Ian Somerhalder
Encyclopedia
Ian Joseph Somerhalder is an American model, actor and producer
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...

, best known for playing Boone Carlyle
Boone Carlyle
Boone Carlyle is a fictional character 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 as the stepbrother of fellow crash survivor Shannon Rutherford...

 in the TV drama Lost
Lost (TV series)
Lost is an American television series that originally aired on ABC from September 22, 2004 to May 23, 2010, consisting of six seasons. Lost is a drama series that follows the survivors of the crash of a commercial passenger jet flying between Sydney and Los Angeles, on a mysterious tropical island...

and Damon Salvatore in the TV drama The Vampire Diaries
The Vampire Diaries
The Vampire Diaries is a young adult vampire horror series of novels written by L. J. Smith. The story centers around Elena Gilbert, a high school girl torn between two vampire brothers. The series was originally a trilogy published in 1991, but pressure from readers led Smith to write a fourth...

.

Early life

Somerhalder was born and raised in Covington, Louisiana
Covington, Louisiana
Covington is a city in and the parish seat of St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 8,483 at the 2000 census. It is located at a fork of the Bogue Falaya and the Tchefuncte River....

, the son of Edna, a massage therapist, and Robert Somerhalder, an independent building contractor. He is of English, French, Choctaw and Irish descent. A Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...

, he attended St. Paul's
St. Paul's School (Covington, Louisiana)
Saint Paul's School is a private all-boys Lasallian high school, located in Covington, Louisiana just to the north of New Orleans, United States. Located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans, the school is run by the Christian Brothers and is one of the 1,000 Lasallian schools in more...

, a private Catholic 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 (TV series)
Young Americans is an American television drama created by Steven Antin. The show debuted on July 12, 2000 on The WB network as a summer replacement for, and spin-off from, another Columbia TriStar Television production, Dawson's Creek. The series was originally ordered for the fall 1999-2000...

, a spin-off
Spin-off (media)
In media, a spin-off is a radio program, television program, video game, or any narrative work, derived from one or more already existing works, that focuses, in particular, in more detail on one aspect of that original work...

 of Dawson's Creek
Dawson's Creek
Dawson's Creek is an American teen drama television series which debuted on January 20, 1998, on The WB Television Network and was produced by Sony Pictures Television. The show is set in the fictional seaside town of Capeside, Massachusetts, and in Boston, Massachusetts, during the later seasons...

. He played Hamilton Fleming, the son of the dean of a prestigious boarding school. In 2002, Somerhalder played gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....

 character Paul Denton in Roger Avary's
Roger Avary
Roger Avary is a Canadian film and television producer, screenwriter, olive farmer and director in the American mass media industry. He was behind the screenplays of the films Silent Hill and Beowulf...

 adaptation
The Rules of Attraction (film)
The Rules of Attraction is a 2002 satirical dark comedy film directed by Roger Avary, based on the novel of the same name by Bret Easton Ellis. It stars James van der Beek, Shannyn Sossamon, Ian Somerhalder, Jessica Biel, and Kip Pardue.-Plot:...

 of Bret Easton Ellis'
Bret Easton Ellis
Bret Easton Ellis is an American novelist and short story writer. His works have been translated into 27 different languages. He was regarded as one of the so-called literary Brat Pack, which also included Tama Janowitz and Jay McInerney...

 novel, The Rules of Attraction
The Rules of Attraction
The Rules of Attraction is a dark comedy and satirical novel by Bret Easton Ellis published in 1987. The novel focuses on a handful of rowdy and often sexually promiscuous, spoiled Bohemian college students at a liberal arts college in 1980s New Hampshire, primarily focusing on three of them who...

, alongside James Van Der Beek
James Van Der Beek
James William Van Der Beek, Jr. is an American television, film, and stage actor, known for his portrayal of Dawson Leery in The WB series Dawson's Creek...

