampire Diaries.