With eight seasons to the series at almost 200 episodes, it's easy to lose track of who passed through Mystic Falls, Virginia in The Vampire Diaries on their way to other roles. Many actors went on to star in their own shows on the CW while others are known for their prolific careers across various networks.
Some made cameos that made the audience say, "Hey, I remember that person from that show all those years ago." They played werewolves, witches, vampires and more in this supernatural-filled series. Here are 10 actors fans forgot were on The Vampire Diaries.
Stephen Amell
Before he starred as Oliver Queen on Arrow and set off a domino effect of the Arrowverse on the CW, he was a werewolf named Brady passing through Mystic Falls. Seeking revenge for his friend Mason Lockwood (Taylor Kinney) Brady ran afoul of the Salvatores when he took Elena to break the Sun and Moon Curse that keeps werewolves slaves to the full moon. Along with Jules he also kidnapped and tortured Caroline. These choices ensured he only lasted two episodes on the whole series.
Gina Torres
From playing Zoë Washburne in Firefly to Bella Crawford in Hannibal, Gina Torres is no stranger to portraying a strong woman on the small screen. But her acting credits range in genre, from the drama of Suits to comedy like Angie Tribeca. In The Vampire Diaries, she played Bree a bartending witch who once had a fling with Damon Salvatore. But when she betrays him to avenge the death of her one true love, she turns from friend to foe, leaving Damon no choice but to kill her.
Lauren Cohan
Before killing zombies on The Walking Dead, Cohan did a brief stint as the vampire Rose on the run from the Mikaelson family in The Vampire Diaries. For those who watch all the CW shows, she also appeared as Bella on Supernatural. In the teenage vampire series though she played a tough as nails monster that just wanted her freedom. But the Mikaelsons weren't about to let go of her hundred-years' past transgressions that easily. After six episodes, Cohan's Rose succumbed to werewolf venom. She went down fighting though.
Colin Ferguson
Fans of Eureka may know Ferguson as the main character Jack Carter but he also played a minor role as Tripp Cooke, mentor to Matt Donovan. Tripp headed up a committee that rounded up vampires and took them to their deaths indiscriminately and encouraged Matt to join the fray. It took the show's favorite blue-eyed human down a dark path that had him considering betraying his friends. For those who watch live TV with commercials, Ferguson may also look familiar as a certain Maytag Man.
Bianca Lawson
This actress shares a quality with the vampires of Mystic Falls: she's ageless. Lawson's career started in the early 90s with shows like Saved by the Bell, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Dawson's Creek. More recently she played a school counselor on the hit MTV series Teen Wolf.
But in the supernatural world created by Julie Plec and Kevin Williamson, she played Emily Bennett, Bonnie's ancestor that first trapped Katherine in the tomb. Throughout all these shows she manages to look as she always has. She must be magic.
Torrey DeVitto
DeVitto is well-known for her turn as Dr. Natalie Manning across the NBC Chicago dramas. Before she was a doctor there, she was Dr. Meredith Fell in Mystic Falls, a legacy of the founding families. DeVitto's character Meredith was romantically linked to Alaric Saltzman (Matt Davis), the high school history teacher until his untimely first death led to him becoming a dark version of himself. Soon after she left Mystic Falls, wanting nothing to do with the supernatural world. The last that's revealed about her character is that she moved to Alaska with her husband.
Sean Faris
Faris was no stranger to the CW, having played one-time roles on Smallville and One Tree Hill. But he's best known for his lead role, Jake Tyler, in the feature film Never Back Down. Not long after that movie, he appeared in three episodes of TVD as Ben McKittrick, a townie bartender that the vampire Anna felt sorry for and turned.
He was meant to lure Bonnie into a trap to hold her hostage while Anna freed her mother from the tomb. But he met his fate when she escaped.
David Gallagher
Gallagher's appearance on the vampire series made a delightful surprise for anyone who grew up watching 7th Heaven. He played the precocious Simon Camden on the wholesome family show and grew up on the television screen. But much of his career was made through voice acting for cartoons and video games.
He only appeared in two episodes of TVD as Ray Sutton, a werewolf Klaus turns into a hybrid. He was the first of Klaus's experiments in creating a new supernatural species, so naturally, he died.
Courtney Ford
Ford is another busy actress with a history with the CW network. Most recently she played Kelly Kline in Supernatural and Nora Darhk in Legends of Tomorrow. She appeared in The Vampire Diaries as a Duke University student named Vanessa Monroe who played assistant to Alaric's lost wife, Isobel. Vanessa is in the know about vampires, which is why when Elena joins the search she mistakes Nina Dobrev's character for the evil doppelganger Katherine. After a minor misunderstanding, she helps Alaric on his quest to find Isobel, Elena's mother.
Rick Cosnett
Cosnett most recently has been better known for his role as Detective Eddie Thawne in The Flash, the many greats grandfather of Eobard Thawne, the villain who would become Zoom, the killer of Barry's parents in the past. Before participating in the world's most confusing timeline though, Cosnett played Dr. Wes Maxfield in TVD. During Elena's first season as a vampire, Dr. Maxfield caused trouble as the uncle of the boy she befriended at Whitmore College. His role as a doctor who experimented on vampires for the Augustine Society also betrayed his "do no harm" code of ethics.