, Shannyn Sossamon
Shannyn Sossamon
Shannon Marie Kahololani Sossamon is an American actress. She starred in the film A Knight's Tale, which gained her wider fame and praise. She has since established herself in Hollywood after starring in several films such as 40 Days and 40 Nights, Wristcutters: A Love Story, and One Missed Call...

, and Jessica Biel
Jessica Biel
Jessica Claire Biel is an American actress, model, and occasional singer. Biel is known for her television role as Mary Camden in the long-running family-drama series 7th Heaven...

.

In 2004, Somerhalder scored his breakthrough role when he played Boone Carlyle
Boone Carlyle
Boone Carlyle is a fictional character 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 as the stepbrother of fellow crash survivor Shannon Rutherford...

 in the hit TV show Lost
Lost (TV series)
Lost is an American television series that originally aired on ABC from September 22, 2004 to May 23, 2010, consisting of six seasons. Lost is a drama series that follows the survivors of the crash of a commercial passenger jet flying between Sydney and Los Angeles, on a mysterious tropical island...

. Despite his character's death in the twentieth episode
Do No Harm (Lost)
"Do No Harm" is the twentieth episode of the first season of Lost. The episode was directed by Stephen Williams and written by Janet Tamaro. It first aired on April 6, 2005 on ABC....

 of the first season, Somerhalder returned to the role of Boone for seven more episodes, between 2005 and 2010, including the series finale
The End (Lost)
"The End" is the series finale of the ABC television series Lost, consisting of the 17th and 18th episodes of season 6. It is also the 120th and 121st episodes overall...

. In an ironic twist, Somerhalder was the first actor to be cast in a role for the series, but he was also the first character to die. He has stated that he was going to buy a house in Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...

, where filming took place, until he learned his character was being killed off.

In May 2006, Somerhalder was named one of DNA Models
DNA Model Management
DNA Model Management is a modeling agency in New York City. DNA represents numerous notable models in the industry. Models include Natalia Vodianova, Amber Valletta, Doutzen Kroes, Linda Evangelista, Shalom Harlow, Raquel Zimmermann and Kristen McMenamy....

' Top 10 Male Models.

In September 2009, Somerhalder appeared in the movie The Tournament
The Tournament (film)
The Tournament is a 2009 British independent action film, marking the directorial debut of local filmmaker Scott Mann. The film was conceived by Jonathan Frank and Nick Rowntree while at the University of Teesside with Mann...

where he played the role of an assassin participating in a lethal competition with other assassins. On 10 October 2009, it was announced that he will star in the Gothic
Gothic fiction
Gothic fiction, sometimes referred to as Gothic horror, is a genre or mode of literature that combines elements of both horror and romance. Gothicism's origin is attributed to English author Horace Walpole, with his 1764 novel The Castle of Otranto, subtitled "A Gothic Story"...

 movie Cradlewood, which is to be directed by Harry Weinmann. The movie is set to be released in 2013.

He appears in the limited-edition coffee table book About Face by celebrity photographer John Russo and Press Worldwide publishers.

Somerhalder currently stars in the CW television drama The Vampire Diaries
The Vampire Diaries
The Vampire Diaries is a young adult vampire horror series of novels written by L. J. Smith. The story centers around Elena Gilbert, a high school girl torn between two vampire brothers. The series was originally a trilogy published in 1991, but pressure from readers led Smith to write a fourth...

as Damon Salvatore.

Personal life

After months of speculation, it was officially confirmed in September 2011 that he is dating his 'The Vampire Diaries
The Vampire Diaries
The Vampire Diaries is a young adult vampire horror series of novels written by L. J. Smith. The story centers around Elena Gilbert, a high school girl torn between two vampire brothers. The series was originally a trilogy published in 1991, but pressure from readers led Smith to write a fourth...

' co-star Nina Dobrev
Nina Dobrev
Nina Dobrev is a Bulgarian-Canadian actress. She played the role of Mia Jones, the single teenage mother, on Degrassi: The Next Generation, from the show's sixth to ninth season...

.

Philanthropy

Somerhalder was involved in the cleanup after the Deepwater Horizon
Deepwater Horizon
Deepwater Horizon was an ultra-deepwater, dynamically positioned, semi-submersible offshore oil drilling rig owned by Transocean. Built in 2001 in South Korea by Hyundai Heavy Industries, the rig was commissioned by R&B Falcon, which later became part of Transocean, registered in Majuro, Marshall...

 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
St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana
St. Tammany Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana, in the New Orleans–Metairie–Kenner Metropolitan Statistical Area. The parish seat is Covington....

 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
Fandom
Fandom is a term used to refer to a subculture composed of fans characterized by a feeling of sympathy and camaraderie with others who share a common interest...

 for his birthday project.

Together with his The Vampire Diaries co-stars Candice Accola
Candice Accola
Candice Accola is an American actress and singer, best known for her role as Caroline Forbes on The Vampire Diaries.-Life and career:...

 and Michael Trevino
Michael Trevino
Michael Trevino is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Tyler Lockwood in the CW series The Vampire Diaries.-Early life:...

, Somerhalder supports the It Gets Better Project, which makes it a goal to prevent suicide among LGBT youth
Suicide among LGBT youth
Researchers have found that suicide among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth is comparatively higher than among the general population...

 associated with The Trevor Project
The Trevor Project
The Trevor Project is an American non-profit organization founded in 1998 and the leading national organization focused on suicide prevention efforts among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth. Through a toll-free telephone number, it operates The Trevor Lifeline, a...

.

Somerhalder announced, via Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...

 and in various interviews that was setting up The Ian Somerhalder Foundation (launched on December 8, 2010, Somerhalder's 32nd birthday), 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.

Filmography

Film
Year Title Role Notes
1998 Celebrity
Celebrity (film)
Celebrity is a 1998 comedy-drama film written and directed by Woody Allen. The screenplay focuses on the divergent paths a couple takes following their divorce.-Plot:...

Unconfirmed Uncredited
2001 Life as a House
Life as a House
Life as a House is a 2001 American drama film produced and directed by Irwin Winkler. The screenplay by Mark Andrus focuses on a man who is anxious to repair his relationship with his ex-wife and teenaged son after he is diagnosed with terminal cancer....

Josh
2002 Changing Hearts Jason Kelly
2002 The Rules of Attraction
The Rules of Attraction (film)
The Rules of Attraction is a 2002 satirical dark comedy film directed by Roger Avary, based on the novel of the same name by Bret Easton Ellis. It stars James van der Beek, Shannyn Sossamon, Ian Somerhalder, Jessica Biel, and Kip Pardue.-Plot:...

Paul Denton
2004 In Enemy Hands
In Enemy Hands (film)
In Enemy Hands aka "U-Boat", is a World War II submarine film released in 2004, starring William H. Macy.-Plot:Macy stars as the COB on a fictitious US Navy submarine, the USS Swordfish...

U.S.S. Swordfish Danny Miller
2004 The Old Man and the Studio Matt Short Film
2006 National Lampoon's TV: The Movie
National Lampoon's TV: The Movie
National Lampoon's TV: The Movie is a comedy film that was released in 2007 and features some of the actors from the TV show Jackass.-Plot:...

Unconfirmed Uncredited
2006 Pulse Dexter
2006 The Sensation of Sight
The Sensation of Sight
The Sensation of Sight is a feature film produced by independent film company Either/Or Films. Shot in 2005 and completed in 2006, it was written and directed by Aaron Wiederspahn and stars David Strathairn, Ian Somerhalder, Daniel Gillies, Jane Adams, Ann Cusack, Elisabeth Waterston, Joseph...

Drifter
2008 The Lost Samaritan William Archer
2009 Wake
Wake (film)
Wake is an independent film directed by Ellis Kanner released in 2009.- Summary :When things get tough for offbeat Carys Reitman, she does what any emotionally isolated, modern girl would do - she goes to strangers' funerals. At one fateful funeral, she unexpectedly meets Tyler, a man mourning his...

Tyler
2009 The Tournament
The Tournament (film)
The Tournament is a 2009 British independent action film, marking the directorial debut of local filmmaker Scott Mann. The film was conceived by Jonathan Frank and Nick Rowntree while at the University of Teesside with Mann...

Miles Slade
2010 How to Make Love to a Woman
How to Make Love to a Woman
How to Make Love to a Woman is a 2009 American comedy film directed by Scott Culver and written by Dennis Kao, both making their respective debuts...

Daniel Meltzer

Television
Year Title Role Notes
1997 The Big Easy I.Q. 1 episode: "The Black Bag"
1999 Now and Again
Now and Again
Now and Again is an American television series that aired in the US from September 24, 1999 until May 5, 2000 on CBS. The story revolves around the United States government engineering the perfect human body for use in espionage, but not being able to yet perfect the brain...

Brian 1 episode: "A Girl's Life"
2000 Young Americans
Young Americans (TV series)
Young Americans is an American television drama created by Steven Antin. The show debuted on July 12, 2000 on The WB network as a summer replacement for, and spin-off from, another Columbia TriStar Television production, Dawson's Creek. The series was originally ordered for the fall 1999-2000...

Hamilton Fleming 8 episodes
2001 Anatomy of a Hate Crime Russell Henderson TV Film
2002 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation is an American crime drama television series, which premiered on CBS on October 6, 2000. The show was created by Anthony E. Zuiker and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer...

Tony Del Nagro 1 episode: "Revenge Is Best Served Cold"
2002 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit is an American police procedural television drama series set in New York City, where it is also primarily produced...

Charlie Baker 1 episode: "Dominance"
2003 CSI: Miami
CSI: Miami
CSI: Miami is an American police procedural television series, which premiered on September 23, 2002 on CBS. The series is a spin-off of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation....

Ricky Murdoch 1 episode: "The Best Defense"
2004 Fearless Jordan Gracie 1 episode: "Pilot"
2004 Smallville
Smallville
Smallville is the hometown of Superman in comic books published by DC Comics. While growing up in Smallville, the young Clark Kent attended Smallville High with best friends Lana Lang, Chloe Sullivan and Pete Ross...

Adam Knight 7 episodes
2007 Marco Polo
Marco Polo (TV film)
Marco Polo is a 2007 TV mini series directed by Kevin Connor, starring Ian Somerhalder, B.D. Wong and Brian Dennehy. In the 13th Century, imprisoned in Genoa, Marco Polo, a Venetian trader, recounts his days as a young man in China to a fellow prisoner who is dying...

Marco Polo TV Film
2007 Tell Me You Love Me
Tell Me You Love Me
Tell Me You Love Me is an American cable television drama series that premiered on HBO and on The Movie Network on September 9, 2007.The series was created by Cynthia Mort and originally conceived as sexlife. The pilot episode was produced and directed by Patricia Rozema and shot in Winnipeg,...

Nick 6 episodes
2008 Lost City Raiders
Lost City Raiders
Lost City Raiders is a 2008 made-for-television science fiction film written and directed by Jean de Segonzac. It starred James Brolin, Ian Somerhalder, Ben Cross, Jamie King, Elodie Frenck, and Bettina Zimmermann.-Plot synopsis:...

Jack Kubiak TV Film
2009 Fireball Lee Cooper TV Film
2004–2010 Lost
Lost (TV series)
Lost is an American television series that originally aired on ABC from September 22, 2004 to May 23, 2010, consisting of six seasons. Lost is a drama series that follows the survivors of the crash of a commercial passenger jet flying between Sydney and Los Angeles, on a mysterious tropical island...

Boone Carlyle
Boone Carlyle
Boone Carlyle is a fictional character 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 as the stepbrother of fellow crash survivor Shannon Rutherford...

27 episodes
2009–present The Vampire Diaries
The Vampire Diaries
The Vampire Diaries is a young adult vampire horror series of novels written by L. J. Smith. The story centers around Elena Gilbert, a high school girl torn between two vampire brothers. The series was originally a trilogy published in 1991, but pressure from readers led Smith to write a fourth...

Damon Salvatore Main role

Awards

Year Award Category Work Result
2002 Young Hollywood Awards
Young Hollywood Awards
The Young Hollywood Awards is an award presented annually which honors the year's biggest achievements in music, movies, sports, television, fashion and more, as voted on by teenagers aged 13–19 and young adults. The award ceremonies also honor rising and promising young aged performers in Hollywood...

Exciting New Face – Male N/A
2005 Teen Choice Awards
Teen Choice Awards
The Teen Choice Awards, are an annual awards show that air on the Fox cable channel, that honor the year's biggest biggest achievements in music, movies, sports, television, fashion and more, voted by teen viewers aged 14 through 17. Winners receive an authentic full size surfboard designed with...

Choice TV Breakout Performance – Male Lost
Lost (TV series)
Lost is an American television series that originally aired on ABC from September 22, 2004 to May 23, 2010, consisting of six seasons. Lost is a drama series that follows the survivors of the crash of a commercial passenger jet flying between Sydney and Los Angeles, on a mysterious tropical island...

2006 Screen Actors Guild Award Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series Lost
Lost (TV series)
Lost is an American television series that originally aired on ABC from September 22, 2004 to May 23, 2010, consisting of six seasons. Lost is a drama series that follows the survivors of the crash of a commercial passenger jet flying between Sydney and Los Angeles, on a mysterious tropical island...

(with cast)
2010
2010 Teen Choice Awards
2010 Teen Choice Awards were held on August 8, introducing a lot of new categories now separated into "Movie", "TV", "Music", "Summer", "Fashion" and "Other". The show aired on August 9, 2010 on Fox, co-hosted by Katy Perry, who also performed, and Cory Monteith, Chris Colfer, Kevin McHale, and...

Teen Choice Awards Choice TV Villain The Vampire Diaries
The Vampire Diaries
The Vampire Diaries is a young adult vampire horror series of novels written by L. J. Smith. The story centers around Elena Gilbert, a high school girl torn between two vampire brothers. The series was originally a trilogy published in 1991, but pressure from readers led Smith to write a fourth...

2010 Teen Choice Awards Choice Male Hottie The Vampire Diaries
2011
2011 Teen Choice Awards
The 2011 Teen Choice Awards hosted by Kaley Cuoco aired live on August 7, 2011 at 8/7c on Fox. This was the first time that the ceremonies were aired live since the 2007 show...

Teen Choice Awards Choice TV Actor Fantasy/Sci-Fi The Vampire Diaries
2011 Teen Choice Awards Choice Vampire The Vampire Diaries
2011 Teen Choice Awards Choice Male Hottie The Vampire Diaries
2011
37th People's Choice Awards
The 37th People's Choice Awards, honoring the best in popular culture for 2010, were held on January 5, 2011 at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, California, and were broadcast live on CBS at 9:00 pm ET...

People's Choice Awards
People's Choice Awards
The People's Choice Awards is an American awards show recognizing the people and the work of popular culture. The show has been held annually since 1975 and is voted on by the general public. The People's Choice Awards air on CBS and are produced by Procter & Gamble and Survivor magnate Mark Burnett...

Favorite TV Drama Actor The Vampire Diaries
2011 J-14 Teen Icon Awards Iconic TV Actor The Vampire Diaries
2012
38th People's Choice Awards
The 38th People's Choice Awards, honoring the best in popular culture for 2011, will be held on January 11, 2012 at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, California, and were broadcast live on CBS at 9:00 pm ET.On November 8, the nominees were announced...

People's Choice Awards Favorite TV Drama Actor The Vampire Diaries

External links

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